Spec clutch owners


kumar

kumar

GT Owner
Jan 31, 2007
1,011
Dallas
Does the drivability get better after a couple hundred miles of break-in?

Because right now I'm regretting adding more hp to the car and taking the Stillen clutch out. Car went from driving like a dream to worse than the sintered iron clutch I had in my Corvette a decade ago.
 
Add power and take out Stillen clutch? I sorry to say you have it backwards !Put the Stillen clutch back in!
When you add power you need to upgrade the parts that take the brunt of your new found power.The clutch!
No worry it will be sorted out.
Best of luck
 
roketman said:
Add power and take out Stillen clutch? I sorry to say you have it backwards !Put the Stillen clutch back in!
When you add power you need to upgrade the parts that take the brunt of your new found power.The clutch!
No worry it will be sorted out.
Best of luck
Click to expand...

He's using the same Spec clutch that I use. It has some chatter in first for a little bit. Mine feels like the stock clutch.
 
kumar said:
Does the drivability get better after a couple hundred miles of break-in?

Because right now I'm regretting adding more hp to the car and taking the Stillen clutch out. Car went from driving like a dream to worse than the sintered iron clutch I had in my Corvette a decade ago.
Click to expand...

I don't know how to compare the stillen clutch, but I just got the Spec clutch. It felt much stiffer than stock and seemed to have much shorter throw. I got a lot of chatter at first but after a few hundred miles it is very smooth. It will still chatter if I take off mid rpms with a feathered start. The clutch likes to be either on or off and does not like to be slipped to get rolling. Overall, I honestly like it better for driving other than initial take off. It seems I am more accurate with shifts and I do not notice it is stiffer pedal until I jump into a stock GT and press the clutch. This was very strange as it seemed there was no feel at all in the stock after getting used to the spec.:eek
In short, I got used to this clutch very quickly and it seems to be getting smoother with more miles. Hope that helps.:thumbsup
 
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Apollo said:
In short, I got used to this clutch very quickly and it seems to be getting smoother with more miles. Hope that helps.:thumbsup
Click to expand...

Must be those mile runs that help break it in. :biggrin
 
BlackICE said:
Must be those mile runs that help break it in. :biggrin
Click to expand...

:biggrin
I actually had to drive it around town stop and go for a while before we could really get on it. The break in procedure said dyno or hard runs aren't good until broken in. Lots of stop and go with heat cycle between for 200-500 miles. Freeway miles don't count.
It really got better and better with each of those. :thumbsup
 
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Apollo said:
I don't know how to compare the stillen clutch, but I just got the Spec clutch. It felt much stiffer than stock and seemed to have much shorter throw. I got a lot of chatter at first but after a few hundred miles it is very smooth. It will still chatter if I take off mid rpms with a feathered start. The clutch likes to be either on or off and does not like to be slipped to get rolling. Overall, I honestly like it better for driving other than initial take off. It seems I am more accurate with shifts and I do not notice it is stiffer pedal until I jump into a stock GT and press the clutch. This was very strange as it seemed there was no feel at all in the stock after getting used to the spec.:eek
In short, I got used to this clutch very quickly and it seems to be getting smoother with more miles. Hope that helps.:thumbsup
Click to expand...
That does help. Thanks. But the initial takeoff/ on-off is what I'm not too happy about.
 
roketman said:
Add power and take out Stillen clutch? I sorry to say you have it backwards !Put the Stillen clutch back in!
When you add power you need to upgrade the parts that take the brunt of your new found power.The clutch!
No worry it will be sorted out.
Best of luck
Click to expand...

I was told the Stillen won't handle the power I'm planning on.
 
kumar said:
That does help. Thanks. But the initial takeoff/ on-off is what I'm not too happy about.
Click to expand...

It has gotten much better with more miles.
 
kumar said:
I was told the Stillen won't handle the power I'm planning on.
Click to expand...

:eek
 
kumar,

I know exactly what you are saying. I took Apollo's car for a quick drive after the initial install and there's a definite first gear chatter. A little higher RPM at take off seems to mitigate this. Also, as Terry has been driving it a lot - I think two things have happened. First, it is likely a little better than it was initially and second, I think that Terry has changed his driving style to mitigate this effect. I am reminded all over because we just put the same clutch in Chip's car and I drove it for the first time this afternoon and it is pretty much identical to Terry's. Overall, however, I REALLY like the clutch. Obviously, it's handling the power that we're throwing at it really fine and I really like it's firm, on/off behavior. My recommendation would be to give it a little more time - and admittedly your technique will have to change a little bit with this clutch. Overall, I would recommend this clutch over any others that may be available for the GT.

One last note.... make sure your clutch is bled real well. They are really a bitch to bleed correctly and do require that BOTH bleed ports be used in the process. At least this is our experience.
 
Ha, Kumar, make sure you're not starting in third gear!
 
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What version of the spec clutch are you guys using?
 
Kumar,

After my Cobra ate 3 lesser clutches I put a Spec clutch in it. When I first drove it I thought I had made a big mistake too. The Spec clutch does not use a heavy flywheel like the stock GT clutch and the combo of abrupt clutch engagement and no flywheel made me feel like I didn't know how to drive. But after a while I got use to it and it was no problem. It's really the only clutch that's going to live in 1000+ HP GTs.

Chip
 
BlackICE said:
What version of the spec clutch are you guys using?
Click to expand...

do a search , I posted the exact model I am using in a thread. They make 4 levels and mine is the second from the best (able to handle 1390 torques).
 
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Mullet said:
post 29 and 30

http://www.fordgtforum.com/forums/s...GT-yesterday-11-20-2010&highlight=spec+clutch
Click to expand...

Thanks I forgot about those post. Apollo are you using the ST version also? I wonder if the P version has better manners but would still hold up to a TT or SC/TT
 
Clinton, we are using the P-Trim in Apollo and Chip's car.... and soon AlohaGT's car. Here's a chart with the different SPEC clutches available for the GT.

http://www.specclutch.com/cars/Ford/GT/2006/Super_Twin

Previously I said,

Overall, I would recommend this clutch over any others that may be available for the GT.
Click to expand...


I should clarify that this would be my recommendation for these ~1000 RWHP/ 950 RWTQ cars. For GT's with OEM or pulley/tune power levels, the OEM clutch or the Stillen are probably fine choices.
 
At one point in the past, I thought Alex was thinking of developing a 3-disk clutch - did anythhing ever come of it?
 
nota4re said:
Clinton, we are using the P-Trim in Apollo and Chip's car.... and soon AlohaGT's car. Here's a chart with the different SPEC clutches available for the GT.

http://www.specclutch.com/cars/Ford/GT/2006/Super_Twin

Previously I said,




I should clarify that this would be my recommendation for these ~1000 RWHP/ 950 RWTQ cars. For GT's with OEM or pulley/tune power levels, the OEM clutch or the Stillen are probably fine choices.
Click to expand...

Thanks Kendall, sounds like a good choice and more enough for a wimpy Whipple if I were to need a replacement.

Did the P version have springs on the clutch like this?

220px-Clutchdisc.jpg


I presume it did, but as you go to the more extreme version of Spec clutches the springs are removed.
 
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