Thread: Opinion needed about Stage 4 clutches

I've been looking to buy a Stage 4 clutch, brand not important for now.

The thing that bothers me, is that most, if not all clutches are described as "unfit for street use" because of the instantaneous engagement.

I'd like to see some opinions about these kind of clutches, from anyone who has used them, or uses them.

Also, if anyone knows a good S4 clutch which can be used for street properly, let me know as well!

I now have a S3 clutch that I was going to install, but it's only good for 280 HP. And since I'm planning to get over 300, I don't think it would suffice.

Thanks for reading!

I think selecting a clutch by stages is a very wrong way of doing it. It seems that every company has their own stages and all the power levels are always different.

It especially annoys me when I see companies that just say the clutch is stage X and without any power ratings behind it.

Clutches are rated at by torque, but since you said 280, I'm assuming your going with boost thus your torque will be around the WHP number.

Back to the topic, the reason they say not for street use, is because they might be too rough for street use, like being hard to engage and harsh low end. We've used just about all clutches on this forum. From stock discs to 4 puck solid discs. Definition of "harsh" will vary between individuals.

I have a 6 puck clutch, it was a bit rough at first, but I've learned to drive to where it is very close to stock.

Yeah, I know that "Stages" are a bad way to describe the power it can take. For example, the XTD stage 4 clutches hold different outputs than others.

Anyways, it seems that I have to be looking at "stage 5" clutches. Most S4 clutches only go to 310 HP.

But there's not alot of S5 clutches for DE. Will (RWD, like S13, S14 and S15) DET clutches fit as well?

Maybe that's your problem, stop looking at eBay brands for your clutch.

Heck even ACT is a better brand that eBay crap. Go to ACT's website and find yourself a clutch that will outlast the XTD crap .

I personally have a Clutchnet 6 puck disc, and an Exedy Stage 1 clutch, so far no slips whats so ever, it should be good for 300 ft-lbs too.

When I get back from lunch I'll post my experience/opinion.

I have an Exedy stage 1 with a stock DE /w bolt ons and it holds nicely. No complaints at all.

Yeah, but what about 300+ HP (or otherwise torque-y) cars?

Like Vadim said, clutches are rated for torque holding ability. Any mention of HP is misleading. Also, like Vadim said, thinking in stages isn't what you need to do.

Here's the basics:

The more material you have on the clutch faces the easier the engagement will be in general. Full face clutches will be easier to slip and engagement will be easier than a 8-puck clutch. 8-pucks are easier than 6-pucks. 6-pucks are easier than 5. Five is easier than four. Four is easier than three. This is a general rule.

You will find most 6-puck and lower clutches are not recommended for the street because of their lowered ability to slip and harsher engagement. This generalization seems to lean towards the blue-haired crowd. For enthusiasts, 6-pucks are doable on the street. 4-pucks are also do-able. 3 puck clutches and aggressive sintered iron discs are usually the true non-streetable stuff (although we have a senior member here with a sintered iron disc who would disagree with that).


So now that that's out of the way, you say you will be making over 300 WHP. Generally in this crowd (although there are exceptions) that means you'll be making a similar amount of WTQ so you're looking for something that can handle 350 WTQ. Forget stages and pucks and all that for a moment because you can hold 350 WTQ with a full face all the way down to a 3-puck. Now it's up to you how much you want to spend. Spend more money and you'll get a smoother engagement. The 3-pucks are cheap, the 4-pucks are cheap, the 5-pucks are hard to find. The 6-pucks are cheap, the 8-pucks are hard to find and give good engagement and they cost a bit of money. The full face clutch that I'm thinking of that can handle the torque is likely the most expensive but most streetable option. It is $523 from Gspec here: Clutch Kit Bundle, 2.0, Stage 4, Stg 4 : JWT Pressure plate with 1 sided metal disc, t/o bearing and clips, axle seals, rear main seal and clutch alignment tool. good for turbo apps up to around 330 whp

Now, what kind of engagement would you like, and how much are you willing to spend?

Like Ben mention it all depends on how much you want to spend and how harsh of an engagement you mind.

Keep in mind that if you stick with full faced Discs, you will have to have stiffer pressure plates, which means harder pedal. Also Clutch Discs are cheaper then pressure plates.

So say you can achieve 300 TQ on a Street Disc and a very heavy duty pressure plate. But it will cost you around $100 for Street disc and $300 for pressure plate. Smooth engagement but a bit stiff of a pedal.

You can also get that 300 TQ out of a 6 puck disc and a stiffer then stock Pressure Plate. It would cost you about $150 for the 6 puck disc, and $150 for the Pressure Plate. Problem with this is harsher engagement and semi stiff pedal.

It all depends on how much you want to spend.

General rule is to stay away from eBay clutches, they will break and can take out your whole transmission. Stick with Exedy, Clutchnet, or ACT. I'm not a big fan of ACT but they are better then anything eBay. Reason I'm not a big fan of ACT is, they have been having spring pop out issues lately.

The pressure plate on Greg's full face clutch kit is the same old JWT PP everyone knows and loves. Super light pedal effort.