I always give my business to riffraff when I can but does anybody have any other opions on clutches before I pull the trigger on the south bend kit from him?
Thanks guys!

 

Lots of guys with hand shakers use valair.

 

VERY pleased with my Valair Organic HD. I tow all the time and gross out at about 21k

 

I've put the valair in my buddy's e99 superduty, it holds the +120hp tune just fine. It runs out of injector before the clutch gives up.

 

Another vote for valair. Rosewood diesel is a dealer for them.

 

What's your setup and what are you going to be doing with the truck? I always recommend Valair. That's all my trucks will get in them.

A brass woven organic would be OK for a low power towing setup, 300hp or less.

If you plan on any more power than that down the road and towing, kevlar/ceramic single or organic double disc.

If you want an aggressive single disc clutch that will hold 500-600+HP, single ceramic.

If you want a clutch that will hold 650hp, a little smoother than the kevlar/ceramic, can take some high rpm launching, and still work good for towing.. full ceramic double disc.

If you want something that will take massive abuse like high RPM 3rd and 4th gear boosted launches and tons of slipping on the clutch, sintered iron double disc.

 

stage 1 injectors and t500 is my only real plan for power and light towing prolly under 10k

 

that is a VERY GOOD explanation of how clutches work. That should be kept as a sticky

 

Valair Kevlar/ceramic single disc. Lots of guys on here with sub 450hp trucks running that clutch. It was one of my favorite all around clutches before the dual disc came along for us.

 

Strokin, how does each of the higher powered clutches slip on takeoff.
I'm sure a lot of people want a strong clutch, but the pedal feel or chatter when taking off or the noise when idling may be a bit of a turnoff.

 

Dual disc clutches make a little bit of noise with the clutch disengaged caused by the floater plate rattling a little bit. Not too terrible and I've come to kinda like the noise mine makes.

Dual sintered iron clutches are the baddest of the bad for us. They will take the most abuse out of all the different clutch facings. These are the clutches that all my sled pulling friends run for launching at 4000+ RPM in 3rd or 4th gear and 4wd. These can take a lot more heat than the ceramic facing can and are good for 750hp. This clutch is surprisingly smooth, but does make a kinda loud squealing sound when slipping the clutch off idle. I'd say this is as smooth, possibly a little smoother than a double ceramic, but I'm not sure how long it would last if used in a daily driver or for towing. The clutch disc does basically look like a grinding stone. Lol

My dual ceramic is smooth as silk on take off with slight throttle application. Taking off from and idle without applying any throttle results in some "chatter" or vibration while the clutch is trying to slip. In reverse backing a decent load, the chatter is worse unless light throttle is used.

Dual organic acts similar to my dual ceramic, except it is a bit smoother when taking off from a stop with no throttle. A dual organic is good for 500hp, but cannot take the heat from excessive slipping in high rev, boosted launches. For any racing or decent clutch abuse, use at least a ceramic facing.

Single ceramic clutches are pretty aggressive. Mine chattered lightly with slight throttle application and was quite violent at idle with no throttle applied on take off in 2nd gear. Backing trailers I was forced to basically fully engage the clutch and disengage it frequently to stay away from the chatter and still move slow enough to maneuver the trailer around obstacles. I could also rev it around 1500-1800 rpm and slip on the clutch a little for a few seconds, but the chatter would come in within 5 seconds or so. Backing up hills and around obstacles at the same time was a trick, but definitely doable if you can back a trailer decently. A very light squeal may be heard from the ceramic pucks slipping when engaging the clutch from time to time. This is completely normal.

Single kevlar/ceramic does have some chatter at idle with no throttle applied. with light throttle application (around 800-1000 rpm) it is smooth as silk similar to my ceramic dual disc, although the dual disc is smoother when no throttle is applied. Backing trailers is easy enough if for any experienced driver using some light throttle and take care not to slip on the clutch for long periods of time. Over time, you may start to hear the ceramic squeal while engaging the clutch. It will be similar to the full ceramic, but a little quieter. Again, this is normal.

Brass woven organic does have a light chatter off idle with no throttle. It is smoother than the kevlar/ceramic and probably a little smoother than a dual ceramic. A dual organic is usually little smoother. A little throttle is needed to completely eliminate chatter.

 

Great info Travis!

Another vote for Valair. I'm running the Kevlar/Ceramic. It's noisy and stiff, but takes everything I can throw at it.

 

Thanks travis and gang for the input think i know what to go with now, so do i need to call or email jim at rosewood or I'm i not seeing how to order a clutch from his website.... ?
Thanks again

 

Give him a call. Great guy to work with.

 

Either contact Jim or contact Valair directly. Both are great to work with.

Edit I should add that the bigger and heavier trucks like the CC LB 4x4s and dedicated work trucks out there will experience a little rougher clutch engagement than my truck is when taking off in 2nd gear from a stop, especially with 3.55 gears. My truck is a regular cab 2wd, so I don't need to slip the clutch much to get moving. Also a lot of my other clutch experiences in heavier trucks were with 4.10 or 3.73 gears.. so if your truck is fairly heavy and running 3.55 gearing or tall tires, be prepared for the clutch to be a bit rougher than I make it sound.