SPEC Stage 2 Clutch issues

nitrojunk

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So bought my cobra with 15.5k miles and it has a Spec Stage 2 .. But the clutch picks up at the VERY VERY top of pedal travel. Now I thought if replacing clutch but with LongTubes installed etc, shops charge your first born to install clutch.

Then I started thinking that a clutch with less than 10k miles cant already be so worn that it picks up that high ..

Now I have no idea what firewall adjuster or cable it has etc .. What are first things to check ?
 

01yellercobra

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I would make sure the cable is connected correctly at the fork. Climb under the dash and see what kind of quadrant is there. If there's an adjustable cable in there replace it with a stock cable.
 

wckdvnm

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So bought my cobra with 15.5k miles and it has a Spec Stage 2 .. But the clutch picks up at the VERY VERY top of pedal travel. Now I thought if replacing clutch but with LongTubes installed etc, shops charge your first born to install clutch.

Then I started thinking that a clutch with less than 10k miles cant already be so worn that it picks up that high ..

Now I have no idea what firewall adjuster or cable it has etc .. What are first things to check ?

For what its worth my spec 2 didn’t even last 10k and has had my car down for a few years.
 
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nitrojunk

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WOW .. well that sucks ... It holds the power well and doesn't slip at all ... my car makes 650RWH.
 

IllCobra

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For what its worth my spec 2+ didn’t even last 10k and has had my car down for a few years.
How can a clutch have your car down for a few years? Why don't you just change it? And I'm at only half the miles on my spec 2+ clutch (5k), but so far it has been good to me. And that's with me not doing a proper break in, plus I'm at the ~600-620whp range. Who installed it? That may have been your problem.
 

nitrojunk

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ok so just so im sure before I order the stock cable, Do I care about what Quadrant is under dash ? does it matter if its one of the after market ones? Do I need to find an OEM one?
 

01yellercobra

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ok so just so im sure before I order the stock cable, Do I care about what Quadrant is under dash ? does it matter if its one of the after market ones? Do I need to find an OEM one?
If you have an aftermarket quadrant you'll need a firewall adjuster to work with the stock cable. That's how you adjust the cable slack.
 

nitrojunk

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my real question was do I change my quadrant to the stock one once I change to stock cable? So OEM Cable, OEM Quadrant and Firewall Adjuster or can I use my quadrant with OEM Cable ?
 

wckdvnm

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How can a clutch have your car down for a few years? Why don't you just change it? And I'm at only half the miles on my spec 2+ clutch (5k), but so far it has been good to me. And that's with me not doing a proper break in, plus I'm at the ~600-620whp range. Who installed it? That may have been your problem.

See there’s a thing called state ref in Commifornia that i don’t want to deal with at the moment...
I installed mine; along with new fork, bearing, and ford cable. I’ve done enough of them on my car as I hate shit clutches and wanted my own experience as clutches are heavily subjective. Kevlar clutches do not like traffic; I DD’d mine and it began slipping in traffic. Heat is not a kevlar clutches friend and when they glaze that’s it they are trash and cannot be remedied like traditional material clutches. Mine gave way with zero warning; it’s drivable but slips when driven for any longer than just around my block.
So it may be good for you now but it will give way with zero warning which is common with all kevlar disc clutches. Mine was great like you said till around 8k miles then it began to get “worse” till I tried to pass someone after being in traffic on a 115+ degree day and it slipped so bad I could smell the disc.
Now I’ve learned my lesson on choosing disc material for the usage of the vehicle; thats why I’m going to go center-force DYAD or their LMC series.

Edit: I’ll also add the clutch is completely worn as the fork and the fingers are completely extended. Again I drove my car everyday not just on nice days; heat over 110+ and as low as the socal area gets in winter. I may have very well gone more than 10k miles but it wouldn’t have exceeded 13-14k miles as i put it in at around 132k and as the car sits now its at 144,035.
I have a stage 2 not a 2+ as they are vastly different material; 2+ is carbon-kevlar and a 2 is kevlar only. They require different driving styles as kevlar glazes easier than the carbon kevlar.
 
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IllCobra

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See there’s a thing called state ref in Commifornia that i don’t want to deal with at the moment...
I installed mine; along with new fork, bearing, and ford cable. I’ve done enough of them on my car as I hate shit clutches and wanted my own experience as clutches are heavily subjective. Kevlar clutches do not like traffic; I DD’d mine and it began slipping in traffic. Heat is not a kevlar clutches friend and when they glaze that’s it they are trash and cannot be remedied like traditional material clutches. Mine gave way with zero warning; it’s drivable but slips when driven for any longer than just around my block.
So it may be good for you now but it will give way with zero warning which is common with all kevlar disc clutches. Mine was great like you said till around 8k miles then it began to get “worse” till I tried to pass someone after being in traffic on a 115+ degree day and it slipped so bad I could smell the disc.
Now I’ve learned my lesson on choosing disc material for the usage of the vehicle; thats why I’m going to go center-force DYAD or their LMC series.

Edit: I’ll also add the clutch is completely worn as the fork and the fingers are completely extended. Again I drove my car everyday not just on nice days; heat over 110+ and as low as the socal area gets in winter. I may have very well gone more than 10k miles but it wouldn’t have exceeded 13-14k miles as i put it in at around 132k and as the car sits now its at 144,035.
I have a stage 2 not a 2+ as they are vastly different material; 2+ is carbon-kevlar and a 2 is kevlar only. They require different driving styles as kevlar glazes easier than the carbon kevlar.
I see. But you kind of made it seem that like the clutch was the reason your car has been down for years not Cali's state ref crap. Seems like you have your fix in a new DYAD clutch. Sucks you guys have deal with that stuff in Cali. You did say you had the 2+ in your original post which was why I was surprised yours went out so quick. I plan on moving on to a twin disk too, but I am leaning towards Lethal's TD setup at the moment.
 

wckdvnm

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I see. But you kind of made it seem that like the clutch was the reason your car has been down for years not Cali's state ref crap. Seems like you have your fix in a new DYAD clutch. Sucks you guys have deal with that stuff in Cali. You did say you had the 2+ in your original post which was why I was surprised yours went out so quick. I plan on moving on to a twin disk too, but I am leaning towards Lethal's TD setup at the moment.

Yeah that was my bad, I thought it was a 2+ but after checking them again online i remembered it was a kevlar disc. The carbon kevlar 2+ has less of a problem with glazing but can still experience it over time. Even the 2+ seem to only last 10-12k miles from everything I’ve seen as I was upset my stage 2 only lasted 10-12k from other experience.
The lethal TD i’ve heard little of but from what i’ve seen it appears to be the same as mcleod’s TD.
 

IllCobra

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Yeah that was my bad, I thought it was a 2+ but after checking them again online i remembered it was a kevlar disc. The carbon kevlar 2+ has less of a problem with glazing but can still experience it over time. Even the 2+ seem to only last 10-12k miles from everything I’ve seen as I was upset my stage 2 only lasted 10-12k from other experience.
The lethal TD i’ve heard little of but from what i’ve seen it appears to be the same as mcleod’s TD.
It's partly made with kevlar and ceramic, I think. Which they say makes for good drivability on the street. What material does DYAD use? I've been reading too many bad things about Mcleod's the last couple of years, so I'd figure i'd give this a try. I have read good things about DYAD though.
 

wckdvnm

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It's partly made with kevlar and ceramic, I think. Which they say makes for good drivability on the street. What material does DYAD use? I've been reading too many bad things about Mcleod's the last couple of years, so I'd figure i'd give this a try. I have read good things about DYAD though.

2+ is carbon-kevlar and was supposed to not glaze as easily and be more drivable; their cost 3-4 years ago was much larger than it is now. Now its about $50 back then it was $100; moot point as i got my stage 2 on a black friday deal for $300.
The dyad has multiple disc material choices, fits with a stock pivot ball and i’ve not heard much in the way of issues like with McLeod as of recent. Its not much more than mcleod and comes with a new flywheel and comes with ARP hardware.
 

IllCobra

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2+ is carbon-kevlar and was supposed to not glaze as easily and be more drivable; their cost 3-4 years ago was much larger than it is now. Now its about $50 back then it was $100; moot point as i got my stage 2 on a black friday deal for $300.
The dyad has multiple disc material choices, fits with a stock pivot ball and i’ve not heard much in the way of issues like with McLeod as of recent. Its not much more than mcleod and comes with a new flywheel and comes with ARP hardware.
Sorry, the first part I was talking about the material for Lethal's clutch not SPEC.
But I've read from several people, not all from this site, about their Mcleod's not lasting or issues with them. I would like to a DYAD setup like yourself, but Lethal's TD clutch costs ~$500 less than the Centerforce. I think it's worth a go at that price, but we'll see.
 

shurur

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I like my exedy, but wish that I had the lakewood longer clutch fork and pivot installed.
 

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