new clutch... not very cool. any good help???
 

(copied from another thread i made)

sorry for the long post, but im kinda looking for some help here. TIA...

alright well my stock clutch was begging me to change it for like 6 months, after i installed headers etc. so i decided to go 2 or so steps up from stock and purchase a Ram powergrip clutch set. it is supposed to be good for 500 horse. ive heard rumors of small chatter on take off but ive heard it grips like a mother and will really rip with some sticky tires.

onto my problem...(or so i think)

the clutch honestly doesnt feel that great. i read great things and it seemed least problem prone company(RAM). it deffinitley grabs more than the stockers and will pull the car more in 5th and 6th at those low rpms, but upon take off, it feels exactly lik the crappy stock clutch that i hated. also when grabbing 2nd gear on side streets and just letting it out without trying to make it smooth it, it feels pretty smooth anyways. that is exactly how the old clutch was, its almost like a sloppy automatic shifting. although the new clutch is better for sure, it doesnt have that bite that i was really expecting. now im really hoping that this is just break in period and in time it will get more and more sticky, but idk right now im very upset with my 500 dollar purchase.

i resurfaced the flywheel, installed new TO bearing, aligned it perfectly and checked the fluid for air bubbles. all seems normal. please tell me this is normal or give me any advice.

hmm dude that sux, did u ask others if this is normal for a ram, like i told u i have a zoom and mine grabs like a mofo, are u sure u got the frok piece on the to bearing all the way? also check the hydraullic slave cylinder to make sure its working properly good luck bro

Hmm, could be it needs some "break-in" time..
When I put in my Spec Stage 2 and aluminum flywheel, it didn't feel right for like the first week, but now it's perfect.

maybe you need a new slave...

Well I might have some bad news for you...When I had my SLP clutch installed on the old car I went thru the same thing, It was put in, I went the 200 miles breaking it in, being really gentle only to be EXTREMELY disappointed when I went to the track.

The car smoked the clutch instead of the tires, and that was on street tires that I didn't even heat up, not to mention the engine was only minor bolt-on at that stage.

I called SLP and they claimed that it must have been installed wrong and that I would have to take it back out and send it to them to look at before they would do anything. I didn't really feel like goin thru all the hassle so I ended up keeping a shotty $400 clutch assembly that was supposed to handle 400 hp but could barely handle 300.

Are you sure that there wasn't any cleaner or oil on the flywheel when you installed it? It might be however just the coating on the disc itself that has to 'burn' off before it starts to grab. I hope thats the case and you don't end up in the same boat as I did.

p.s.- If you spent $500 on the RAM, why didn't you just go with a SPEC 3 or Centerforce DF? I know money is tight, but you were only $75 off from buying either one of those..

Like I said in the other post, I have that same clutch. It will get better after break in. The main issue I think is your flywheel. I went the exact same route you did in re-surfacing the stocker. In the book and in the PC at the shop I had do it, it stated that the flywheel in our cars is not to be re-surfaced only replaced. I knew the guy really well, so he let me get away with it. The only problem I have with my RAM is the slight chatter on take off, but I expected that with a performance clutch. Any other issues went away after about 600 miles. And yes it does grab really hard. Hope this helps.

Joe, in short... the Ram seemed least problem prone, all the others were either hit or miss, so i wanted to stay away. the flywheel was pretty much clean when i put it in, maybe a smidge of grease from my hands, nothing too bad tho.

Genter... did it feel kinda not too great the first few hundred miles? ive prolly driven the car like 20 miles already, so i got a lot more to go, but im really hoping that it will get way better. im assuming... you slowly start to feel it get better and better upon break in and then it will be as good as it gets correct?

Caleb, i think its fine, idk really how it is bad unless its physically cracked or somethign damaged. mine seemed fine tho.

thanks again guys really appreciate the feedback.

can u guys read my last post, the computer got screwed up when i posted it and my computer shows it but the forum still shows Genter as posting last. just wondering if you guys cant see the post or you just dont care about me.hehe

i can see it matt

ok, so no one cares then?lmao. thanks for the info Matt.

im calling up Ram tomorrow and this weekend ill be driving an 88 Jag with my 93 Z's drivetrain and Ram HDX clutch, so ill compare the 2 and have the Jag owner drive mine and see what he thinks.

if you guys cant tell im on a mission to get this clutch going. i need to drive the car more and more and see if its changing but im kinda headstrong about getting this thing worked out. ive already been considering a stalled auto. no joke, im sick of reading threads where people talk about EVERY clutch for an LT1 and how it sucks. it seems like its hit or miss and u just gotta get lucky. you can just spend like 800 bucks and have NO problems for sure. id rather do that and have a chattering SOB then a slipping POS. anyways, im still over reacting cause idk how it will be in a few weeks but damn its gay. ill keep everyone updated. thanks again.

It didn't feel HORRIBLE the first couple hundred miles, but it did get better after the break in. Mine didn't seem as bad as you are talking about though.

no problem ;)

well i called Ram today, talked to a guy about 15 minutes metioned everythign ive been thinking of, only conclusion is possibly the flywheel is cut too much however its only a "maybe" so its fine for now. he told me theres no break in period and it should feel the same as it does now in a year so i said thank you, went out and did a few holeshots, ripped on 2nd and 3rd a few times.hehe. it didnt have that bite i wanted but i also know the nittos do nothing for my clutch.lol. so all in all, im happy for now, i think it should do fine, but we will see. im gonna put a muffler on soon for some more low end and backpressure see how much that helps cause now the exhaust just falls out and it really adds to the slipping clutch feeling when u get on it and all that noise but no go.lol