RichiB

Can anyone give me any advice as to which is the best cluth assy. to get for a my93 WRX

Thanks Rich

Mike Tuckwood

We (Scooby Mania) sell the AP Racing (uprated) organic clutch, which some people have already had and commented favourably upon.

Mike.

[This message has been edited by Mike Tuckwood (edited 14-01-2000).]

Bajie

Are you unhappy with the WRX clutch performance?
What are you looking for in the new clutch.

RichiB

Bajie

I have a customer whose WRX clutch is slipping. I just wanted the best quality replacement I could get.

Rich

Mike Tuckwood

That's the one then, <B>(AP Racing).</B>

Bajie

I had clutch judder problems with the original clutch which was changed under warranty.
My intention is to change the clutch at some stage as I will be doing track days and hopefully some days at Santa Pod.
I thought a WRX clutch would be good for fast launches.
Only one person I trust has said anything negative about AP Racing clutches and that came from a competitor so take that as you will.

MorayMackenzie

The STI uprated (1050kg clamping force) unit is impressive. I had one in my previous car and was pleasantly suprised at both it's friendliness (once run in a bit it isn't the digital clutch that my friend's 400bhp escort cossie's APRacing unit seems to be.) and it's phenominal clamping ability.

_STI3_
One thing to note, I have been informed that the STI III does not have the best thrust bearing arrangement in the world, so STI clutches should be OK, but Helix and other heavy clutch units are not a good idea.
_/STI3_

Personally, I think the standard STI clutch (~650kg clamping force) is a very good compromise for the road and lasts suprisingly well, as long as you remember that 4wd is not very clutch friendly!

If you uprate the clutch much, you will make it easier to damage the gearbox and other drivetrain components as you are effectivley moving the "weak link" title to other more expensive bits.

Moray

Bajie

Even with the standard clutch I have been happy with [allegedly] fast take-offs!
I just know when its time I would like an improvement over the standard. Hopefully one that doesn't smell so bad when 'abused'.

RichiB

Ive now got a Helix clutch on the advice of a freind of mine who rallys an Impreza. I will let you know how I get on with it when I fit it next week.

Mike sorry about not buying an AP but Dirk (my business partner ) fitted one to his mk1 escort V8 rally car a few years ago and it let go on the first stage. Ever since he will do anything to avoid using AP clutches.

Rich

Bajie

RichiB
Not wishing to get into a debate about who's item is better etc.
I don't intend to rally my car but I do want to try a different clutch when the time comes. As mentioned earlier by Moray, the WRX clutch is a capable unit which should not put undue strain on other parts of the car, though the AP racing unit was in the equation. I look forward to reading your thoughts on the Helix unit.

RichiB

I have now fitted the helix clutch. Fairly stright forward, The clutch bite is slightly sharper-so far so good

Rich

Kenny

Rich,

How much is this Helix unit and how long did the job take?

Cheers

Ken

MorayMackenzie

Paul W,

What clutch had been fitted to which vintage WRX?

Moray
(New clutch soon. )

firefox

Howdy..

The Helix and AP are similar prices... around the 350 quid...give or take 10-20 quid..... But it does depend on what exact model you go for..

Takes about 2-2.5 hours.... not the dealer length of time..

J.

pwebb

will be watching this thread with interest... I recently saw the remnants of 2 main gearshafts that had been trashed after the fitting of too heavy a clutch on a wrx...second gear teeth were completely stripped on both - they were fitted to the same car within a couple of weeks of each other - as has been said above - the message is clearly not to upgrade the clutch as it will lead to a much more expensive breakage elsewhere...

fwiw - the 22b came with an uprated main shaft where all the forward gears were shot peened - instead of just 3rd and 4th - however only 500 units were made (those not fitted to 22bs were sold off on a first come first served basis) - to me this was tantamount to Subaru admitting that the gearbox is a weak point - IMO they should do the decent thing and strengthen all the forward gears on all 280hp cars
good luck,

Paul W

pwebb

Moray -
IIRC clutch was paddle type - thus no slippage - only suitable for rally applications IMHO - (where the surface is looser and gears straight cut and a lot stronger!) - was a plain 280 hp wrx - prognosis was that the owner was too fond of maximum revs in 1st then heavy change into second - crunch time.

I would have thought that this type of clutch would be a pig in heavy traffic too...
something some folks don't take into account when buying an uprated clutch.... I never understood why car manufacturers have to make clutch action so heavy - surely with more lerverage a light + pleasant action could be arrived at - bike clutches are almost always light + pleasant and can be operated by hand - still I'm straying from the subject a bit.

I think Peter Connoly at C+K may still have the remnants of the gearboxes in question - he showed them to me before xmas - not a single tooth left on the second gear!

cheers,

Paul W

RichieC

Spooky, another Richie with an MY93 and requiring a new clutch!

Im going for a Black Diamond this week. Theyre £180 incl and are 20% uprated. Ive heard nothing but good reports so theyve gotta be worth a look.

Im DIYing it so Ill let you all know how I get on.

Whats the best gearbox oil to use when finished and how much do I need??

Thanks, Richie.

RichiB

Richi

Use Silkolene Pro SRG75 synthetic gbox oil. You will need approx. 4ltrs

Rich

MorayMackenzie

I'll second that!

Sonnyrider

And I`ll Third that as well

RichieC

Hmmm I thought Syntran 5 was the best to use, as recommended by SS??

Is this not the case, I think its the same SAE etc. As far as I know it's used by those nice chaps at Prodrive.

Thanks again Richie.



[This message has been edited by RichieC (edited 02-02-2000).]