LUK clutch
 

Whats your opinion on these clutches i had on in my gas truck and loved it i was just thinkin if it did good in that it would be good for a performance application in my 02 dodge 6 speed?

DO NOT SEEK THE TREASURE!!!!

Seriously though, I have one and I hate the thing. I have the performance cerametallic one, and it is REALLY grabby and makes the whole truck jump around. I put it in cause my stocker was slipping with the comp on kill and I wish I would have just saved the coin for a double disk and been done with it.

I had one on my 04 I believe it was rated for 550hp and 1100tq. I hated the clutch it was so grabby. And towing with it was terrible. U-joints were a constant issue with the clutch.
On top of that on the dyno it ws slipping at 420hp and 820tq with sparks flying. :booo:

thanks you guys for your imput so south bend is the way to go?

I am very happy with my SB clutch. Only negative is the clutch rattels when you push in the clutch. The noise is just the way the clutch is. Not a big deal doesn't hurt anything but I do shut off my truck at the drive threw when I order.

I have the 3600 springs this does cause a heavier clutch pedal which is fine for me but if I did mainly city driving I wouldn't like it.
The 3200 springs will give you a stock petal fell. Probably the best all around. I went with the 3600 because I figured it would be a little better for the ocasional sled pull.

Luk Clutch is great for the gasser world but ValAir and South Bend CLutch are the only ways to go for you diesel trucks. As far as the clutch making noises that is incorrect. The noises that you are hearing is gear chatter inside the transmissions. The clutch discs don't have parts that move enough to make noise, if the parts are moving the clutch disc is shot. And any ceramic single disc clutch is going to be grabbier than anyone wants for towing a trailer of any sort. If you want a truly smooth clutch a Dual Disc is the only way to go.

Cumminscrazy, in order to properly fit a clutch to your truck, it is best to know exactly what you think you will be doing with your truck. Is it going to be mainly used for towing trailers, or is it a play toy? Also what are the driving conditions you see throughout your commute? City or highway? Do you sled pull and drag race? Let me know if i can help with any more information. Clutches are not as easily mated to a truck as most think.

i had a luk in my 01 6 speed..... it lasted about 35 min after i put 150 inj inn and my quad...... it was nice for stock....love my south bend... aswell... dd nice.. yea .. got to love the chatter...... if ya dont, get use to it...

For Pulling/or Racing A DD Clutch is a MUST. Like Nick said aboove we need to know what you use your truck for and what your plans are. I just put a Vaialr Full Ceramic in my 01 6psd and it is very grabby but should settle down some after I get it set in. Its still going to be grabby but I do very little towing with my truck. If you want a Single that going to hold you should look at a Valair Kevlar/Ceramic Clutch. But it still depends on what your plans are.


Give me a call sometime and we can talk about your options.



Luke

yea.. what lukes pawn and turbos said...

As far as drag racing goes a dual disc is NOT the best option. Even with Peter's 6 button 12.25 dual disc the shifting is slower and "notchier" than most people are used to or want. Mainly because they weigh quite a bit more than a single disc and the inertia itself makes it more difficult to mate the discs quickly. And as far as your full ceramic clutch, you're at the most "smooth" it will ever be. The more broke in they get and as they eat into the flywheel they don't really get any smoother. Once it starts getting "grabbier," its time to look into replacing it. If you have a mildly built truck(400-500HP) then an OFE would be the "smoothest" clutch you can get at a great price. The Kevlar/Ceramic is a decent clutch but costs more than a 600HP Full Ceramic Clutch and is a lot less abuse friendly, where as a full Ceramic you can abuse the hell out of until you warp the clutch disc. Kevlar is a great material but once you glaze the friction material it wont ever come out of it and is extremely important to keep the disc clean while installing it. It truly does take a lot of information to properly mate a clutch to a truck. As well as the driving habits of the owner, you can't just throw any clutch in a truck and make it work for everyone.

So if my truck was built for Drag Racing what clutch do you recommend since you can't slip a Single and expect it to last long? What you are saying goes against what the clutch builders are saying.

I had a ConOFE on my 01,and it was a grabby SOB the way I tried to use it,but when I went ahead and set the Edge on 5 and took off in third slipping the hell out of it at about 2500 then it was fine,too bad about the center bustin out.(well the springs just broke..):w2:

Not trying to be an ass, but Peter and Dan both told me not to use a single disc as a pulling clutch. I did and got a full season out of a single disc ceramic clutch. Heck it didnt die til i was in Texas working for Dan. Ask Dan, Kevin, or Peter about how fast a dual disc shifts. If u are absolutely dead set on drag racing a single disc ceramic clutch is the only way to go. I had 30 passes and 5K miles on the clutch i sold to a friend and its now in another 5 speed living and breathing. Manuals are a pain in the ass to keep consistent when drag racing and i know this from first hand experience. And you dont slip a clutch while tryin to launch while drag racing, kinda hard cuz the truck creeps forward and you red light.

Then how come I didn't start hearing noise until after my DD went in?


Two words: Line Lock,Or, 3 feet. whichever is easier for you. :w2:

boy i wish i would have found you guys before i put my clutch in. i drove gassers my whole life, and i put LUK in them and they were great. when i first bought my CTD the clutch was shot and i found a LUK to put in, i sure hope it holds out for a little..............:argh:

the noise is normal, it is caused by the way southbend designed the center of the clutches to prevent failure. they eliminated some of the springs used to control vibrations and went with dampners instead. i just install my 3250 and it does chatter just a little which is normal for a new southbend dual disc. the newly designed varlairs do it too. not to be a jerk, but i trust Peter at southbend, that man knows his stuff. With that said, just because peter reccomends against doing some thing with a single, doesnt mean it wont work, it just may not last as long as it would if used correctly.:pca1:

So it's the clutch that is making the noise and not gear noise in the transmission correct? Or is the clutch causing more gear noise inside the tranny because of how it is designed?

its the clutch, its just not absorbing the vibrations as mush as the stock style springed hubs did. its not that the gears are chattering, its just the clutch discs. at least thats what peter @ southbend has told me

If your clutch is moving internally, it is broken, plain and simple. The noise you are hearing is the transmission, since the clutch isnt "absorbing" as much of the vibrations as the stock the noise is amplified in the transmission since the transmission has to absorb that vibration and transfer it through your drive train, that is where your noise is truly coming from. When it comes to the dual discs you are hearing the transmission and the floater plate depending on if the clutch pedal is displaced or not. The newer 3600s and 3250s are alot quieter than the older versions but are not quiet at all.

And you arent being a jerk, i knew the clutch wasnt going to last but both said that 8 pulls would be the end of it, i got quite a bit more out of it and was extremely happy. Being an ex-clutch builder i know what goes into these things and what they are designed to do and not to do.

Back to the hub design, if you look at the gauge of wire used in the stock hub compared to the dual discs and after market heavy duty hubs offered by both ValAir and South Bend, ull notice the aftermarket are nearly 2 times thinker gauge. Now also put into effect that the aftermarket also have double wall hub springs, the inner springs being of the same gauge as the outer springs. I still prefer the solid hub design since there are no "moving" parts in the hub, but they are more aggressive and jerkier but will hold up in the long run. As far as the aftermarket designing these clutches, to be 100% honest they took what already was in place in Class 8 trucks and applied it to our trucks. If you have ever seen a 15 inch 8 spring Spicer clutch you will recognize the hub design. Not bashing on either Dan or Peter but the design was pre-existing. They were innovators in bringing that design to Dodges, Fords, and Chevies so that we can get more out of our trucks. But unlike the semi clutches I know that Peter and Dan both use NEW parts in every clutch they send out. Both have a great product and there is no reason to not trust either one of them.

whew.:tttt:

I have to agree with everyone.

Just took my single valair kevlar/ceramic out. It held up great and shifting was quick & smooth and no noise. Installed a new valair DD full ceramic, much smoother & holding power than the single on take off, shifting is slower than a single and it make a little noise at an idle, but not bad at all.
Holding power-DD IMO
Racing-SD IMO

I have to agree with you on that.