Sup fellas, i been wondering something that i havent been able to find up on ht/google.. I've been reading up on aftermarket clutches and came across people talking about 4 puck, 6 puck and stages.. Now I aint quite sure what the deal is with all this.

I know stages are meant for torque numbers, for example an slightly modified civic with minor parts/adjustments should run prolly stage 1 clutch if im correct

But what are 4 & 6 puck clutches exactly? Are they another type of clutch or does every clutch have 4-6 pucks?

Thanks

 

It depends on what setup you are trying to achieve. If it's for dailiy driven, I would stay away from "puck" style clutch/pressure plate setups. They are more geared towards racing. For Hondas, you can't beat ACT clutches. I had a set in each of my setups and they perform FLAWLESSLY.

 

Just get a clutch that will hold the torque you are making. It's that simple. Just check the specs on the clutch.

Stages are NOT meant for torque numbers. Get that out of your head. Stage X from one company is NOT the same as Stage X from another company.

 

Ah alright i'll remembe rthat ;P

it'll be an daily driven car yeah, but i'll certainly iwll be beating on it. Atleast 4-6 circuit visits/year and same goes for the dragstrip

but if just an e.g. act/exedy clutch with the correct specs for my setup will perform just fine when pushing the car?

Just outta curiosity though, what are the pros/cons of an xx puck clutch? tryna expand my knowledge but cant seem to find a whole lot on these forums about this subject ;<

Thanks both

 

I run a boosted setup with a Stage 2 Competition Clutch & Flywheel that I ordered from Importrp.com. He's a member on here. PM him and give him your specs and he'll set you up.

 

Just outta curiosity though, what are the pros/cons of an xx puck clutch? tryna expand my knowledge but cant seem to find a whole lot on these forums about this subject ;<

 

bumzors

 

Aftermarket clutches, one of the most misunderstood modifications.

Aftermarket "stage clutches" are designed to hold a lot of power for a short period of time, they are not designed with driveability or reliability in mind. Figure a good conservative estimate is that you'll get 10k miles out of most aftermarket "stage clutches". Think of it like performance tires, more grip, but wears faster due to the soft compound.

OEM and aftermarket OEM replacement clutches are actually superior to that aftermarket junk in many ways for 99.999% of enthusiasts intents and purposes.

Basically, a good rule of thumb is that until your car makes enough power that a stock clutch in proper working order will no longer hold the torque, then you do not need a "stage clutch" and should continue to replace with OEM clutches.

On a personal note, I ran an aftermarket ACT stage 1 clutch on a Civic about 15 years ago, never again. Learned my lesson.

 

4 and 6 puck clutches for Hondas are made for highly modified, high performance cars and engines. They can hold more torque, but can also be noticeably rougher to drive. There are three other aspects of a clutch you haven't asked about, and that's the pressure plate, flywheel, and hub springs.

In general, a stronger pressure plate will allow for exponentially higher torque support, but will result in a much stiffer pedal. Summary: Your pressure plate won't affect driveability, but it will put much more strain on your left leg.

A lighter flywheel will allow for faster revving, but will reduce driveability at low RPMs, and if you are boosted, will reduce boost hold when shifting. A lightweight flywheel will also drastically affect RPM changes during shifts. Summary: A lightweight flywheel will allow you to rev faster, thus increasing acceleration, but will also noticeably decrease drivability on the streets, and make proper shifting more difficult.

Hub springs are simple. Some clutches have springs in the hub of the clutch plate. This allows for clutch flex when engaging the clutch, but can induce clutch chatter and allow for slipping if running an incorrectly matched clutch. Unsprug hubs are not for daily driven cars. Without hub springs, unless you rev match perfectly (and I mean perfectly), you will experience drive line shock, severely reducing the life of the clutch, and risking breaking traction during shifts, possibly losing control.

Now, directly to your question - punk clutches. Pucks allow for more solid engagement and higher torque loads. I won't go into the physics behind it and why it works that way, just accept that it does. For the same reasons, they also create harsher engagement. Because there is less surface material (and usually no padding behind the surface material, unlike a stock clutch), they also have a greatly reduced mileage.

The tl;dr version is this. Only buy a proper, brand name clutch, and match it properly to your current torque numbers. When matching clutches to your torque numbers, always get a clutch system that is rated at at LEAST 10% more than your current numbers.

If you're looking for the right clutch, here's the list for you.
Stock to lightly modified (IHE, head work, no boost, no bottom end work) - Exedy OEM replacement or Exedy Stage 1 Organic (179ft/lbs max capacity)
Moderately modified (boost on stock bottom end OR moderately built bottom end) - Competition Clutch 6 puck sprung hub (stage 4, 1620) (350ft/lbs est. max capacity)
Heavily modified (boost on built motor OR heavily built motor) - Competition Clutch multi-plate system (800ft/lbs ext. max capacity)

 

Now thats some awesome information ;P Thanks both, I just wonder a couple things

JBPnoman says Puck clutches they also have a greatly reduced mileage, but what do you exactly mean with that? That they wont last as long, or affect overall mileage on an engine or mpg? Sorry Im an european so dont quite understand what you mean by that

And as you both wrote that an 'staged' clutch doesnt last near as long as stock clutches, but is there any other solution that could add some kind of durability to those clutches or something? Or is that just something u gotta deal with when boosting/tuning ur engine? I'll prolly be aiming for 300 +/- whp DD with the capability of going 380 +/-

Thanks both

 

When I say they have reduced mileage, I mean they won't last as long as a stock clutch. There is no way to add any durability - the only thing you can do is try to maximize what life it does have. That means not sliding it, not dumping it, and following the full break-in procedure of the clutch. Yes, it takes 300-500 miles of city driving to properly break in a performance clutch. Yes, it sucks not being able to get down on your car for 300-500 miles. Yes, you need to do it. Also, when replacing your clutch, you must remove your flywheel and have a machine shop resurface it.

If you're expecting to hit those kinds of numbers, the Comp Clutch Stage 4 1620 that I mentioned would be perfect for you.

 

alright, but didnt u mention earlier that those puck clutches have less durability than staged clutches? Dont know if I just got mixed up though. But i'll write the suggestion on paper as an option

 

Here's a thread on it on D-series.org
http://www.d-series.org/forums/n00b-...ifference.html

Here's some on H-T.
https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/act-4-vs-6-puck-clutch-2725316/
https://honda-tech.com/forums/acura-integra-6/4-puck-6-puck-clutch-2766537/
https://honda-tech.com/forums/transmission-drivetrain-127/true-definition-between-4-puck-6-puck-2826904/

Here's one on "stages".
http://hondaswap.com/general-tech-ma...-stages-54774/

If you're trying to understand clutches in general, cool. If you're trying to decide on the right clutch for your application, keep it simple or you will only confuse yourself.

 

Thanks marc && yeah I am trying to get more knowledge regarding engines in general and everything related. You prolly remember one of my very first threads =P so yeah, thats one of the reasons why I want to learn