Sask

Hello. I have an '02 dually 4x4 with some semi-mild mods (sticks, turbo, ancient timing/fueling box - an Edge Pulse, etc.). Six years and 33K miles ago I upgraded the clutch to a South Bend Con OFE because the OEM Luk clutch was slipping. Yesterday, the lever broke on the SB OFE while downshifting and put me into a ditch. No damage; deep snow in the ditch.

I'm disappointed, however - the truck is an occasional DD and an occasional highway trailer-hauler (9K lbs), no track, no abuse, and I mean none - and 33K is a bit on the "lite-side" for a major failure. So I'm thinking about another brand, and apparently that means Valair - I haven't looked at clutches for this vehicle in six years. So -

Are Valair clutches well-made? Are there design or manufacturing differences between Valair and SB clutches? Are there problems with Valair clutches? Yes, I've searched - that's how I know about Valair - but I'd appreciate a little specific input, especially about design and materials.

I'm not looking for anyone to trash SB or Valair - just want some input before I make a decision. Thanks!

SIXSLUG

That's a drag. I have had a SB Con OFE in mine for about the same time but a lot more miles, no problems.

Have you tried contacting SouthBend and seeing if they will help you out with it?

Haven't read or heard of anything against Valair....

Sask

6 years ago, south bend told me the con ofe was the perfect clutch for the truck and what I do. When I called them yesterday, they told me that the ofe was the wrong clutch and I need their dual disk.... sigh.... that was irritating. Truck didn't change, advice did. Hence I'm considering moving on to Valair.

SIXSLUG

Must be nice to sell enough stuff to treat a customer like that....

Try posting in "Performance and Accessory" section.

patdaly

It could be as simple as a piece of defective steel that was in the lever. Why not send the pressure plate to SB and have them look at it, either to be replaced or repaired? How does the disc look? I would think it would look almost new after only 33K miles.

As for the changing recommendation, how long has SB sold the DD3250? If they didn't sell it back then it would be hard to recommend it.

Not bashing anyone here, but Peter has went way beyond fair for many customers...............

Lary Ellis (Top)

I sold a LOT of South Bend clutches to people who tried the Valair route and found out the quality just wasn't there the hard way.

My advice is to call and talk to Peter directly about the problem with the lever breaking, the OFE is a pretty stout clutch and takes a lot of abuse but it too has changed in design in the last 6 yrs.

Talk to Peter, NOBODY does more for their customers than he does!

Diesel Dave2

Hmmm...Got my SB Con OFE from Harry about 6 years ago....No problems...Still moving my truck around...

gorms

I've got a valair 13" single, kevlar/ceramic button clutch. I blew out their 12 1/4" full ceramic (supposedly good for 500hp?) on a sled pull. Talked to the guy....Dave? maybe and he was more then fair about giving me a better clutch for hauling...I told him I wouldn't be doing any sled pulls again till I can afford to replace the parts I break. He gave me the full kit with starter spacer, flywheel, clutch, etc. for almost nothing. The original went at around 12-15k miles, now I'm on this setup for almost 30k and it still hooks up great. I plow/tow/haul a decent amount.

That being said, I would recommend Valair, but I would personally check with SB first to see if they can help you out. I only went with Valair because I'm broke and SB seems a bit overpriced to me. Good luck.

South Bend Clutch

Well I have talked to the Three people that would have talked with you. I explained your situation to try and get them to recall the phone conversation. Nobody heard anything about a six year old OFE clutch breaking and putting someone in a ditch that only had 33,000 miles. The closest we could get was Manseil talked to someone that had an older OFE and needed another. He said the customer had added more power since the previous purchase and had 37" tires and a lift kit so he recommended jumping up to the street dual disc. By the way six years ago we did not offer a street dual disc so the OFE may have been the best choice at the time. I certainly don't want someone disappointed when using our product and most importantly don't like to hear they were disappointed after calling us with a problem. We pride ourselves in customer satisfaction but sometimes things can slip through the cracks. Feel free to call me any time.

Peter

Sask

Fair enough.

As for your discussions with your employees - I didn't approach the fellow I talked to with complaints or whining. I simply told him that I had an OFE purchased a few years ago, that the clutch didn't have many miles on it, and the lever had broke, and I wondered whether the OFE had been the best choice. When I described the truck and how I used it to him (see sig & description in first post), he immediately replied that I had the wrong clutch, and I should have purchased organic dual disk clutch. He didn't say, "I certainly don't want someone disappointed when using our product; we pride ourselves in customer satisfaction." He expressed no interest in why the lever failed, nor in offering any sort of "satisfaction". Since the clutch was six years old, I did not push the matter - and I'm not pushing it now. If he doesn't remember that conversation - I can't explain it, nor will I try....

I appreciate your comments, but in this thread I was explaining to someone who suggested I contact SB why I was considering Valair - because my SB clutch had failed, and an SB employee had told me I was sold the wrong clutch. I was not trying to trash South Bend products or customer service, nor cause drama. Sorry if I did; from the responses I'm thinking that people on this forum have had little experience with Valair, and I ought to ask elsewhere. That's fair, too.

My thanks to those who responded.

BILTIT

I run a dual disk valair, i am happy with it and the customer service was really good.

Gear Poet

geez louise. the op asks for info on a valair clutch, and in response to advice to contact south bend, says he has and they told him they sold him the wrong clutch, and then south bend gets on here and implies that he's lying, implies the original clutch wasn't suitable just like he says, and then talks about customer satisfaction? i have a south bend clutch and never had a problem with it, but i can see the op's point about going to valair. that's just a back-handed ridiculous way to treat a customer.

patdaly

Gear Poet, the OP HAS a SB clutch with 33K miles on it. It is NOT a normal failure, and recommending that he contact SB to see what they would do is not out of line.

You have to be way too thin skinned to think that SB is implying that anyone is lying, especially when Peter asked that the OP call him directly.

As for going to Valair, that is certainly an option, albeit an expensive one considering simply repairing his current clutch would more than take care of his problem.

SIXSLUG

My suggestion to contact SB was meant to nudge things along in the right direction.

I was treated fairly in my contact with them years back and was referred the best clutch for my application, and it is still going strong!

Times have changed and my comment about "customer service" was sarcastic and not meant to harm SB in any way, business changes hands, good people get fired/layed off, some employees just don't care etc. etc.

I was not surprised SB responded and am glad they did. It shows good customer service and the act of standing behind their product. My next clutch will be an SB.

Danderson

I recently spoke to Peter concerning his Dual Friction 3250 DD.
For my application he deemed it overkill and recommended his Con OKHD which is working out well.
We spoke for quite awhile. He could have made more buckeroos selling me a stronger unit but deemed the OKHD plenty for me.
So far so good.

Dan and Nick @ Valair seem like genuinely concerned about their customers also,but I went with SBC.