949 racing clutch longevity?
 

Just received by 949 racing twin disc.

I was reading through the instructions and it said the clutch is good for 150-200 drag passes or 20,000 street miles. This came to me as a shock seeing how I street drive 10-15k a street and dont intent to replace my clutch every 2 years.

Given that I was wondering people that have had the clutch how many miles have you gotten out of it so far?

In for answers.

as someone who ran both cerametallic disks and organic disks in my custom (non 949) twin plate clutch at two different times, I'd say that estimate is fairly accurate.

Tilton told me their twin plate clutch has tighter tolerances for engagement than a standard OEM style clutch because of the additional wear surfaces. Not only do you wear more surfaces at once, but you don't get to wear the disks as thin either.

Keep in mind also that mileage really depends on how you drive it. If you're not slipping the clutch, you're not wearing out the clutch as fast. If you drive in stop and go traffic, it'll die sooner. If you're on the long haul, it'll last longer.

Those generic estimates are provided by the pressure plate manufacturer. They could not make discs that met my requirements so I have my own made. They're .290 thick and will likely last you forever. Unless you loan your car to someone that likes to slip the clutch across every intersection at full throttle, I wouldn't worry about it. We have twin organics with thousands of street and track miles that still look new. We find that out when folks blow their transmissions from too much powa, unfortunately for them.

Thank you Emillio. Now I can sleep peacefully knowing that I will be eating no name kraft dinner for the next month to pay off my clutch.

in for details on a Miata that is driven 10-15k miles per year and needs a 949 twin disk clutch.

Will post build thread once the car is off the road for the season and I start tearing it apart.

Here's one:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-U...ustom%2529.JPG

I put a twin plate clutch in my daily driver 5 years ago and ran it for 4 years. replaced disks maybe 3 times and rebuilt it once. it's due for both and out of the car now because I don't have a garage or built motor.

the organic disks lasted me way longer than the cerametallic. 20k with a considerable amount of that in stop and go traffic.

if you're not in traffic, get the damn twins.

What happens on the 949 clutch if the rivets break off the clutch disk, or the springs pop-out of the disc, or if the fingers break? I've dealt with all of these problems on other cars. I always get weary when I buy expensive clutches becuase I have a miserable track record with everything other than the Spec S3 which is in my car, but so heavy I can't downshift fast enough.

Seriiously though, if this clutch will last as long as my S3 (still going) and I can swap friction materials, I may go for it.

Too late to think about it, the clutch is sitting 2 feet away from me on my desk. I just was shocked when I read through the instructions.

it comes with a security blanket.

I didnt run sprung hubs so that helps. Honestly they aren't necessary, especially on onrganic disks.

I actually broke a diaphragm spring during round one of the twin plate probably from overstroking it.

but since the thing is rebuildable and you can get new disks and plates... well it's still more expensive to service than the cost of an ebay clutch but it's also baller.

I really wouldn't worry about the reliability of the clutch. I've owned mine for 2 years, and it wasn't new when I bought it, and the clutch discs still look brand new.

Organic or ceramic?

LOL this sounds like a good idea. I will try it and report back on this thread

mine!

all of it

sorry, i just have one of these sitting in my foyer and couldn't help but join

seriously you guys
I drove a twin plate cerametallic clutch in my car BEFORE the turbo. like years before the turbo.

you worry too much.

Mine is ceramic. IIRC, Trackdayhookey has the organic version, and in his words, it is a "twin disk wonder clutch, that will last around 1000 years at the current wear rate".

949 Racing twin clutch has no springs. If the fingers of the diaphragm spring break, it'll be a first and there are users with the same diaphragm running over 600whp. Rivets breaking off? You would collapse the drive plate before a rivet broke. We know because we tested it.

Pretty hard to kill one of our clutches even if you are trying to.

In a Miata?
If so, details?

Other imports using the same cover design and clamp force from the pressure plate supplier. Many drag racers are running this clutch design, albeit with much heavier flywheels but a bunch more power than most Miatas will ever make. When I hear people concerned that our twin might not stand up to their 300whp in road race conditions, I have to chuckle a bit. Not even close to this thing's limits. As I had mentioned when we first launched this product two years ago, it's overbuilt. I could build a 300whp road race clutch and flywheel that weighs about 7 lbs but it would be impossible to street drive and not last very long.

I think I know what I'll be putting in when I drop the tranny next spring....

Rating clutch life is like rating brake pads. One person can run 120k miles on a set of OEM front pads, while another can barely make it 8k or a year on the same set. If 949's is built like the rest of the twin discs on the market, you'll have zero issues. If its built like the rest of 949's products, you REALLY shouldn't have issues with it.

The only issue I can see is with the un-sprung hub wearing the input shaft splines down, but you'll probably make a box of neutrals long before that happens.

Is the 949 clutch loud like this?

I think my Un-sprung 4 puck 1.6l ACT with a Fadanza flywheel makes more buzz noise than that. You find yourself trying to avoid 3500 to 3800 rpm just driving around where the whole car buzzes if you park the RPM there too long.

Bob

That isn't the clutch. That's transmission generated noise that an OEM style clutch with a spring hub will insulate. Put a light flywheel and rigid hub organic disc in your factory clutch and it will make that same noise. Our single makes that noise. Out twin adds floater plate rattle at idle (only with the clutch disengaged). If you want a quiet Miata, don;t even consider our 7.25" setups ;)

Does anyone have this clutch that drives their car to and from the track? I promise to ask no more questions after this.

I drive my car to the track infrequently anymore because I am always afraid of being stranded and I like to carry even more stuff but I do drive it to work several times a week and to some autocrosses.

Bob

Can you scream into the telephone and have a conversation, though difficult, while driving down the road with it?

Well let me put it this way. I have discovered sprung center clutch disks have a purpose. That purpose is not so much about protecting transmission from shock loading when slamming through the gears in fact I think they make this shock loading worse. What they are for is absorbing the torsional vibration of the reciprocating power source and reducing drivetrain noise.

Honestly I think the single worst thing I did to my car to make it less pleasant to drive as a street car was the Un-sprung clutch. I got sick of blowing the sprung centers out of clutch disks however.

Bob

Who wants to roll around and take audio of their twin disc for me? I ask because I think my Spec clutch is dead and I have to make a decision and get this car running before I get laid off, lol. Running car + unemployment ; tuck in storage : broken car + unemployment ; part-out.

Does the twin disc have leaf springs for the floater plate?

I wish someone made a light clutch with a metal/ceramic friction material.

Mine is quiet unless im off the throttle and decelerating. Especially in 5th gear for some reason. Part throttle in 6th on the highway i never get any buzzing.

Yes, they come with a purse.

Scales tipped again. I guess I need to go check that clutch and send money if need be.

If I could get the twin ceramic bitch mounted on my shaft then I would take a video for you. Given that it is a reluctant ---- you may have to wait a while.

Have you tried the sawzall?

The chamfer on some of the ceramic hubs is small so yes, they can sometimes make sliding the trans assembly into the clutch a pain. Just takes careful alignment with a standard alignment tool and guiding the trans on dead straight.

I am luckly I didn't do this myself as my mechanic struggled for a good while trying to get this thing aligned.

I recently bought an imported mazda miata and the previous owner installed a 949 Racing Twin Plate Clutch & Flywheel. The owner said that the noises that it makes off the throttle were fine and due to his reputation i believed him (he knows one of the guys from mx5 mania here is australia).

I dont understand alot about why the metalic grinding sound happens in the over run between gears and i am really interested to learn why. I was reading through the thread and believe its a quality product but im slightly worried about that the sounds is doing more harm then good?

i read that
"What they are for is absorbing the torsional vibration of the reciprocating power source and reducing drivetrain noise"...
but how are they reducing drivetrain noise?

also
"The only issue I can see is with the un-sprung hub wearing the input shaft splines down, but you'll probably make a box of neutrals long before that happens"..
are the input splines the source of the noise?

twin plates make lots of noise. It's just natural, it sometimes sounds scary. I used my first twin plate in my FD and it was a little hard to get used to sound wise. Engagement was awesome though.

And here you go young Padawan.
Source

No fucking way in hell the input shaft will wear down

the buzzing on coast down is angular slop between the floater/pressure plate and the cover. When you are accelerating and letting the clutch out, the assembly winds up against one side of the "teeth" or "splines" in the clutch assembly and when you let off the gas, you're changing the loading against the clutch teeth/splines so that the variations in torque and vibrations cause them to rattle against the clutch cover. The stock clutch doesn't have a free floater or pressure plate. The PP is mounted solidly to the clutch cover and has nothing to rattle against.

i have one of these on the race car and find it awesome! has made my starts so much better and it is repeatable time and time again. who cares about a bit of noise! the weight of the unit makes gear changes almost instant! here is a start i like


Hung out to dry at the hairpin but shit happens. all cars infront were on slicks and in a different class. i was on r888's and got a class win. even if i was pushing way too hard trying to catch that evo.

On an unsprung hub?

Think again.

Bringing this thread back for some feedback. It's 2017 now. I bet a lot of people who were running these back when they came out have some more experience/mileage. Can any of you chime in about how many miles you've gotten out of the clutch? Looking for organic.

949 doesn't sell organic anymore. The organic lasts me about 24 autocross events plus around 4000 street miles.
Since 949 stopped selling the organic discs at one point and I didn't want to deal with the harsh ceramic stuff, I had to start sourcing replacement disks from ClutchNet - feel, longevity, etc. is just like the 949 ones.
949 just started selling new Carbon/Kevlar replacement disks - I am curious how do these compare to the organics regarding engagement and life.

That doesn't seem like a lot. Idk I may be wrong. Would FM stage 1 have better life then 949s? Not racing or anything just street use with a turbo. I hope to get at least 50k or something street miles

Since when do FM sell a twin disc clutch? But why asking about a 7" race clutch if not racing?
949 also sell single organic disc, stock diameter clutches which last way longer since obviously there is way more material on the larger diameter disc which should be a better fit for your street car

Yes sorry that's exactly the type of clutch I was referring to not the twin clutch. Anyone have experience with the sport clutch 949 offers? Just regular organic

Here is mostly racing stuff. Try this section of the forum:
https://www.miataturbo.net/suspensio...drivetrain-49/

I don't do this much BUT in standard MT fashion im gonna have a bitch.....why are you in the race prep thread resurrecting an older post that is twice not applicable to you?

- not race
- not twin plate ?

Because I'm using my phone and the phone friendly web page sucks. I just searched 949 clutch longevity and this was the first thread that popped up. The word racing just didn't pop out. Any more questions detective?

Not at this stage but don't leave town!

Lol will do

Don't take it too personally. Just understand that we expect a certain degree of care from our menbers.

The reason you came to this forum is because it is the best info on the web for Miata stuff. That is because we police the content and posts. We can either sugar coat and give everyone a participation medal of life, or we can occasionally irk noobs that get lazy with the search function.

Welcome!

Didn't take it personally but thanks for the advice! Btw though, where can I get me one of those medals? :D lol