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SouthBend Stage 3 Drop in Review

grambles423

Automotive Engineer
I will direct the wrath of my wife your direction if that is the case.

Best not too....I'm having trouble dealing with mine at this current moment lol
 

A_Bowers

Moderator
sounds cool but the chatter would drive me nuts. too much stop and go around these parts.. i suppose there is a drop in disc solution for stage 1 guys who end up needing a new clutch? for me i guess ill see how long i can go. if i don't end up needing a new clutch until 60k miles then i might as well just go OEM again if it holds up that long.

good review

I can't hear the chatter with the windows up. So it's not bad inside. Outside is semi noticeable.

Stop and go traffic would be sort of an issue because it is so grabby. But what I have noticed is the lower you have the rpms when slipping the clutch the less problems you have. Which makes sense to be honest.
 

A_Bowers

Moderator
Best not too....I'm having trouble dealing with mine at this current moment lol

It's an ongoing thing.

I love my wife dearly, but women have a way of getting to you.

They are so good at it they could list it as a skill on a resume.
 

twistid

Ready to race!
You bought it from Apr as well as having them do the install? May I ask your total cost? Also is this a perm solution poor Just a bandaid until you get a full $1200 clutch Kit?
 

MKV727

Go Kart Champion
You bought it from Apr as well as having them do the install? May I ask your total cost? Also is this a perm solution poor Just a bandaid until you get a full $1200 clutch Kit?

I can't imagine why it wouldn't be a permanent solution. If all of the stock components surrounding the disk are in working order he should be good to go.

This has put my mind at ease knowing its not going to cost me $1100 in parts if my clutch ever goes.
 

MKV727

Go Kart Champion
Other than the FSI/TSI difference Im not sure. There is another thread that has a link to an upgraded SACHS clutch which may have been in the Golf R FSI motor. :iono:

The MKV FSI & Golf R clutches are the same. I'm not sure why they are better than the TSI clutches but they seem to hold up. My clutch has never slipped and has terrific bite. My pedal engagement moves after 1 or 2 WOT runs and becomes mushy despite it still performing well and I'm not sure how I feel about that, hence why I'm looking at clutches.
 

Avant

Ready to race!
Just the clutch disk? All of the factory components surrounding it are up to the task?

This was my exact question as I read the post. Just the clutch disk? Really!? D:

But that's great to know, OP. That's so damn cheap for a clutch repair that keeps the same pedal feel. Maybe the chatter will go away as you "break it in?" Not sure if that's possible though.

How long did APR take to install the clutch disk?
 

A_Bowers

Moderator
You bought it from Apr as well as having them do the install? May I ask your total cost? Also is this a perm solution poor Just a bandaid until you get a full $1200 clutch Kit?

Yes. $834.00 out the door for install and disk.

This to me is a permanent solution. I do not foresee making more than 400 lbft of torque even on a K04 setup. Which is my ultimate goal.

This was my exact question as I read the post. Just the clutch disk? Really!? D:

But that's great to know, OP. That's so damn cheap for a clutch repair that keeps the same pedal feel. Maybe the chatter will go away as you "break it in?" Not sure if that's possible though.

How long did APR take to install the clutch disk?

Clutch disk only. The chatter will probably be a constant thing, reason I say that is because there are no springs in the disk. Those help to balance out the chatter. So with out them it won't be going away completely.

APR took 3 hours from start to finish. Finish meaning test drive and second slave cylinder bleed to get the air out of the lines.

They are awesome down there. Highly recommend them if you are local.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
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A_Bowers

Moderator
I can't imagine why it wouldn't be a permanent solution. If all of the stock components surrounding the disk are in working order he should be good to go.

This has put my mind at ease knowing its not going to cost me $1100 in parts if my clutch ever goes.

My biggest concern was the condition the flywheel was in. Since I noticed the car was slipping, I drove easy because I knew what the oem disk was doing on the flywheel. My pictures prove it. Sliding across the metal rubbing would generate heat, and that would cause other problems.

But we looked very closely at the flywheel and all was well.

Also keep in mind this car has 5200 miles on it as it sits in tHe garage all week. (not my daily driver)

So all components are still in great if not perfect shape m


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SRT2GTI

Banned
5200 miles. I was a big skeptic about the clutches going out so soon.

My last car was a 6speed and didn't have any problems with it. Babied this car for the first 1000 miles, and didnt launch it or drive it hard. It only slipped in 5th and 6th. Which was interesting.

Either way, this is much better

Yikes! Obviously not all cars are created equal, but I have 20,000 miles on stage 2+ with no issues. Did you replace your throw-out bearing at the time of install?
 

A_Bowers

Moderator
Yikes! Obviously not all cars are created equal, but I have 20,000 miles on stage 2+ with no issues. Did you replace your throw-out bearing at the time of install?

Nope. No need to. thats the beauty of this clutch disk. Does not stress any other components in the vehicle. No added stress on the throwout bearing because it doesnt have to push a higher load (ie a higher capacity pressure plate).

I know SouthBend has been drug through the mud, but this Disk may help lots of folks out.
 

Avant

Ready to race!
Yikes! Obviously not all cars are created equal, but I have 20,000 miles on stage 2+ with no issues. Did you replace your throw-out bearing at the time of install?

Mmmm.

I guess it's safe to say that there isn't a solid conclusion on why some of our clutches go bad early and some not?
 

A_Bowers

Moderator
Mmmm.

I guess it's safe to say that there isn't a solid conclusion on why some of our clutches go bad early and some not?

Thats what i was wondering as well. Im very much a believer now in that driving style (in some cases) does not have an effect on the life of these clutches.
 

SRT2GTI

Banned
Not saying that the SBC disk will not last a decent amount of time. I had some bad experiences with SBC on past vehicles, and I'm very "gun shy" about putting another one of their products in my car.
 

A_Bowers

Moderator
Not saying that the SBC disk will not last a decent amount of time. I had some bad experiences with SBC on past vehicles, and I'm very "gun shy" about putting another one of their products in my car.

I feel ya there.....Im the same way about ECS Tuning. I'm very hesitant to buy anything from them since they had all their customer info stolen. I had over $3000 in charges on my credit card.

NO BUENO.

I think this is a viable option though.
 
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