I've found that I can smoothly release the clutch if I let it out as the revs are falling. So the driveline is essentially braking the engine on launch. Basically run he revs up to maybe 1500, let off the throttle and start letting out the clutch. As soon as the car starts to roll and the clutch is nearly out you can add throttle. There's a narrow margin of success there, but like everybody said, it requires you to learn how to drive vs. the standard oe type discs.

 

I'm smooth as silk with it, I can drive with my wife (who hates the car and everything about it) and she has yet to comment on my technique....that says a lot.

 

Seriously.
Sure. So what happened to your 5 speed and diff again?
Ok.

Puck clutches place huge shock loads on the drivetrain. And low and behold our miatas were blessed with sintered steel gears in the diff and transmission. You know, compressed powdered steel that has the hardness of hard butter, the toughness of tin, and the strength of varnished balsa wood.

In my eyes, you're a fool to put a puck clutch when a disk clutch doesn't cost much more and gives you the control to make smoother shifts under the same load. Spinning and barking gears isn't the fast way around a track last time I checked. Neither is being towed off the track.

 

Next time I do a clutch, I'm opting for higher clamping force and lower friction coefficient.

 

I think with just a little common sence a puck clutch is fine... My **** has been holding up for awhile

 

anyone gone this route at lets say 230wtq, with track time, successfully? I've had back luck with funky clutch materials. I went with metal this time because I would rather forgo easy engagement for reliability.

 

IIRC the trackdog had a ZM2-XTSS.

 

Last night I tried reving it up more when taking off and that seems to be the fix, thanks for the replies.

 

That is what worked for me. Rev it a little higher before taking off.

 

wow i'm glad i have a full disc after reading this, i was considering a pucked disc for my 240sx but i guess i'll be sticking with a womanly clutch this time around too.

 

now I want to put a "bitch-disc" in my car and try to keep the 5-speed.

 

my car didn't get pat's memo. 6 puck, and open 1.6 rear end and north of 200whp and everything still works fine, and has for a year now turboed and 2 years with the clutch. also had a 75 shot pre-turbo.

 

My car didn't either, though maybe in the wrong-wheel drive BP world it's backwards, since the last two guys to have epic transaxle failure (both making over 300whp) were using ACT full-face clutches...

 

Pucked clutches also mean you don't have to have a linebacker's leg to do 300whp. My 6-speed is holding up just fine to the 6-puck abuse.

 

I'm seriously trying to avoid buying the quaife box.

 

are you referring at an act pressure plate?

if so i just don't understand, seriously if not being able to drive a car comfortably is the difference between a stock pressure plate and an act pressure plate then i'd imagine you'd be so weak you couldn't climb stairs

 

He is probably referring to the HD pressure plate versus the XT pressure plate.

I am going to be looking for a 6-speed when I pull the motor to repair the rod failure. I already have the 3.6 gears.

 

xt is the heavier pp, same one i have and am referring to

 

the problem with ACT is simple...every car I've driven with an ACT clutch was wildly different. Two engaged soooo low that you had to stomp the pedal into the carpet to get it to disengage. I've also seen ACT's puke springs and the friction materials break off...plus the non-metal discs don't last long.

One of those took the entire stroke from carpet to stop for full actuation. I bought a spec s3 because I didn't want to gable at which shitty lever operation I'd get.

 

hmm strange i've had an act on an eclipse, then on the miata, both were the same for me. both xt pressure plates. first you'll notice they're stiffer, maybe 2 times, and then you'll notice they grab right off the floor. After broken in, pedal effort was maybe 1.5 times stock and will grab beween stock and off the floor. same in both my applications.

as far as lasting long i've heard the act full disc is the same as or close to a stock disc.