Street/strip clutch

[475fetoploader]

Ok so now that I have discovered this forum, and things like Blair, my problems are becoming bigger. I fully intend to street drive my car. I will also drive to Pacific raceways a few times a year also.  I've looked at twin disc clutches, with tons of holding power, however the reviews I have read suggest I may be disappointed while doing some spirited driving due to a slow release, from either a throwout bearing or a strap type floater, or whatever.  So I am a fan of a Ram Long style sintered iron, single disc, but their website says maybe 600 or 650 hp would find the limits.  I would like a clutch that holds 750 horsepower, I really don't care if it's easy or soft to drive like a new car, it's going in a 67 Fairlane, I would love an feedback this forum has.  I am running a Top Loader, I currently have 4.56 Gears, but they will probably become 4.11 with more motor. Thanks!

[blykins]

At that level, you really don't have a lot of choices.   It's either a twin disc, or a fully adjustable pressure plate setup, like a McLeod Soft-Lok, etc. 

I don't know how many twin discs I've sent out with my engines and I've never had one single bad review.  My twin disc of choice is the McLeod RST if it's mainly street, or the RXT if there's gonna be some strip time mixed in.   I will tell you with confidence that you won't have any issues at all with those clutches.   

I've been a RAM and McLeod distributor for the better part of 12 years now and they are the only ones that I will use.  The 500 series McLeod or the Powergrip/Powergrip HD from RAM are my choices for 600-ish hp street cars, but if someone steps over that mark or will have an issue with possible clutch chatter, I put them in a twin disc.

[6667fan]

Will you be running a hydraulic throw out bearing or mechanical? Earlier iterations of McLeod dual disc for a big I/O toploader only play with hydraulic bearings. Small input shaft toploaders have more clutch choices available to them.

JB

[475fetoploader]

Will you be running a hydraulic throw out bearing or mechanical? Earlier iterations of McLeod dual disc for a big I/O toploader only play with hydraulic bearings. Small input shaft toploaders have more clutch choices available to them.

JB

1 3/8 input shaft with a good old manual throw out bearing.

[BigBlueIron]

Brent, not to hijack but are the twin disc setups super noisy?

[Stangman]

I believe some are bushed to be quiet and some arent. The ones that arent rattle around I havent heard one thats bushed. Obviously Brent would know better. My brother in law had one on a Chevelle and I had asked him why it was rattling around in there and he told me it wasnt bushed. Now he knows balls about cars so I might be the ass for listening.

[cjshaker]

At 750 horsepower, I don't think the toploader will last long enough to worry about the clutch. It might last on the street with a lack of traction, but on the strip, I think you'll be busting parts.

[blykins]

Brent, not to hijack but are the twin disc setups super noisy?

You can hear them a little bit, but I wouldn't say they are super noisy by any means.

The disc hubs are not sprung, they are solid, so you can catch a little engagement noise there. 

Not much available for the 1-3/8" input.  You'd have to use a hydraulic bearing if you use the McLeod RST/RXT.

X2 on the Toploader.  You may actually want a little bit of slippage in the clutch just to keep the trans safe.

[Cyclone03]

I started out with an RST from back in ‘09 not a lick of trouble. TREMEC TKO. When I broke my camshaft last year I pulled the engine and inspected the clutch. The hub splines had some pretty severe wear so I contacted McLeod about their rebuild service ,they sent me a RPA and I boxed it all up.

I do not drag race but I auto cross the car about twice a month ,severe on off throttle loads.

They recommended I go to the RXT. I like it even more! It does have a very minor grabbyness but I haven’t had it chatter. The cool thing is on gear changes, hard shifts, believe it or not it seems to have just a touch of slip, it seems to be just a touch soft. The grabbyness seems to only show it self in stop and go traffic,about the time I’m tired of the traffic.


My set up runs on a regular flywheel,stock Ford 11 inch pattern with an adapter plate that holds the floater.

These are strapped floaters but my RST did rattle under high load but I only noticed it driving next to a highway wall. The New RXT doesn’t seem to do it,it is 10 years newer though and the adapter plate is different.

I

[475fetoploader]

Thats good info, noise doesn't bother me, grabby I can live with, I will leave the 4.56 in the back and try to be nice. I suppose the new weak spot will be the top loader, which feels weird to say.  Eventually I guess I will need to think about a G-Force, or something along that line.  Thanks everyone for the input. The good news is street tires usually slip enough to save parts.