Exedy 'pink' clutch and lightweight flywheel, should it feel this bad?
 

Hi folks. I would ask Len about this but I think he is getting some holiday time in with the kids and I don't want to knacker things before I get in touch with him. By my own choice and the usual reading up on here, asking people's opinions etc I had an Exedy 'pink' clutch fitted along with a 5.75Kg flywheel.

I was warned when I got in that it would be quite different but 4 days on and I am not getting on well at all to put it mildly. I have had my fair share of different clutches over the years and have adjusted to all of them but this setup feels unusable to me! It is a razor thin line between stalling the engine and burning clutch (I have only stalled it once so far). I can't even manage to reverse out of my drive first thing in the morning without getting the wiff of burnt clutch. Pretty well any sort of parking manouvre, or stop start traffic, hell, just popping up the road and smelly clutch. The juddering at times when moving off and trying to balance it feels like it is travelling all the way top the rear diff lol :(. Just to top things off my engine has always been a slightly lumpy idler. The exedy flywheel made this a lot worse as I thought it might. Bob did his best to compensate for all the hunting around the rev range but it is still pretty bad and everyone at work that hears it asks me if the car is alright!

Will fitting my old OE flywheel help out a fair bit with this? I know the idling should be sorted again but will the heavier flywheel helpout a lot with mixing the pink clutch in without it stinking to high hell? I honestly don't want to drive the car as I am worried that there will be no clutch left in a couple of weeks the rate it is going and the pair cost me a bomb :(.

Cheers,

Nick.

Not sure about the idle but the Exedy clutch takes ages to bed in. Loads of Judder etc but once it beds in and you get use to it you would hate to go back to the old clutch I reckon. I have the same clutch with flywheel and love it.

Are you using a Link ECU by any chance?

Yes the flywheel will make a big difference. I went from a 4.2Kg up to a 7Kg to make mine better. I couldnt live with the chararcteristics of the 4.2Kg. Once it was changed I was happy again!

Thanks for the replies guys. I will be ditching the flywheel. It is great as soon as you are moving but I just sit in far too much traffic, hill starts etc to keep it. I have pretty well run out of money so can't risk gambling on a lightened OE, I think I am going to get the full fat OE one stuck back in and that will be that! I am on the normal ecu, merely ecutek'd.

Hi Nick. I am suprised you are experiencing such difficulties. Mine is even lighter than yours and I don't have the problems you mention. It takes a little getting used to but is worth it imho. My idle was funny to begin with but the ECU seems to have learnt to sort the idle

Are you using OE pulleys?

Bob

I've got Exedy Hyper with 5.7 kg flywheel on remapped 03STi and idle is completely steady. Suggest you look for other causes, perhaps the light flywheel is showing up an existing fault.

BTW this clutch doesn't smell when slipped a bit. Don't think you can fit your old fly anyway as this is a different diameter and made of steel as a cast one won't stand up to the ceramic friction material.

The idle isn't getting any better, I am on CDF pulleys and it was so bad that after a nice backroad drive last night from work, when I came to a stop at a roundabout, smoke was coming out through the intercooler for a good 20 seconds. Stopped after this but not exactly reassuring and was a new one on me :(. I am not driving the car anymore and back to lifts to work with my mate in his 190k moldy Vectra 1.8 :(. Hopefully I can get hold of Len today and arrange to get the flywheel etc removed.

Got hold of Len and he is indeed on a well deserved holiday. I can cope without driving her until I sort out what is best to do with him upon his return :).

It may be the aftermarket pulleys not being happy combined with a lightweight flywheel. It would be far easier to change pulleys and see how you go.

Mine is on OE pulleys and 4.2kg fly

Trust me, I am pretty sure that it isn't a simple case of the pulleys but thanks for the input :). The other half has to be able to drive this car too and I won't let her anywhere near it currently. I know how to mix a clutch in and I am having a mare of a time, I dread to think how badly she would kill it! :D

I would seriously think about changing the pulleys first...

my g/friend drives mine with no probs

Look at it sensibly. Read this bit.

Nick already knows that a light flywheel takes a few days to get used to and bedded in but that is not the main issue.
To avoid JUDDER, no clutch should need slipping to the point it "smells" and JUDDER cannot be attributed to the CDF Racing pulleys.
Judder is normally caused by a poor surface on the flywheel or incompatibility between clutch and flywheel materials.
As regards tickover, that is usually less smooth because of the reduction in rotating mass. Not an ideal solution but sometimes necessary and certainly very effective is to increase idle speed from 850 rpm to 900-1,000 rpm.
I am sure when Len pulls the box out, the cause of the judder will be known but regretably you have been put to additional expense.

Personally, having had numerous different flywheels on various 2 litre Subarus I now stick to O/E or O/E machined to 8kg., an approximate reduction of between 2.7 and 4 kg on the O/E item depending on which Classic flywheel you started with. Where possible stick with an organic clutch. Why look for an exotic solution if you are not producing power beyond the proven capability of the organic clutch.
IF this is an organic clutch it should operate satisfactorily with the O/E flywheel and I am sure Len will examine the original flywheel carefully.
Can you confirm it is an organic clutch?

I am afraid that all I know is that it is the 'pink' exedy clutch rated for 350-400 brake, work is too bonkers to find out atm. At the end of the day I specifically requested the setup, Len didn't tell me to get it so yes it's an expensive mistake but these things happen sadly.

Have the headers turned up for you Harvey? They were collected yesterday :).

Paddle clutches come in pink boxes too.

Check to see what you have. I just assumed it was an organic clutch, as that is what you were after.