Clutch ideas?

[Scott88]

I'm new to the forum and community of GT500 owners. I bought my daughter a S197 V6 and liked driving it so much, I just bought a 09 GT500 yesterday. I've been looking for several months now and test drove several. Some had smooth clutches, and some were extremely heavy and choppy. The one I bought has the worst of all of them. I don't plan on increasing the HP in the future, and not concerned with track racing or dragging. It's my daily driver and Northern VA traffic is the worst. I'm looking for a clutch that is light and smooth as butter. Any suggestions?

 

[stkjock]

is the car stock?




Please read these

https://www.s197forum.com/threads/hawgmans-board-rules.133776/

https://www.s197forum.com/threads/a-s197-posting-etiquette-tutorial.89602/

https://www.s197forum.com/threads/tech-section-topics-please-read-new-guys-especially.30272/


https://www.s197forum.com/threads/n...eads-cant-post-in-here-read-this-first.61060/

 

[Macman45]

You’ll want OEM. Also there was a recall on early GT500 clutches. Make sure yours was done.

 

[RED09GT]

The 2013-2014 OEM GT500 is a great option. Holds lots of power and is very smooth.
The McLeod RST is a great choice as well if you are not going to drag race it.

I have the RST and it has excellent driveability but does suffer from the floater plate rattle.
It cannot handle drag racing though. But since you aren't planning on hitting the track, it should serve you well.

 

[Dino Dino Bambino]

I have the McLeod RXT and the floater plate rattle only occurs at exactly 1500rpm. It's a bit annoying but if you accelerate through that rpm rather than hold it, you'd barely notice it.

 

[Badd GT]

If you decide on RST, I have a lightly used one with matching flywheel that came with an 07 gt500 trans I purchased recently from Midway Mustang.

 

[Racer47]

https://www.s197forum.com/posts/2457459/

Exedy is a great clutch and this is less than half new cost

 

[Scott88]

Thank you. I think it's all stock because CarFax doesn't record any replacement/recall and it has all the indicators that everyone is complaining about in other threads. It does have a short shifter, but don't know the make/type. The only paperwork the car came with was a CarFax report. It already grinds/rattles at 1500-1700 RPMs, and it seems like the RST and RXT both have this problem too (judging from other threads). I definitely want to buy something that doesn't grind or rattle. I'll double check the recall tonight/tomorrow and look into the 13-14 OEM. Haven't seen anything on those yet. I was thinking I'd want a twin disc since it seems like they are smoother and lighter than single disc clutches, but I'm just assuming this based on what others are saying (and some marketing).

 

[Juice]

Centerforce Dual Friction. Light pedal, smooth engagement. 90% more holding power vs stock.

 

[KRS]

Based on your original post I’d say that 10-12 clutch is your best option. The 13/14 clutch is also a good option but you may end up with a heavier pedal because the 13/14 had a spring assist in the pedal box. If you plan on staying stock or even a pulley and tune, you can’t go wrong with either one.

If you have a few extra dollars to spend, I’d recommend adding an MGW shifter.

 

[Scott88]

Thanks all. Depending on who I call/read, I get a lot of conflicting answers. The dealer told me that the OEM 12-14 GT500 clutches were all heavy pedal feels and susceptible to floater plate rattle since they have two discs. It seems like the next best thing might be a Spec Stage 2+ Kevlar/Carbon Clutch. It seems like it will be a heavier pedal than I wanted, but less rattling. It's rated for 669 ft/lbs, so I'm not worried about it not gripping. Does anyone know how they will compare?

 

[Racer47]

Buy anything except a Spec. Stock is fine, RST is fine, rattle in minimal in my opinion. My Exedy is fine, no rattle, single disk. Anything but Spec.

 

[AndrewNagle]

Buy anything except a Spec. Stock is fine, RST is fine, rattle in minimal in my opinion. My Exedy is fine, no rattle, single disk. Anything but Spec.

Agreed

Just bought an Exedy Mach 600 stage 2

 

[KRS]

The 10-12 and the 13-14 are different clutches. The 10-12 has a very soft pedal. If you go with a 13-14 you will have a stiffer pedal because there was an assist spring in the pedal box that you don’t have. The original 07-09 clutches had a firm pedal and aggressive engagement. I recommended a 10-12 clutch to a friend with a 2007 GT500 and he loves it. All the GT500’s came from the factory with Twin Disk clutches and I’m not aware of any rattle issues unless it was a problem in the earlier models.

 

[KRS]

Sadly not all dealers are aware of the clutch fixes. Ask your dealer to refer to Ford TSB 10-3-8, you can google it and locate it too. Everything you need including the part numbers are in this TSB. There is even a PCM recalibration to go with it. When I recommended this upgrade to my friend with the 2007, our local Ford dealer wasn’t aware of it either.

 

[Scott88]

Thanks all. I'm working with the Ford Dealer and have settled on a 2012 OEM clutch. Still not sure why everyone hates Spec clutches, but I feel good about this dealer and clutch. Thank you.

 

[Scott88]

Okay, two new questions; same topic. A friend of mine has a 2011 GT500 with a stock clutch and he let me drive it. It was exactly how I expected (and want) a clutch to feel - heavier than a stock GT, but drivable/smooth on slow takeoffs. So I'm sticking with this clutch. I've decided to do the job myself. I have worked on cars a little all my life, but never touched a transmission/clutch before. I'm a Marine, so I have access to an auto hobby shop on base with all the tools I need and smart dudes walking around answering questions and giving advice. So I want to give it a try myself, but want to prepare properly before starting.
1. Any advice on a list of parts I should buy? Some websites push a rollout bearing, hydraulic clutch line, rear seal, etc. I don't want to do all this work and regret not changing some small thing later. At the same time, I don't want to turn a clutch job into six other jobs "while I'm in there."
2. Since I've never done something like this and there's a real potential of messing things up, where can I find a complete set of instructions? I'd imagine there are a plethora of small steps that I'll miss unless I have a list (like mark the driveshaft before removing...). I'm assuming I won't get steps like that with the instructions that come with the new clutch.

 

[Juice]

Replace clutch, pressure plate, and slave cylinder/throwout bearing.
Inspect pilot bearing in end of crankshaft. If bushing, I would replace with roller bearing.
Flywheel- resurface or replace. You may be able to deglaze flywheel with scotch discs if not too bad. Post pic once clutch is out.
If you unbolt flywheel from engine, you will have to perform a crank relearn.

 

[RED09GT]

If you unbolt flywheel from engine, you will have to perform a crank relearn.

I've never heard of this, can you elaborate on it?

 

[Juice]

Yes, it is to recalibrate the misfire monitor. When you unbolt the flywheel, the trigger wheel on the crank may move. The computer needs to re-learn. It will drive ok but it will likely break up above 4000 rpms. Ford IDS or an sct x4 device can initiate test.