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SouthBend Stage 2 Endurance Clutch - A tale of two clutches

FL4T_BR1M

New member
This is a story about a boy, a car, and a clutch... Well, two clutches actually. There are several threads about people's experiences with their new SouthBend clutches vs. their OEM clutch, however they tend to discuss several types of clutches, and I just want to focus on the SouthBend Stage 2 Endurance Clutch.

I had one such clutch installed on my 2012 GTI (manual...) just over 1,000 miles ago. I plan to use this thread to discuss what my break in procedure was (tune on or off, driving style, etc.) and am interested to hear what others have done with these clutches. Also, if you've had one installed for a while, do you love it, hate it, or is it just another clutch!?
 

FL4T_BR1M

New member
So let's get the story rolling here.

Around 40,000 miles I began to notice a strange phenomenon happening while accelerating in 5th gear at around 60mph+ (heavier on the throttle)... I noticed the RPMs continuing to rise while my speed remained, well, about the same.

After reading several clutch threads I quickly identified this as clutch slip...

Maybe I should discuss some specifics about my vehicle and how I've treated it over the years; was Stage I plus from 800-40,000 miles, was driven like a bat-out-of-hell as soon as I got it, and also I used the gears to decelerate from higher speeds.

Just before 40,000 miles I had an APR Downpipe (the more recent model) fitted to the vehicle and the tune (also APR) flashed to Stage 2. Within a week of the install I noticed the slip. Could this be sheer coincidence? Absolutely. But who really knows.

I decided that with a K04 install ominously on the horizon of my car's future, I may as well get a new clutch that could handle not only the current power, but also that of future upgrades.

[Enter new clutch]
 

FL4T_BR1M

New member
Clutch Installed - Break-in Time

My installer (Steve's European Auto in Waterford, MI) told me to do a "1,000 mile break in period. Lot's of shifting. City miles. No boost"

This meant re-routing all of my usual routes throughout the Detroit area. I completely avoided all highways for 500 miles. Also, I never did any decelerating using the transmission at all (just used the brakes). I also turned my tune back to "stock mode" in order to further reduce strain on the infant clutch kit.

It was a very boring 500 miles. I saw a great deal of inner-city Detroit and frequently arrived late to things. On the flip side, I did an incredible amount of shifting which should have made the transmission happy. Note, I usually shifted as soon as my RPMs reached 2000-2200.

From 500-750, I kept the tune in stock, but started shifting slightly higher 2,200 to 2,500 to put just a little more strain on the clutch components.

From 750-1000, I started taking it on highways again, but still wasn't doing any high RPM shifting.

And after 1,000, flipped the tune back to 93 Octane and let it rip!
 

ExcelerateRep1

Go Kart Champion
My installer (Steve's European Auto in Waterford, MI) told me to do a "1,000 mile break in period. Lot's of shifting. City miles. No boost"

This meant re-routing all of my usual routes throughout the Detroit area. I completely avoided all highways for 500 miles. Also, I never did any decelerating using the transmission at all (just used the brakes). I also turned my tune back to "stock mode" in order to further reduce strain on the infant clutch kit.

It was a very boring 500 miles. I saw a great deal of inner-city Detroit and frequently arrived late to things. On the flip side, I did an incredible amount of shifting which should have made the transmission happy. Note, I usually shifted as soon as my RPMs reached 2000-2200.

From 500-750, I kept the tune in stock, but started shifting slightly higher 2,200 to 2,500 to put just a little more strain on the clutch components.

From 750-1000, I started taking it on highways again, but still wasn't doing any high RPM shifting.

And after 1,000, flipped the tune back to 93 Octane and let it rip!

These are the exactly precausions we instruct our "new clutch" customers with to be safe. Of course theres no number to put on it for sure, but it sure makes things a lot easier on the hardware.

I'm sure you got to know the rest of Detroit a little more. It really is a beautiful city if you look past a lot of things. I love that city no matter how ratty its become.

Let us know how it is after a few thousand miles. :w00t:
 

pjung23551

Ready to race!
This is a story about a boy, a car, and a clutch... Well, two clutches actually. There are several threads about people's experiences with their new SouthBend clutches vs. their OEM clutch, however they tend to discuss several types of clutches, and I just want to focus on the SouthBend Stage 2 Endurance Clutch.

I had one such clutch installed on my 2012 GTI (manual...) just over 1,000 miles ago. I plan to use this thread to discuss what my break in procedure was (tune on or off, driving style, etc.) and am interested to hear what others have done with these clutches. Also, if you've had one installed for a while, do you love it, hate it, or is it just another clutch!?

I have a 2012 GTI, k04, I've run now 2 of these stage 2 enduros. Standard 500 city mile break in for me. I like them, first one lasted 37k, 2nd one, i'm at the end of the life around 30k, but the 2nd enduro clutch was all track miles and weekend hooning. I think the clutch is very good, doesn't get greasy at the track, takes a beating is easy to modulate, minus hot summer days, with the a/c on, the lwfw bogs a lot. My friend who has a 335i drove my car and was in love with how hard the clutch grabbed while being easy to modulate. Will be getting another, once holiday season is over. I had an original non silent stage 2 daily die on me when a hub spring came out - but they sent me a full new stage 2 enduro silent with fly as a replacement.
 

FL4T_BR1M

New member
These are the exactly precausions we instruct our "new clutch" customers with to be safe. Of course theres no number to put on it for sure, but it sure makes things a lot easier on the hardware.

I'm sure you got to know the rest of Detroit a little more. It really is a beautiful city if you look past a lot of things. I love that city no matter how ratty its become.

Let us know how it is after a few thousand miles. :w00t:

I have now put about 5,000+ miles on this clutch. Albeit the weather has only recently started to warm up here, I still haven't given it as much goose as I'd like. Here's what I can say thus far...

1. No slip: Far and away the most important thing I was looking for. The hold that the clutch has seems to be very strong and the engine seems to like its new counterpart.

2. Requires more conscientious shifting: The stock clutch in this car is very forgiving, and definitely made for a great first-time manual vehicle for me. It required minimal force to depress the clutch pedal and grabbed easily without feeling jerky. This clutch is... different. To make a smooth shift transition (especially when accelerating slowly) is one hell of an art. Force required to depress the clutch is a significant increase, but not so much so that it will annoy me. When releasing the clutch pedal you really need to do a fine job with the accelerator simultaneously. I still feel that I make errors with it sometimes and the car gets a nice jolt, but this is just something that I need time to get better at.
 

FL4T_BR1M

New member
I have a 2012 GTI, k04, I've run now 2 of these stage 2 enduros. Standard 500 city mile break in for me. I like them, first one lasted 37k, 2nd one, i'm at the end of the life around 30k, but the 2nd enduro clutch was all track miles and weekend hooning. I think the clutch is very good, doesn't get greasy at the track, takes a beating is easy to modulate, minus hot summer days, with the a/c on, the lwfw bogs a lot. My friend who has a 335i drove my car and was in love with how hard the clutch grabbed while being easy to modulate. Will be getting another, once holiday season is over. I had an original non silent stage 2 daily die on me when a hub spring came out - but they sent me a full new stage 2 enduro silent with fly as a replacement.

So pjung, I have to ask, having gone through multiple of these clutches do you feel like it ended up being a pretty good buy? It stands to reason that your second one didn't last as long given the sort of driving that it was exposed to, but do you feel that those lifespans are reasonable for what these things cost?
 
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