Well, due to some nefarious driving tactics, the stock clutch in our 2001 S2000 started to hobble on it's last leg. That being said, I decided it was time to upgrade.

That being said, I trudged up to the Honda dealership and ordered the Stage 3 Excedy clutch package with lightened flightwheel. Also had the throwout and pilots replaced while they were at it.

Some people are probably going to say "Why so stiff/harsh of a clutch?" Well, a turbo or supercharger is slated for the next six months, so why not beef up now?

Anyway, the verdict:

Without numbers, G-Tech, track, or something, I can only say the car is definitly pulling harder in all aspects with the grabbing clutch and lightened flywheel. It revs faster and has noticeably faster throttle response. The clutch grips very well, but is barely street-able. It is VERY difficult to daily drive in stop and go traffic, and getting in and out of tight places where precise clutch feathering is necessary is basically impossible.

All in all, since our S2000 isn't a daily driver, it's not a problem. But if you are daily driving, I wouldn't go with this stiff of a clutch.

It's also noisier than the stock clutch, and very loud. But it is awesome grip and great for racing. I wouldn't recommend it for drifting though.

EDIT: I keep adding that extra "e" to Excedy.. heh...



Modified by Dramier at 12:48 PM 8/12/2004

 

watch the diff. get it upgraded pronto or you'll be buying a new one outright.

 

What are you considering "stage 3" from Exedy?

They don't make their clutches in stages. They have the full-face organic disc, thick and thin Cerametallic disc, Hyper Single, Twin Plate, and there are more.

So, which one did you get? I have had the full-face organic disc and the thin plate Cerametallic in previous vehicles. The organic was nice and smooth. It help just a hair over the stock power in my Integra, but we much more stable to heat. The cerametallic was installed just before turbo'ing, and it was pretty much over-kill. The pressure plate was annoyingly stiff for any street use. And you had to to keep the revs up around 1500-2000 rpm at all times when starting off to even TRY to get a smooth start. It definitely held all the power you could throw at it though.

At any rate...good luck with your turbo setup and everythig!

 

he's referring to the hyper single i believe. i have the hyper single as well and i guess it is considered a stage 3...up to 400 hp,6puck sprung. comes with a lightwieght flywheel as well. it is a grippy clutch, and my s2 does seem lighter on its feet as well. my s2k is basically daily driven but it is a b*tch to use in traffic, i just made a trip down to san diego and it was traffic going there(5) and going back(15)...in this damn hot weather=hell. o yah as most s2k owners know, in hot weather the s2 becomes a victim of heatsoak especially with the A/C...with this clutch combined with A/C and hot weather the car is damn hard to drive. all in all though i love the performance of this thing, it just grips and shoots you out...cant wait to use it on a track

 

Ah yes, the Hyper single, now that I read about it, is a 6 puck cerametallic disc. I can def. relate to that then, because the 3-puck cerametallic wasn't very fun. But damn if they don't hold power!

 

Yes, sorry for the confusion about the "Stages". It is the Excedy Hypersingle clutch.

I am going to try and get at least a G-Tech on the car to really see how it holds up against stock posted numbers.

Somebody mentioned the differential.. Weak point in the car? I was counting on changing the rear end gearing out for a harder acceleration/beefier gearing to handle the turbo or SC, but I haven't looked at the Tranny or Diff yet.

From what I have seen of FI S2k's, they seem to use the stock tranny fine without replacing them, but I haven't heard anything about differentials going out.

More info?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Dramier &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Yes, sorry for the confusion about the "Stages". It is the Excedy Hypersingle clutch.

I am going to try and get at least a G-Tech on the car to really see how it holds up against stock posted numbers.

Somebody mentioned the differential.. Weak point in the car? I was counting on changing the rear end gearing out for a harder acceleration/beefier gearing to handle the turbo or SC, but I haven't looked at the Tranny or Diff yet.

From what I have seen of FI S2k's, they seem to use the stock tranny fine without replacing them, but I haven't heard anything about differentials going out.

More info?</TD></TR></TABLE>

weakest point in the car is an abusive driver when it comes to powertrain failure. Search this, there is info on it.

 

I had a stage 3 clutchmasters on an old accord. It simply was not enjoyable as a daily driver. When I did the clutch on my S I opted for an OEM disk and flywheel with a Mugen Pressure plate. I'm very happy with the results.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by vapor &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

weakest point in the car is an abusive driver when it comes to powertrain failure. Search this, there is info on it. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Very very true. Along those lines though, I tend to abuse my power cars more due to the different styles of driving I push them through rather than bad technique or poor training.

I go through clutches like some people go through boxers. That's to be expected with the S2000 in drifting due to the lack of torque, but since I'm not planning on any more drifting with it, I don't anticipate any more worn clutches. I've never broken a tranny or rear end though, but then again I've always used beefed up versions when pushing a car to my or the car's limits.

I'd like to put down 350 to 450 HP at the crank with the S and call it a day. Nothing crazy or killer on the gas mileage (or clutch leg.)