why do you need a rebuild kit when you drop the trans?

Thanks Joe!:tiphat:

I just made the first adjustment on my Z1 CSC Elimination Kit this past weekend. It's been almost 12K miles, and I made a 1/2 turn adjustment on the rearside threaded rod. It took me an extra 5 minutes max to make the adjustment while I was doing an oil change.

May I ask why you need to adjust? How often you need to do that?

The clutch plate wears over time. As in it physically gets thinner. There is a gap that needs to be maintained between the bearing and pressure plate (0.5mm-1.0mm). Therefore, you need to adjust the cylinder slightly as the clutch wears to maintain the proper gap. I needed 1/2 turn adjustment after about 12K miles. This is the first adjustment I've had to make. I started with the stock OEM clutch plate at probably half life (~50K miles at the time of kit install).

Is there a way to know when you hit the sweet spot when you make these adjustments or are you guessing until you achieve the feel you're looking for?

Well, I did the install myself, so the initial adjustment was the hardest part. That one had to go by hand feel until you get everything back together then you can check the clutch feel. And then adjust as needed. But once that is done, additional adjustments throughout the life of the clutch should be very minimal. Basically you shouldn't ever need to adjust more than a 1/2 turn; if you do, then you should be checking it more often and probably adjusting it more frequently. There's not much difference to feel because the adjustment is so minor.

Keep the information coming fellas.

Knowing this ahead I may be out of the running for this. I don't trust myself for adjustments in the future. I was planning on having this installed as well. This is a great thread and I feel I've made my decision on the zspeed because there is no upkeep on it.

Likewise here which led to my decision...i'm still happy, 0 issues to date.

I know there's some sort of rebuild kit for the Zspeed CSC, so they don't last forever. But it should be sturdy enough to last at least the life of your clutch, making it easy to coordinate the rebuild labor with replacing the clutch. I can definitely see the draw. A Z1 kit also doesn't work with the piping on some turbo kits.

My draw to the Z1 kit was that it removes the clutch hydraulic system from the transmission housing entirely. So if I ever have any problems with it, no dropping the transmission again. I really don't think you can go wrong with either kit except for the ZSpeed CSC paired with a Spec clutch or the Z1 kit with certain turbo piping.

And just to be clear, the adjustment is incredibly easy. It is easily accessible and convenient if you already have the car in the air for other maintenance. It's literally one bolt, one lock nut, and some washers. Two other nuts get loosened to turn the rear threaded rod. You can easily see it in this photo. The bolt attaches the cylinder to the black support bracket that comes with the kit.

http://i202.photobucket.com/albums/a...psbfa3c754.jpg

FWIW, I have an update. My cylinder just recently failed; it failed towards the back at the plastic threads where the smaller part of the cylinder meets the larger part of the cylinder. I paid $60 for Z1 to send me a new one, and then I sent the failed one back to them for a refund. The new one was ever so slightly different in design and length, but I was able to get it pre-adjusted exactly as the old one and required no additional adjustment once installed and bled. Minus the time spent on some additional complications completely unrelated to the cylinder failure and replacement, I spent maybe 20 minutes removing the old cylinder and adjusting and installing the new one.

This is precisely the reason I chose the Z1 kit - no dropping the transmission required (anymore). Car drives amazing once again :driving:

Hey guys, it's been almost 3 years since we've updated on this.
Could anyone please start telling us how it's been going with your choices?
Any problems?

Thanks!

My Z1 kit is still working. I've had to replace several parts over the years but nothing difficult or expensive. I plan to get the ZSpeed CMAK next time I drop the transmission for clutch replacement.

Mileage, years since then would be greatly appreciated.
Also problems? probable causes?

Would be very helpful.

Thanks!