Factory or performance clutch?

The time has come to put a new clutch in my '02 330 - 147k on the odo. I'm thinking of Autocrossing with the car this summer - any thoughts on whether I should upgrade the clutch? I don't want to sacrifice too much around-town ease-of-use, but wasn't sure if the factory clutch would suffice for some casual weekend autocrossing.

Originally Posted by truewalsh

The time has come to put a new clutch in my '02 330 - 147k on the odo. I'm thinking of Autocrossing with the car this summer - any thoughts on whether I should upgrade the clutch? I don't want to sacrifice too much around-town ease-of-use, but wasn't sure if the factory clutch would suffice for some casual weekend autocrossing.

The reason for a better clutch is if you have increased the power of your engine which requires extra clamping force. With a stock engine, you'll be just fine with a stock replacement, even with occasional auto-x. Your stock clutch made it 147k miles, THAT is pretty strong if you ask me.

My stock clutch has 110k miles on it... and about 300 full clutch dump autocross launches. It's starting to feel a bit soft, and when it starts slipping, I will replace it with another factory clutch.

Something like THIS is a smokin` deal:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/F1-STAGE-1-C...item2318d979be

Originally Posted by KrisL

My stock clutch has 110k miles on it... and about 300 full clutch dump autocross launches. It's starting to feel a bit soft, and when it starts slipping, I will replace it with another factory clutch.

I can't speak for the first 139k miles on my car, but at 150k miles it still has the OE clutch and for the 11k miles I have had it, I haven't been "easy" on it.

Good to know you're experiences with the OEM clutches have been as good as mine. I'll keep looking but from what I've read high-performance clutches and lightweight flywheels etc aren't really worth it unless you're getting into some more serious racing, in which case I'd probably NOT be in a 330.

Any mods you have done that are good for autocrossing - like brakes, suspension, etc?

Originally Posted by truewalsh

Any mods you have done that are good for autocrossing - like brakes, suspension, etc?

Don't need brakes.

Suspension, absolutely. See the link in my signature to my web page to see my modifications.

All that said, if you are new to autocrossing, it is absolutely easiest to learn with a stock car.

sorry for hijacking this thread but i have a question regarding clutches...
my clutch is expected to run out any time soon, is it a reason why gears are not shifting smoothly, and the second gear is making that "kikh" sound when i'm up-shifting to it while high revving first ?
if i'm driving slowly and shifting from 1st to 2nd, it's all good. will replacing my clutch solve my issues ?

Originally Posted by heztheone

sorry for hijacking this thread but i have a question regarding clutches...
my clutch is expected to run out any time soon, is it a reason why gears are not shifting smoothly, and the second gear is making that "kikh" sound when i'm up-shifting to it while high revving first ?
if i'm driving slowly and shifting from 1st to 2nd, it's all good. will replacing my clutch solve my issues ?

A clutch that`s on it`s way out usually doesn`t manifest itself as a shifting problem....you would notice it mostly on takeoff. Try this:

Drive at 35 mph in 4th gear. Nail the throttle. Does the car start picking up speed immediately, or do the RPMs jump up quickly, without much increase in speed ?

If the latter, your clutch is just about fried....

Originally Posted by Fast Bob

A clutch that`s on it`s way out usually doesn`t manifest itself as a shifting problem....you would notice it mostly on takeoff. Try this:

Drive at 35 mph in 4th gear. Nail the throttle. Does the car start picking up speed immediately, or do the RPMs jump up quickly, without much increase in speed ?

If the latter, your clutch is just about fried....

It starts picking up speed. when i was about to buy my car, my mechanic took it on a really inclined road for a clutch-test drive, as soon as he hit second after a high rev first, clutch started to smell really bad and rpm was revving with the car standing still, that's when he told me my clutch is dying...
So my gearing issues are not clutch related?

Originally Posted by heztheone

It starts picking up speed. when i was about to buy my car, my mechanic took it on a really inclined road for a clutch-test drive, as soon as he hit second after a high rev first, clutch started to smell really bad and rpm was revving with the car standing still, that's when he told me my clutch is dying...
So my gearing issues are not clutch related?

Sounds like the second gear synchro is on its way out. Not all that uncommon on a getrag gearbox. They dont like slamming it into second.

Congratulations, sounds like your mechanic just did in your flywheel (or at least tried his best). It may not be toast right now, but bad things happen when you rev the piss out of the clutch after it has glazed. At least it seems to be holding now, but that little trick may have induced some hot spots on the flywheel, which will eventually ruin the friction mating surface.

Very recent experience with this stuff on the e39. But, you can attempt to deglaze it, and get some more life out of it. Search the internet for "deglazing clutch" and study the method about getting up to speed, then holding your clutch just at engagement point for a few seconds. Doing that a couple of times, then letting the clutch cool without further abuse (as in, a couple of hours parked) has worked reasonably well for me.

L

Originally Posted by RSPDiver

Congratulations, sounds like your mechanic just did in your flywheel (or at least tried his best). It may not be toast right now, but bad things happen when you rev the piss out of the clutch after it has glazed. At least it seems to be holding now, but that little trick may have induced some hot spots on the flywheel, which will eventually ruin the friction mating surface.

Very recent experience with this stuff on the e39. But, you can attempt to deglaze it, and get some more life out of it. Search the internet for "deglazing clutch" and study the method about getting up to speed, then holding your clutch just at engagement point for a few seconds. Doing that a couple of times, then letting the clutch cool without further abuse (as in, a couple of hours parked) has worked reasonably well for me.

"Bedding your clutch"....

Thanks guys, will look into it!

I'll comment on this since I have an aftermarket clutch. The F1 racing stage 2 clutch by gripforce is absolutely amazing. It grips HARD and it's pretty darn stiff. It's either in or it's out, there is no halfway lazy shifting it. It is not ideal for daily driving though.