jasonjones

Just added 100hp injectors and a TST Comp box to my basically stock '99 CTD/5-speed. WOW!!! Of course, it felt so good on the #1 setting, that I just had to try #3...in 5th gear...at about 60 mph...you can guess what happened. It started to slip so I let off the pedal and turned it back to #1. So, you can guess where this is headed;

What brand of clutch do you run in front of your 5 or 6 speed? Are you happy with your purchase? How smooth is the engagement?

My buddy had all this stuff on his '00 CTD/5-speed and just traded the truck for an '04, so I ended up with almost all his goodies. The one thing that I did not get was his South Bend MU 13"-1.25 Con OFE clutch kit. So I'm in the market for a new clutch. I would purchase a South Bend, but WOW!!! They sure don't give those things away!!! Besides, when I helped him install that kit, I noticed that it had a LuK pressure plate. So I contacted LuK and I am thinking about getting one of their Pro Gold series kits. Now I'm not going to be running around with the box set on #9 all the time. It would probably be set on maybe #2 or #3 at the most. I don't want to stress my VP44 any more than necessary to have a little fun every once in a while. So do I really need a $1000-$1200 clutch? You can purchase the Luk Pro Gold kit for about $350 and they are supposed to be rated to about 850 lb ft. What do you think?

Thanks,

Dieseldude4x4

Southbend all the way.

White00

With SBC you deffinately get waht you pay for!

getblown5.9

not to take anythign away from the SBC...you can get the LUK cerametallic which will hold 550hp/1100tq but has a rougher engagement for about $566 plus shipping

if you want smooth engagement a SBC is prolly best...but if you wanna hold the power...for almsot half the price and will suffer the rough engagement...LUK has it covered

jasonjones

I wonder if its possible to buy a disc from South Bend and a pressure plate from Luk, since South Bend is using Luk pressure plates in their kits anyway? Does anyone have a clue where South Bend clutch discs come from or any specs on them? I know a guy has to make a living but that seems like an awful steep markup.

ddestruel

Dont know how much work is involved with converting the LUK setup to the SBC setup

ive had a Luk pressure plate and disk next to a SB clutch and there was very little the same even the dampener springs looked different and the diaphram and pressure plate parts had some distinct differences in size etc .

FYI. maybe they were too much of different models. One was the ceramic Luk disk and the other was the SB Con OFE seemed it was a fast comparison, the ceramic had fragmented on me so i was taking it out and putting the new clutch in so time was not a luxury to totally examine but my opinion at the time was they were fairly different.

the $350 difference between the two since the ceramic was $550 or 575 and the Con OFE was something like $925 was well worth the easier smoother engagement and the long life i got out of the Con OFE. dont get me wrong the 13" ceramic lasted quite awhile about 75k miles of Hard abuse and heavy loads, also ate a flywheel for lunch and i have no idea how or why it cracked and fragmented the way it did but it was a good disk just the SBC in my opinion was well worth the $350 extra especially when pulling a heavy trailer. it lasted 200k miles and is still going in that truck last i heard

Haulin_in_Dixie

If you want a little stronger stock clutch the Luk Pro Gold will give you that. If you want a flawless, smooth, strong clutch that is backed by the best customer service available, go with the SBC. I don't think you would be getting the 13 inch clutch though so it would be somewhat cheaper than you quoted. The five speed uses the smaller clutch, the six speed uses the larger clutch that you quoted, I believe. Talk to Peter, he will give you straight information.

PourinDiesel

Which clutch from LUK will hold 550hp and 1100ft lbs?

kandgo

With my setup I slipped a pro gold like you described and the engagement was rough and backing a load was a bit to be desired, but with the new 13/1.25 con ofe it holds and is great for towing and backing a load and actually is softer on the leg to use. I would suggest you call Peter also. Goodluck,,Rick

joefarmer

Southbend because of service.

brandon.

graphitecumnz

see my sig for my choice... little hint, the initials are SBC.

halerazor

i have a haisley clutch but they are alot more pricier than sb $3500 installed but will hold alot more and the engagement isn't real smooth. sound like all you need is a single disc take a look at haisley's website they offer lots of different brands including sb and tell a little bit about each clutch and what they will handle
www.haisleymachine.com

Bart Timothy

I believe Joe Donnely over on the TDR has been testing one of these on his third gen and it's slipping before the 500 hp mark.

Six States Distributers has a SBC knock-off which isn't the same quality, but holds the power and is cheaper. (800) 486-3051 They've sold them installed for around $750 around here.

59Dsul

I've never used one, but there's a company called SPEC clutches. They offer about 5 stages for our trucks, including a single sintered-iron disk model that should probably take about any street abuse. I'm not sure of their website, just try a search for SPEC clutch.
andy

TxDiesel007

Heard too much praise

WHICH is a good thing!! from peter at southbend.. so as soon as this slippin stocker kicks the bucket, im goin southbend, and addin more goodies too...

Tx