stock clutch very fragile?
 

I was under the impression that the stock clutches in our cars could handle some serious abuse. Then I came across this...

A few launches and its slipping ?!?

http://www.370z.com/M agazineArticles/tabid/57/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/65/PageID/211/Testing-JWTs-Nissan-370Z-Ultra-Light-Flywheel.aspx

Link is not working.

But I feel our clutches are great. But if your referring to drag racing (which is barbaric IMO) the stocker is not going to hold up to hard abuse such as launches. I have nearly 10K miles with four track days on my it seems great.

Apparently that link is blocked. Basically, it's a JWT lightweight fly-wheel review, and it was done by "three seventy zee .com". They said the stocker slipped after just a couple of launches and looked glazed. I don't expect the OEM clutch to get along with DR's and redline launches for long, but it should handle THAT.

Copy and paste my link into your browser and it will work. I had to add a space, so you can't click. Copy/paste.

They should of swapped the clutch if there were already doing the the flywheel. I can't wait to do mine. Still hope it hangs in there a little longer.

They did. Having any trouble with your clutch, or just knocking on wood?

No trouble at all. Just curious how long it might last from all the tracking. But I don't care either.

I had no idea the barbarians even had cars!:eek:

Oh... they do:tup:

Get the clutch heated up enough and it's going to slip. Pretty easy to do with the stock clutch at the drag strip.

And usually the people that don't like drag racing are the ones that have never done it or can't cut good 60' times. :p ;)

I've actually overheated my clutch at the drag strip once. I was slipping the clutch some to hold me in place in the staging lights (track is a little uphill). Needless to say, I overheated the clutch and it slipped horribly. After letting it cool off though it was fine the rest of the night after i changed what i do when staging. That is the only time it has slipped since i bought the car.

Mine has been holding up fine since the TT install. Originally my boost was creeping up to near 13 psi due to improper watergate install on my part.

That was the only time I noticed any slip. Even then it was only when I was at highway speeds and then accelerating in a higher gear.

I have never done a really hard launch though. My guess is that it wouldn't hold up well with that abuse.

I am actually impressed with it so far.

NIce to hear

+1

i currently have 85k on the odo, original clutch, launch it hard (though not drag racing it) and doesn't slip one bit. if its slipping someone probably doesn't know how to drive a manual correctly because i borderline abuse my car daily and its working just fine. ***knocks on wood***

3 summers of autoX launches, multiple track days, and 25k miles...no slippage.

yeah, they are called Mustangs;)

Wow 85k:eek: glad to hear the clutch is still good:tup:

Im at about 32k and I havent had ANY clutch problems at all. I dont drag race but it gets its share of abuse. Never any slippage. My trans is a slightly different story though:shakes head:

:ohsnap1:

86k yesterday, still aint slippin'

My clutch glazed up the first time at the track
 

I have a Stillen Supercharger and the first burnout I did at the 1/4 mile I fried my clutch. To much power for the stock clutch at the 1/4 mile. You get way more tracktion to your wheels at the 1/4 mile. On the street you don't get the same grip so the abuse on your car is not near as bad.

I've never really felt what a "clutch slip" feels like. Could anyone describe it?

In short, clutch slip is when your foot is off the clutch & you are accelerating & the rpms run up but there is a loss of power applied to the wheels.

The clutch is OK for street use on street tires; however for sticker tires or drag strip usage, it won't hold up long. I made exactly three runs at an import meet at Ennis last fall and on the third pass the clutch slipped on launch and stunk at the end of the run. That ended my day. It was very apparent that if I were to do more runs, it would be doing harm to the car.

In short, I'd replace the disk with something that held better. No need to replace the flywheel or pressure plate. It's the disk material that makes the most difference and the rest of the clutch should be fine.

Denny

I have been having trouble with my car lately. It hasnt been "slipping" but its like it doesnt want to go into gear/changing gears roughly (manual transmission) and sometimes even makes a really short griding sound, like the gears arent wanting to fit with each other smoothly. Its the worst going into 2nd, and i have been "babying" my car while shifting lately, it sucks. Is this my clutch or tranny and what do I need to do to fix the problem? Someone please help its driving me crazy.

Also i got the car from a previous owner at about 21k miles and its at 37k now. I never have changed/added/flushed my tranny fluid....

It would help some if you changed your tranny fluid to say Redline.

If your changing to second aggressively or fast as I should say you have to make sure the clutch is all the way down. You'd be surprised how it may seem you do but don't, especially if getting sideways. First to second has to be a little slower transition. Also changing to a SS clutch line helps. But if your clutch is wearing and has heat spots on the flywheel they may be the issue too.

what kind of Clutch do a stock 370z comes with and how good are they?

single plate clutch with 32lb dual mass flywheel. They've been able to hold at least 450 lbft or more of torque. I would say they are pretty stout for a factory unit.