Clutch Recommendations.
 

I was wondering if anyone could recommend a good after market higher performance/heavier duty clutch than the stock one?

My 370z has an oil leak and it looks like the seals between the transmission engine or something. The dealer says they are going to have to drop the transmission and stuff and thus I could replace the clutch with no additional (labor) cost.

My 370z currently has 53k miles on it. I know my clutch has some wear as i do drive decently hard and once or twice i missed up when driving to the point i smelt the famed burned clutch smell so I think such a labor intensive task should be done now while the car is getting other work done.


The OEM clutch is $717.89 via Nissan. Any suggestions for a better after-market clutch to replace it with? If its a little harder as a daily driver I am ok with that. I do track the car now and then (it has an oil cooler).

Sounds like the rear main seal failed. Usually they last longer than 53k miles but sh!t happens I guess.

You could PM Joe@Zspeed. He is kind of the Z clutch guru around here. I bought a SouthBend stage 2 clutch and lightened flywheel from him.

ZSpeed Performance Nissan Infiniti Specialist 240SX 300ZX 350Z G35 G37 370Z

+1 for South Bend and Joe at ZSpeed.

Whatever you decide clutch and flywheel wise, I'd definitely make sure you get a HD CSC since the OEM CSC's are failure prone.

Thanks guys. Gonna see if I can go ahead and go with that clutch. Especially considering that the kit (clutch + flywheel + HD CSC) is cheaper than the MSRP on Nissan's Flywheel alone. I guess if the dealer really doesnt want to do it i will probably just go with a stock OEM clutch and leave the flywheel alone.

+2

Southbend Stage 2 Endurance sitting in the closet until build time.

He sent me a ceramic disk. I LOVE IT. I sort of wish the flywheel was a tiny bit lighter.

Also, if your CSC is stock this is a good time to replace with the Heavy Duty one. It feels great. Make sure it is bled properly. Talk to Joe, and he'll tell you all about it.

My release bearing is failing on my 2009 370z. Nissan will replace this item including labor with the provision that a stock release bearing is installed. Which flywheel did you install? Is the CSC bearing a combo throw-out and slave bearing in the 370Z? Which ceramic clutch disk (stage 1 or stage 2) is a ceramic one?

Thanks guys I ordered the kit and got a tracking number within an hour of ordering. I previously ordered the aluminum engine cover from zspeedperformance as well and it took about 6 days to arrive to California. I called them about expedited shipping but the cheapest expedited shipping was $170 vs free ground so I think I am gonna live without having my Z for a few extra days.

I wish I ordered this on Monday. I did want to give the dealer a chance to possibly procure the part though. They finally got back to me this morning said they could get the kit for me for $600 more than z speed performance =(. If it was 10-15% I might have gone that route but not for 50% more =(.

Anyway thanks again for the suggestions.

I think it is stage 2. In the picture, it looks like a copper disc with 8 ceramic tiles on each side. The flywheel is the Southbend DXD, and is single piece with close to OEM weight. I still recommend you get the HD CSC since your OEM CSC might fail quicker with the aftermarket clutch setup.

Once installed and bled properly, you should not have more than 1" of play in the clutch pedal. Regardless of temp, the engagement point or pressure doesn't change. Overall feel is slightly heavier, but feels natural. It is very easy to engage, and it is comfortable for daily driving.

I honestly have never dumped the clutch with this car. I'd love to, though :)

Is the flywheel & clutch "stock-like" quiet or?

Ok so got the clutch + flywheel + csc installed. The clutch definitely feels different. It had quite a bit more resistence reminded me of my dad's 350z clutch. After driving it a bit the clutch is now sticking. It stuck to the floor twice and now is sticking just after it disengages when letting off the clutch =(. Does it just need to be broken in or is something borked? I guess I am probably gonna be bringing it back to the dealer tomorrow =(


Here is a video of the stick:

Most likely there's still air in the system..

The clutch pedal is sticking to the floor? If so you still have air in the system. It can be a pain to bleed sometimes. After I got my clutch and Csc installed, my pedal was real soft and spongy feeling. So I re-bled and now everything is good to go.

Talk to Joe, but here's how mine was perfected:
1) Crack open the hard line to the master cylinder while keeping the CSC bleeder closed. Manually lift and pump the pedal at least 20 times to get all the air bubbles out. Once it is out, you'll see continuous drips out of the hard line. Make sure reservoir is always full! Once completed, tighten the hard line.
2) Pump pedal at least 20 times and then push hard to the floor, loosen the CSC bleeder. You'll feel the pedal sink further down. Tighten, and repeat at least 4-5 more times.

With a new master cylinder, one must bench bleed to prime the cylinder with fluid. Otherwise, air pockets will remain trapped and is nearly impossible to get out without taking it off the car.