More smoke from clutch than Tires, Normal?

[Lethalchem]

Had a fun experience at the track this weekend. I borrowed RAPTORMAN2's DR's in the hopes of getting my first 11 sec pass. It was my first time to ever use drag radials.

First pass, I get a great burnout, no problem at all. Cake. Revved to 3.5-4k and took off. I spun almost all through first and ended up with a 2.3 60' time (best 60' on street tires is a 1.9). I realized they didn't stick as well as I had anticipated, so I planned on a less aggressive launch next time around.

When the next time came, I tried to burnout twice, but both times my RPM dropped too much no matter how much gas I gave it, and it killed the car instead of spinning (Looking back, I think that should have been a sign that the clutch was slipping). Needless to say, the run was a washout without properly heated tires.

Third burnout was no better, but the 4th one was great! I had smoke everywhere. Engine was huming, revs were up, and I was doing such a good burnout that the smoke was even coming inside the car. Wait, inside? Yeah, that's right, I was doing such a great burnout that my tires wern't even moving, and all the smoke was from my clutch! :loser:

Needless to say, the car ran 'poorly' to say the least. The clutch now barely grabs at the very very top, and I felt lucky to even get it home. It's slipping all over the place now, and I've got a call in to Ford to set up a time to bring her in. Looking back over the last month, I can now see signs which I had missed, or misread, which would have told me my clutch was slipping a bit. Now it's obvious.

I'm optomistic though, because that means all my track times have been skewed by a poor clutch. Once the new one's in, then I'm thinking 11's will be much easier to obtain on street tires.

Anyway, my point for this thread is to discuss my dilema: Do I have Ford replace the clutch with another stock one for free (which will probably burn up again in another 10k miles) or do I go with something aftermarket and have to pay for it? From what I've been hearing, the stock clutch is actually a pretty good one from the factory. Advice?

 

[SoCalBlk03]

After already burning up 2 Ford clutches and currently working on my 3rd.......

I'd say suck it up and get a Spec clutch. The only reason I didn't replace the clutch myself is my wife (that and I was geting my monies worth out of the warranty). Besides having your car on the lift for a day doing it yourself is a heck of a lot more satisfying than losing your car for a week to the service dept. ;-)

 

[Lethalchem]

Thanks for the info. Since you're coming up on your third clutch, how much milage are you getting out of each one? I've got some other things I'd like to spend my money on right now, so if I can get another 6 months out of a new stick clutch, then it might be worth it to wait.

 

[Uncle Meat]

How are you guys getting Ford to warranty a clutch? :shrug:


U.M.

 

[SoCalBlk03]

Originally posted by Lethalchem
how much milage are you getting out of each one?

1st clutch @ 7500 mi TOB squeal & no 1-3rd gear Dec 02
2nd clutch @ 12000 mi TOB Squeal & no 2nd gear or reverse Mar 03
Current miledge 17000 mi experiencing occasional difficulty shifting into gear

How are you guys getting Ford to warranty a clutch?

Premium Care warranty + 75Kmi ESP. I bought the warranty package that covers wear and tear items IE. clutch, brake pads etc... BTW the Clutch is covered under basic warranty until 13000 miles.

 

[Lethalchem]

Originally posted by SoCalBlk03
1st clutch @ 7500 mi TOB squeal & no 1-3rd gear Dec 02
2nd clutch @ 12000 mi TOB Squeal & no 2nd gear or reverse Mar 03
Current miledge 17000 mi experiencing occasional difficulty shifting into gear


Premium Care warranty + 75Kmi ESP. I bought the warranty package that covers wear and tear items IE. clutch, brake pads etc... BTW the Clutch is covered under basic warranty until 13000 miles.

Ok, thanks. I'm right at 9k miles right now, so I guess I got lucky for 1500 of them!:beer: I anticipate mine to go out again, just as you are experiencing, but I think I'll wait till after the second stock clutch before going aftermarket.

Oh, BTW, did you notice any performance gain when getting the new clutch? I'm wondering if my track times slowed a bit without me knowing it due to clutch slip. I was running 12.6's with just CAI and catback. Now I'm running 12.4 after pulley and chip. I thought it was due to the severe weather difference between the two times (which is admittedly significant), but perhaps there is some blame to be placed on the clutch as well?

 

[KWladyka]

You may want to consider trying some E/T streets. I had to fuss much too much with clutch trickery to launch with the F1's and BFG’s. With E/T streets just let the clutch out and go. You can control how much tire spin is acceptable by adjusting the tire PSI. You will get the 60 ft you are after and you won’t damage your clutch. In addition, the E/T Streets last a heck of a lot longer than BFG’s.

http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=44185

 

[SoCalBlk03]

Originally posted by Lethalchem
Oh, BTW, did you notice any performance gain when getting the new clutch?

Yes, a bad clutch has cost me up to .5 sec in the 1/4 from:

a. slipping and not turning the driveshaft and
b. not being able to execute smooth shifts IE. long lag between shifts

 

[Lethalchem]

Originally posted by KWladyka
You may want to consider trying some E/T streets. I had to fuss much too much with clutch trickery to launch with the F1's and BFG’s. With E/T streets just let the clutch out and go. You can control how much tire spin is acceptable by adjusting the tire PSI. You will get the 60 ft you are after and you won’t damage your clutch. In addition, the E/T Streets last a heck of a lot longer than BFG’s.

http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=44185

Thanks. That's what I was thinking. I have a few friends who use DR's exclusively at the track, and their clutches have lasted longer. Your comment just solidified my guesswork. Thanks for the help!:beer:

Had any problems with the E/T streets increasing wear on the rearend (halfshafts)? I think the damage is more from wheelhop than using slicks or DR's, right?

What RPM are you launching at, and what kinds of 60's are you getting?

Thanks again for the suggestion.

 

[Lethalchem]

Originally posted by SoCalBlk03
Yes, a bad clutch has cost me up to .5 sec in the 1/4 from:

a. slipping and not turning the driveshaft and
b. not being able to execute smooth shifts IE. long lag between shifts

Thanks! I was hoping that would be the case. I couldn't get out of the 12.4's while similarly modded cars (at the same track same day) could get 11.8's. I realize that driver skill makes a big difference, but I think I've got the driving down to the point where I should be able to pull a conservative 11.9. Glad to hear the clutch can make that much of a difference. We'll see, but thanks again for the help!:beer:

 

[Lethalchem]

BTW, I just checked the MT website. Didn't see any prices. Where do you purchase yours?

 

[KWladyka]

After using the F1's and Drag Radials you will love the MT E/T streets. So much easier to launch the car effectively. And yes, I believe it is the wheel hop that is much more damaging to the half-shafts than slicks. With the slicks you can control the amount of tire spin you are comfortable with by simply adjusting the tire PSI.

I recently had a discussion on how they have worked for me at http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=44185

I purchased mine at SummitRacing http://store.summitracing.com/Default.asp

The first time I bought something there (a boost gauge) they sent me a $35 coupon. I applied that to the tire purchase. The tires were 26 x 10.50-16 which were around $165 when I made my purchase. I then purchased some Cobra R 16 x 8 rims for $139 at discount tire direct. All-in-all an inexpensive way to go and the Cobra R's look good on the car.

As I discussed in the other thread, I immediately went from the 2.2 60ft range to the 1.8 - 1.7 range with the E/T Streets. I have over 40 launches so far on these tires at 3100 RPM or less.

 

[Lethalchem]

Originally posted by KWladyka
After using the F1's and Drag Radials you will love the MT E/T streets. So much easier to launch the car effectively. And yes, I believe it is the wheel hop that is much more damaging to the half-shafts than slicks. With the slicks you can control the amount of tire spin you are comfortable with by simply adjusting the tire PSI.

I recently had a discussion on how they have worked for me at http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=44185

I purchased mine at SummitRacing http://store.summitracing.com/Default.asp

The first time I bought something there (a boost gauge) they sent me a $35 coupon. I applied that to the tire purchase. The tires were 26 x 10.50-16 which were around $165 when I made my purchase. I then purchased some Cobra R 16 x 8 rims for $139 at discount tire direct. All-in-all an inexpensive way to go and the Cobra R's look good on the car.

As I discussed in the other thread, I immediately went from the 2.2 60ft range to the 1.8 - 1.7 range with the E/T Streets. I have over 40 launches so far on these tires at 3100 RPM or less.

Thanks again for the info. I'll check it out. I'm having problems getting my clutch fixed though. They are saying they won't warrenty it even though I only have 9k miles on it. :fm:

 

[SoCalBlk03]

Originally posted by Lethalchem
They are saying they won't warrenty it even though I only have 9k miles on it. :fm:

What a load of crap it's still covered under basic warranty!! Get a second opinion don't give up. What's their reason for denial? Abuse? Mods?

 

[Lethalchem]

Originally posted by SoCalBlk03
What a load of crap it's still covered under basic warranty!! Get a second opinion don't give up. What's their reason for denial? Abuse? Mods?

I spoke with a guy who NORMALLY does all our work without a problem, so I'm not really sure why it's such an issue this time around. I may have to take it to a different dealership and see what they will say. He knows I'm modded, but doesn't have a problem with it usually. He said something I didn't understand about it gettign kicked back to him once he turns the part in and it's found to be burned up.:shrug:

 

[Lethalchem]

Got a second opinion, no one will touch it around here. I'll just dish out the $$ for the clutch work, plus slicks and wheels for next time.