IS300 Liteweight Flywheel & RPS Clutch upgrade Review
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Howdy folks ...
When i installed my SC... i wanted also to Install a new clutch & lightweight flywheel etc. the parts were 2 years old & worked fine but withthe additional power i thought it a good tiem to start fresh.... i ended up going with parts from two diff companies due to the deals i found...
What i did was use the Unorthodox racing Ultra L flywheel with the RPS " Sport pressure plate" & 6 puck Sprung Disc.
This pplate / disc combo seemed like the rright solution for me...based on their options ... i had heard nothing but GOOD stuff about RPS, & they are located about 15 minutes from my home...
I was looking to hit 300 plus HP with my setup initially & the sport pplate was perfect for this & a bit more...PLUS ...i really was trying to maintain some decent streetability... i drive my car daily & need it to NOT be overly tiring generally...
I spoke with "JT" at RPS clutches & he was SUPER helpful & Friendly spending almost an hour total on the Phone with me on two occasions teaching me what i was dealing with & what my options are & what i could expect with the various options available .. .overall a great & helpful guy there at RPS...
so we went with that setup. & i had it installed by the guys at Luxury Motor Works.. they were awesome as usual & i eagerly took the car for a spin that 1st day...
Welll: I was not terribly impressed... the issue was basically the 6 puck clutch disc .. these things are almost impossible to manage/ engage smoothly....it appears that the chattering & vibration i get from the tranny now is all due to the 6 puck setup & all you can do about it is really pay attention to your driving & be extra smooth.... the faster you let it out the smoother it is... chatter & vibration from the engagement are almost constant when shifting & clutching, that pretty much sux ***..
Daily commutes in Stop & Go. traffic SUCK... ESPECIALLY on a Hill...!...the ONE good thing about this..... aside from the increased power handling capability this clutch now has...my car is definitely harder to drive especially with that tiny custom cut down B&M short shifter.... so NOW.....my wife never wants to drive my car... HOORAY!!!!!
I will swap out that disc as soon as possible.... untill then i will be learning how to drive all over again.
NOTE:
This modification is complicated by a few unique features our Clutch is saddled with.
For those of you who do not know... Our clutch/ flywheel/disc setup is a bit unique.... our OEM CLUTCH DISCS do not have Springs in them to absorb drivetrain shock etc when engaging...
On the OEM setup the Flywheel is a "Dual Mass" flywheel & the "springs" to absorvb the shock from shifting gears etc are actually in the FLYWHEEL..NOT the Clutch disc.... as we are all more used to thinking...
So, if you JUST wanted to swap out the OEM flywheel with a lighter SINGLE mass unsprung Flywheel to save rotational weight etc... You CANNOT use the OEM Disc as it is Unsprung,... & by eliminating the springs in the Flywheel AND using the OEM disc... you will end up with a very harshly engaging clutch setup...
ALSO . RPS did not have a SOLID clutch disc that was Also Sprung & compatible with the new Flywheel.. My option there is to get a Solid, Sprung Clutch disc from a '93/'98 Supra TT & they think that should solve my chattering problem... but we will not know untill we try.
So,.......for what it is worth... choose your parts carefully when you are workign on upgrading clutch components!
Due to the peculiarities of our OEM clutch setup,... whether upgrading a worn clutch due to necesssity or upgrading for power Mods & more capability....... it is possible even with excellent assistance & support to go down the wrong road a bit & have to correct the issue again later...
PS:
if i was into drag racing etc & not using the car daily this setup would be fine.... but since i am more a road racer & DO drive it daily... i have a few more miles to go befgore i sleep well with this current setup...
Anyhow ... my car is almost finished now...LMW has just rebuilt my motor w/lower compression, & new forged internals & a brand new design Custom SC ... i am lookin' forward to frying this clutch disc so i can replace it soon!!!
Hope this is helpful to you all looking to upgrade this part of your cars... & keep you from going slightly off track as i apparently have..... live & LEARN...
Good luck
When i installed my SC... i wanted also to Install a new clutch & lightweight flywheel etc. the parts were 2 years old & worked fine but withthe additional power i thought it a good tiem to start fresh.... i ended up going with parts from two diff companies due to the deals i found...
What i did was use the Unorthodox racing Ultra L flywheel with the RPS " Sport pressure plate" & 6 puck Sprung Disc.
This pplate / disc combo seemed like the rright solution for me...based on their options ... i had heard nothing but GOOD stuff about RPS, & they are located about 15 minutes from my home...
I was looking to hit 300 plus HP with my setup initially & the sport pplate was perfect for this & a bit more...PLUS ...i really was trying to maintain some decent streetability... i drive my car daily & need it to NOT be overly tiring generally...
I spoke with "JT" at RPS clutches & he was SUPER helpful & Friendly spending almost an hour total on the Phone with me on two occasions teaching me what i was dealing with & what my options are & what i could expect with the various options available .. .overall a great & helpful guy there at RPS...
so we went with that setup. & i had it installed by the guys at Luxury Motor Works.. they were awesome as usual & i eagerly took the car for a spin that 1st day...
Welll: I was not terribly impressed... the issue was basically the 6 puck clutch disc .. these things are almost impossible to manage/ engage smoothly....it appears that the chattering & vibration i get from the tranny now is all due to the 6 puck setup & all you can do about it is really pay attention to your driving & be extra smooth.... the faster you let it out the smoother it is... chatter & vibration from the engagement are almost constant when shifting & clutching, that pretty much sux ***..
Daily commutes in Stop & Go. traffic SUCK... ESPECIALLY on a Hill...!...the ONE good thing about this..... aside from the increased power handling capability this clutch now has...my car is definitely harder to drive especially with that tiny custom cut down B&M short shifter.... so NOW.....my wife never wants to drive my car... HOORAY!!!!!
I will swap out that disc as soon as possible.... untill then i will be learning how to drive all over again.
NOTE:
This modification is complicated by a few unique features our Clutch is saddled with.
For those of you who do not know... Our clutch/ flywheel/disc setup is a bit unique.... our OEM CLUTCH DISCS do not have Springs in them to absorb drivetrain shock etc when engaging...
On the OEM setup the Flywheel is a "Dual Mass" flywheel & the "springs" to absorvb the shock from shifting gears etc are actually in the FLYWHEEL..NOT the Clutch disc.... as we are all more used to thinking...
So, if you JUST wanted to swap out the OEM flywheel with a lighter SINGLE mass unsprung Flywheel to save rotational weight etc... You CANNOT use the OEM Disc as it is Unsprung,... & by eliminating the springs in the Flywheel AND using the OEM disc... you will end up with a very harshly engaging clutch setup...
ALSO . RPS did not have a SOLID clutch disc that was Also Sprung & compatible with the new Flywheel.. My option there is to get a Solid, Sprung Clutch disc from a '93/'98 Supra TT & they think that should solve my chattering problem... but we will not know untill we try.
So,.......for what it is worth... choose your parts carefully when you are workign on upgrading clutch components!
Due to the peculiarities of our OEM clutch setup,... whether upgrading a worn clutch due to necesssity or upgrading for power Mods & more capability....... it is possible even with excellent assistance & support to go down the wrong road a bit & have to correct the issue again later...
PS:
if i was into drag racing etc & not using the car daily this setup would be fine.... but since i am more a road racer & DO drive it daily... i have a few more miles to go befgore i sleep well with this current setup...
Anyhow ... my car is almost finished now...LMW has just rebuilt my motor w/lower compression, & new forged internals & a brand new design Custom SC ... i am lookin' forward to frying this clutch disc so i can replace it soon!!!
Hope this is helpful to you all looking to upgrade this part of your cars... & keep you from going slightly off track as i apparently have..... live & LEARN...
Good luck
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