Clutch Failure/clutchmaster review

[laxplayermjd]

I have a 07 speed 6. My oem clutch failed the other day at 28k miles. Piece of crap. This seemed to be a pressure plate failure which made me slip it bad when i went wot. Before the you cant drive posts, i bought the car with 10k miles and it was reported stolen during that time so take it as you will.

I ve attached some pics of the stock parts, look pretty bad. The flywheel is toast and had a ton of lateral movement or i was going to resurface it.

Removal wasnt so bad at first. Had it just about out in 2 hrs. Me and my buddy both master techs for bmw. Turns out there is three sneaky bolts on the back side of the trans under the transfer case and downpipe. Getting these out took another hour. Also note the transmission is pretty heavy.

I have to say anyone in the marker for a clutch definitely look at stefan from tech/sales@em. Top notch customer service. Ive emailed back and forth for almost a week trying to make a decision on what clutch to buy. He was very knowledgable and very quick with responses. He also bought my used oem clutch disc.

Tech/sales@em Has quite a few options for you to consider. I ended up ordering the clutchmasters stg1 fx100 kit, organic disc good for 390ft/lbs. Hope to have it installed fri night or sunday morning. I will post a through review as im the first one to get this kit.

If anyone wants a brief how to i can summarize it, but i dont recommend the avg diy doing it. But for what the repair wouldve cost at the dealer id try it anyway.

UPDATE 1........

Here is a short video of the clutchmasters fx100 kit. I have the radio off, ac on. Inside the car you can hear minimal "gear rattle". This is due to the deletion of the factory dual mass flywheel. When moving the camera outside the car you can hear it rather loudly.

I placed the camera on the ground then turned off the ac, rattle drops dramtically and can rarely be heard inside the vehicle with windows up.

During driving you can hear some rattle at times. Its minimal enough that most people may never notice it. With radio at moderate volume you may never hear most of the rattle.

This was a alot noisier than expected. I also have some amsoil fluid to change out to, may or may not make any difference as its the same weight oil.
Im not sure if the cp-e rmm makes the vibs worse and contributes to the rattle.

I have 450 miles on the clutch so far going to update more shortly.....

UPDATE 2
i have about 700 miles on the clutch. First install wasnt great, this clutch is bigger than oem. I was told its about 1/2 inch bigger. When installed the pressure plate actually rubbed on some ridges inside the transmission bell housing. I have to take a grinder around the inside of the bellhousing to clear the pressure plate. I was told cutchmasters is going to be fixing this issue by taking a couple of mm off the pressure plate so it clears the trans with no grinding.

Intial impressions... damn this pedal is stiff as shit. I was expecting stiff than stock, but ended up being much more than i expected. This may be an exaggeration but it seemed almost twice as hard. Now after driving it ive gotten used to it alot and daily driving is find. However i find my self not trying to hold the pedal at a red light any longer than needed. I know a traffic jam will make me rather angry with a tired clutch leg.

I recommend anyone that has any doubt in not liking a stiff pedal for daily driving to not buy this clutch. Stick with O.E. pressure plate.

First driving i noticed a bit of a shudder when taking off from a stop only. Its dissipated mostly. Doesnt do it all the time now, not sure if its my driving style or a combination with the lightweight flywheel set up. Taking off quickly there is not a shudder.... This is my 5th vehicle all of which were manual trans, so take that whats it worth.

Single most thing im annoyed with is how noisy the setup is. Worst with ac compressor running but i can notice it with the windows down and in gear at times.

Rev matching for downshifting is effortless now. Shifting hard clutch grabs real good being organic. The slam that was there with stock setup is no longer there, since its not dual mass and lighter now. I weighed my o.e. setup vs the cm kit. It was a total of 29lbs vs 42 lbs.

To sum it up, if i had to do it again im not sure if id buy a lightweight flywheel again. But i doubt i have any issues with this clutch setup ever slipping.Im sure it will probably hold up rather well and it cost me way less than oe setup.

[crazyp]

very interested

[laxplayermjd]

i should get the kit around tuesday or wens

[dexter_5000]

that new clutch kit show up?

[laxplayermjd]

clutch recieved i will update shortly...

[laxplayermjd]

installed, 180 miles on it so far. will update once at 500 break in point so i can test it out good

[MSFer87]

Your not going to wait to you reach 1000?

[laxplayermjd]

no standard is 500 mile break in. That should be plenty. Ive been driving around town upshifting and downshifting more than normal to accelerate break in. This is also what clutchmasters said when i spoke with them on the phone

[laxplayermjd]

OP updated, more to come....

[laxplayermjd]

updated again, review finished. Take it for what its worth. Surely down base decisions on one review as everybody is different.

[crazyp]

hmm i wanted to get the fx300, now not so sure lol

[Tech/Sales@EM]

As long as you can deal with chatter while in idle and low speeds which honestly just makes your car sound like a diesel and the fact that the pedal effort is significantly higher than OE then you can reap the benefits from this clutch which are impressive holding capacity and engagement. Rev matching is effortless with the decreased amount of weight on the flywheel. And as stated above the issues with the clutch being to large for the bell housing have since been addressed and fixed.

[djuosnteisn]

So all new orders will have the revised PP without clearance issues?

[Tech/Sales@EM]

^ Yes. I have collected all of the kits from customers in the states and out of the states that wanted theirs revised and had them fixed and the remaining I had in stock shipped back to CM for revision.

[laxplayermjd]

i just hope i dont have to try and get some tranny work warrantied with the grinded down bellhousing. we all know how mazda operates

[Tech/Sales@EM]

My car has been at mazda for 3 weeks with no warranty work in site. Mazda service is a complete joke.

[wette460]

Good write up! It's nice to see some additional aftermarket clutch write ups on here. It gives all of us Gen 1's with failing clutches some good info on our best option to go with.

[MSFer87]

Originally Posted by laxplayermjd no standard is 500 mile break in. That should be plenty. Ive been driving around town upshifting and downshifting more than normal to accelerate break in. This is also what clutchmasters said when i spoke with them on the phone

Actually after further review I believe my ACT 6 puck said 300 mile break in.

[rcm1231]

Hi Everyone,

Time to replace clutch/fly.

The best recommendations that I can find to date are the ACT ZX5-HDSS and the Clutchmasters FX-100. Still running stock - no enhancements.

Can anyone provide insight based upon their experience?


Thanks,

Mike

[Tech/Sales@EM]

Their are threads allover the place that answer that very question you ask. Why bump an old thread with a question that has been covered probably 20 times last year.

Neither ACT or CM are good clutches for your application they are based on aftermarket pressure plates with 40% more clamp load. For a daily driver with no mods its a waste of money going with either one. You would be better off with an OEM replacement.

http://www.mazdaspeedforums.org/foru...grades-115615/

[cld12pk2go]

Originally Posted by rcm1231 Hi Everyone, Time to replace clutch/fly. The best recommendations that I can find to date are the ACT ZX5-HDSS and the Clutchmasters FX-100. Still running stock - no enhancements. Can anyone provide insight based upon their experience? Thanks, Mike

Rocking an ACT ZX4-HDSS clutch with 16lb flywheel here with no issues up to close to 500ft-lbs of torque...

Currently backing off to low 400 wtq for rod protection...

[djuosnteisn]

Lol, that's more torque than my 6, hahaha.

When i go top mount on my ms3, i'll be shooting for a flat 375 ft-lb torque curve, netting me decent traction, 500 whp at 7k rpm, and the ability to stick with the stock clutch.

I'll probably still build the motor, only cause it's old. But if it was a young motor, my guess is it would live a long happy life at that torque level.

[cld12pk2go]

Originally Posted by djuosnteisn Lol, that's more torque than my 6, hahaha. When i go top mount on my ms3, i'll be shooting for a flat 375 ft-lb torque curve, netting me decent traction, 500 whp at 7k rpm, and the ability to stick with the stock clutch. I'll probably still build the motor, only cause it's old. But if it was a young motor, my guess is it would live a long happy life at that torque level.

In general, my goal is to carry 400-430 ft-lbs as far as possible in the RPM range... :-)

I think a MZR (without KR) should live practically forever at ~375wtq...