I know it is pricier but I plan on going with OS Giken here shortly i think...

 

Did you ever try this?? Did it work?

 

Thanks allot man! Very informative and you helped me before I made the wrong decision.

 

Sooo much misinformation in this post. Sheesh.

WHY (in the world) would you think a puck clutch is "less durable" than a full face clutch? Do you think people choose a "harder to drive" puck clutch so they can replace it MORE often?!?! Logic (and experience) will show you that a puck clutch is much more durable and can take way more abuse. The trade off is driveability. There are many, many variables (3, 4, 6 pucks, sprung or unsprung, pressure plate combination) in a puck clutch, however, so you can't really make a generality. I have been using puck clutches for a decade and can tell you the following rules of thumb:

If your car is stock, stick with a stage 1 from a reputable aftermarket company.

If your car is modded (+25% more power, ie forced induction on a G) and you plan on ONLY driving it on the street, go with a Stage 3, or organic full face UPGRADED clutch. The UPGRADE is going to be the materials mix and clamping force.

If your car is modded (+25% more power, ie forced induction on a G) and you plan on FREQUENTLY driving it on the STRIP (or just launching in general), go with a Stage 4, or puck clutch. You will wear out any full face clutch very prematurely with repeated launches.

I personally prefer 6 puck, unsprung hub clutchmasters clutches on my street/strip car that has about 250% over the stock power level. I have tried many brands and 3-4-6 puck and find the 6 puck to be the best mix of driveability and durability.

The unsprung part may be counterintuitive, but me and my racing buddies find that the disk sort of "slips and retracts" more when theres a spring in the mix. Its more predictable unsprung but a tad harsher if you aren't used to it.

 

Well, I am not trying to be rude here but your just plain wrong..

Just so its not my word out there (which I admit is somewhat limited in experience) I emailed the guys over at clutchmasters. You will see their response below including the part about a puck clutch having a shorter lifespan than OEM. I am pretty sure that agrees with what I previously wrote...thanks for your input though!


"The puck style disc are aggressive and not ideal for daily driving, however
some people prefer the aggressive feel and use puck style disc on a daily
basis. Puck style disc are meant for abuse and performance, not for daily
driving or longer life expectancy than OEM. "

 

We've been a clutchmasters dealer for over a decade. If you don't believe me it's no sweat off my back, jusy trying to help inform people, dont beleive everything you read, even if it's "from the mfg" lol. Try out a puck clutch for 5 years and get back to me with your experience then....

 

Or better yet go do 25 back to back launches on drag slicks/vht with your oem clutch and check out it's "life expectancy". It's obvious you don't drag race or you wouldn't be arguing using only what you read....

 

Didnt mean to get you all worked up. As always, thanks for your experience it helps us out who dont have much and are going from what the manufacturer says. I am glad to hear you have enjoyed your setup and I am sure that others will take that into consideration when making the decision between a puck and a disk. I know after hearing what you have said I'd be interested in trying one out before dropping 1k+ on a disk setup. Everyone I have talked to says they are really harsh and next to impossible for daily driving. That does not seem to be your impression though.

 

It's all a compromise. Twin discs can be noisy as hell and I won't tolerate my car sounding like rattling garbage can lids that I am daily driving. Long story short find somebody local who will let u drive there clutch and try as many out as you can

 

A puck clutch will have no where near the life expectancy of a full face clutch. Pucks typically wear 10-15,000 miles.

If you drag race get a puck, If not get a full face. Pretty simple.

You will ruin/glaze/destroy a full face clutch drag racing on it, most full face clutches cannot take the heat generated by drag racing. The materials on a full face clutch are designed for smooth engagement and long life, Not 7,000 rpm launches at the drag strip.

A puck will take the abuse of drag without damage but will wear out much quicker.

 

Agreed. I thinkthe confusion here is this is a generic question...ie tell us what you do; and well tell u what kind of clutch will last the longest.

I would hope that if an individual has modded his car to the point that it is 25 percent more powerful than stock, he will be using that power and launching it. But I guess there are highway rIcers

 

so from everything I have read on the forum so far is that anyone here with a FI setup is running the os giken twin disc correct?

 

when i need a clutch the southbend seems to have decent reviews ...i will have the bolt ons (ie. gen 3 intake , hfc , exhaust , tune) and was wondering which clutch stage 1 or 2 would be better and which one will last longer from spirited driving and probably some tracking? thanks

 

yea that seem to be what I've seen ppl with FI do, too. Eventually plan to get GTM TT myself. But somewhat worried about the fact that OS Giken has noise/chatter issues...

 

I have the southbend stage 2 and it was recommended to me by Joe from Zspeed performance for its long life and daily driveability. I've done many hard launches on it and its holding up just fine. It might get a little sticky if you do several hard launches back to back but it returns to normal after a little cooling.