I'm in the market for choosing a clutch for the truck in my sig.

Let me give some background...

Purchased truck 1 year ago with a SBC Con O already in place with around 20k miles on it - it started slipping a month or so after I got the truck home - not pleased...

Called and got a new Con O installed (parts under warranty). Was installed by a shop recommened by SBC - I'm happy again...

Now fast forward to 17,288 miles later - you guess it clutch is slipping under hard accel again - not happy.

Did I not choose a clutch with enough holding power?

We tow a TT (31ft with slide 10k GVWR tips scales at 9200lbs max) during the summer we tow about every weekend - during the winter not much at all (North East Indiana) imagine that...

She is a daily driver that sees a lot of in town driving.

I'm heavy on the throttle kind of guy but I don't slip the clutch in my opinion.

This is my driving style..

Without touching the throttle I take off in 2nd gear, then apply some power after the clutch is fully released. Then I don't touch the clutch again until I down shift - just get the rpms correct and she'll slip right into to gear - sometimes I do this while slowing down as well - just depends if I have exhaust brake engaged or not...

Now I do like to drag race from the stop lights and then I will use the clutch, but I let the clutch get out before slamming the pedal to the floor.

As it stands right now you wouldn't notice the clutch slipping unless your gouging on the go pedal but I know that it will raise it's ugly head something fierce when I strap the TT to it's butt here in the spring...

Now I like to lay my fair share of rubber so keep that in mind...

The fuel plate is NOT FULLY OUT, and neither is the AFC wheel. Both are not in the stock locations but they aren't at their max either. Peter with SBC had me check those at the last clutch failure thinking that they were causing the problem.

 

I'm surprised yours is slipping, mine is still holding at nearly the advertised capacity. I think you ought to go with the strongest clutch you can afford. The Con-O is obviously not enough clutch for you.

 

Dual disk?

will hurt ur streetability, but it will hold like there is no tomorrow.. Id goo southbend... if i was u...

Tx

 

I broke the clutch springs on a Con-O, which if I seem to remember SBC told me they don't reccomend them for towing over 8000lbs. I was quite surprised and PO'ed especially since they would only cover half or the repacement parts. I have a similar driving style to you. I went with the 13" OFE and it is working so far but I think the springs might be going again. Just my 2.

 

the only thing wrong with a dd is it shifts slower and the pedal pressure is alot heavier. other than that its a great setup

 

call http://www.drivetrain.com/ their stage 3 clutch is a luk pro gold but they use a ferimac lining on the disc, like on a southbend fe and it's under $700. my friend has the same mods as me we put one in his and he's put 15,000 miles on it,5 tug of wars and lots of burnouts, he has not slipped this clutch. i only know of two company's that actually make the clutches Luk and McLeod (i'm sure theres more companies out there) and the discs are probably made by rabestos. mitchell uses Luk and Haisley uses Mcleod parts to make their clutches. southbend is a very good clutch though you just need to get one to hold the power if you can afford it

 

For towing I think you should have a 13" conversion. My truck dynoed 395HP and my ConOFE holds great even hauling my dad's 36ft 5ver, at about 20K lbs. combined

 

I have a SBC Con OFE 13.25" clutch and love it. I installed it in March and I slipped it REAL bad at a truck pull in June but I cant get it to slip on the street or at the drag strip. I'd get a South Bend, I'm more than pleased with mine

 

He HAS a South Bend.

 

Wild Bill, do you have any issues backing the fiver with the OFE? I understand that it does not respond to gentle clutch work when manuvering in tight spots.

 

doesn't seem to be a problem for me, but I do have 4.10's, and can put it in low range to make it even easier. The OFE seems to have some give, but the FE is the one people really can't get to slip at all, I think.

 

OFE for towing, FE for holding.

If you have a catcher or something that makes the bottom end a lot stronger, then an FE could work for towing.

If I had to tow heavy, I'd build a milder truck-- 400hp max. Then get an OFE to hold it.

A 2wd lo kit is useful with a grabby clutch, but they aren't available for later trucks like mine that lack the CAD

 

I've had the OFE, FE, and the SB 3600PSI 12 puck DD in my truck. Here's my oppinion of the clutch:

For a tow truck, I'd go with the 13x1.25 Con-OFE. This clutch is awesome, feels just like stock, but holds the power very well. The clutch also gives you the ability to smoothly slip the clutch when needed (backing a trailer, etc). You can do some nice 2nd gear launches with this clutch with minimal slippage (I could launch my bed mat out of my truck with this clutch!).

The FE is grabby! It does seems to smooth out some with a load on it - 1st gear take offs are pretty nice. Backing a trailer can sometimes be a bit annoying though. You can definitely tow with it, but if I were going to be doing a lot of slow speed maneuvering, this would not be my first choice in clutches. This is probably my favorite clutch that I tried - fits my needs very well.

The DD is just a monster. It is actually a very smooth clutch once you learn to drive it - much smoother than the FE. It is very unforgiving when you let the clutch out just a little too far - it will turn your truck off for you in a heart beat! There is a bit of a learning curve with this guy! It will also handle a massive amount of abuse, if you like doing 3rd gear launches and destroying tires, this is the clutch for you. The biggest downside to the DD's are the slow shifts and the HEAVY clutch pedal. I never converted over to the 12V hydraulics, but I hear that helps a lot with pedal pressure. I suspect (I have no proof of this) that the transmission's life will also be shortened by quite a bit due to no damping springs on the clutches and increased clutch drag. I personally believe that the DD clutch needs to be left for the HIGH HP boys that drag and sled pull their trucks.

I hope this helps in your decision. The guys with auto's have it so easy!

 

What are the symptoms when the springs break?

 

We may have it easy but we've also got to spend a lot more to get the tranny to hold a lot of power and abuse.