adam

Anyone look at the lower costing clutches?

Gator, I know you got the Ram clutch - I've check the various places around me
and this is the list:

Cumberland (Autozone) $140
Beck Ainley (Autozone, Napa) $180
Qualite (Zip) $180
RAM 88764 (SDPC) $128, Summit $120
AutoSpeciality (local) $180
Centerforce (local) $360
Hays Perf (Jegs) $249
GT (Ecklers) $210

Quite a variety of pricing... Anyone tried out different ones?
I've got a recommendation for the RAM clutches, are the others
worth the larger prices (beck ainley, cumberland, Qualite, AutoSpecialty) ?

This is going into my 81, presumably replacing the original clutch - unless
someone put something else in there...

THanks.

sb69coupe

I've heard wonderful things about LuK clutches, which is what I plan to get for my '69. Go to http://www.dialaclutch.com and you can order one for your '81 for $127

Shannon

rafox77

When I did mine I went to the local Acme Auto. The guy there told me the OEM replacement was already heavy duty because it was for Corvette specs. I figured it wasn't worth the extra dollars to put a high performance clutch in a stock L-48. Now I'm sorry I didn't. The first week with the OEM clutch was great but it lost it's bite much too quickly. It's been 2 years and it is still fine, it never slips but I wish I had more grabbing power.

zwede

Some years ago I put an autozone clutch in my '71. It slipped something fierce every time I went full throttle. It came out within a month. Replaced it with a hybrid: Hays street/strip PP and a McCleod dual surface disk. No more slippage. I do have a 454, though.

vettfixr

I replaced mine quite a few years ago with a Borg Warner that I purchased from a local auto store. I told them I wanted the GM parts. I've never been sorry and it's still the same clutch to this day. I only put about 2K miles a year, if that, on my car but so far it's worked well. Now that I have a few more horsies under the hood I would think about going to a Centerforce but I've heard that there could be a problem with the weight ring slipping. It's hard to beat the reliability that I have now.

Matt Gruber

clutches have big differences to the trained eye :skep:
i tried a $109 LUK. i like the lightweight pressure plate, saved 5 pounds; but i caution you, while i ordered the replacement for the L88 BB, there is no way that this clutch could hold behind a BB. it is marginal on my 390hp 355. it works like a fuse to protect the driveline, but i think it would melt with slicks.
I studied the disc very carefully and replaced it with the $80 Hays Street/Strip disc which has 8.5 ounces more than the LUK in all the right places. it can take the extra heat from the fuse effect with street tires. :steering:

adam

Interesting comparison.

Talking with a sales guy about the RAM powergrip clutches he mentioned
that these high performance clutches would chatter. Is this standard
with high performance clutches, or this particular one?

Do you hear any chatter from the Hays?

Interesting opinions here, Anyone heard about the other names?
Zwede, do you remember which 'Zone clutch you got?

Thanks.

Matt Gruber

as long as the disc has 4 or 5 springs it should not chatter. oil leaked on the Luk disc, it chattered, oil will make any clutch chatter.
Fixed leak, no chatter. i even used RTV on the bellhousing this time!
If you like your old clutch and just the disc is worn out, just buy a disc. It's like a brake job; if you fix it right away the rotors are not damaged.