The great six-puck street clutch question
 

So... let me start by summing up the past few months...

There was the joy of new found boost,
followed by the frustration of an occasionally slipping clutch.
This was followed by more frequent slippage, and the slow realization
that more boost would first require something stronger than stock.

Then, the ever present, ever lurking analysis paralysis pounced...
Months of reading through thread after thread, on mt.n, m.n,
and any other thread Google revealed on BBS after BBS,
on the opinions of others on what clutch to get.

Soon after the serious searching began...
The examination of dyno plot after dyno plot,
the determination of expected torque levels,
and the reading of specifications on the web sites of ACT and many others.
There were also the phone calls to vendors to get their opinion,
and the thinly veiled, litigation or conservatism induced warnings of death and dismemberment caused by street use of the 6-puck.
And, the realization that, though the 6-puck is loathed and feared by many,
and can even make baby Jesus cry when he sees one in a daily driver,
that it has great potential for boost induced bliss.

Then came the doubt...
Though the sprung 6-puck is desirable,
like a voluptuous woman,
motivated by strong drink,
ready to bring great pleasure,
there is the ever present fear,
induced by tales of others,
who though they have only ever self-satisfied their Johnsons,
warn of tales of pain, disease, and death
brought on by giving in to temptation.

But then, in a moment of bravery, one decides to ignore the warnings,
and go where others have gone, daring to taste the sweetness
of the forbidden fruit.
And, with a deep breath, grabs the voluptuous temptress by the hand,
and brings her to home to play.

Yet, once she arrives at your home, blissful consummation is delayed
by work, spouses, children, and other inconveniences.
That sought after moment when the transmission shaft joins with the wondrous female spline of the ACT HD 6-puck clutch, sandwiched, by the beautiful blonde pressure plate, does not yet come.
And during the agonizing weeks of delay, the temptress sits, calling, beckoning from the workbench, to cast away all reason, and come play.
And though the delay somewhat heightens the desire, it also brings time for reflection. Time to recall the tales of woe of others, and to second-guess the selection. To consider casting away the voluptuous temptress, and to instead go find a nice Church girl. Who though she may not be as exciting, is probably safer.

But at last, the opportunity comes, and bravery wins over.
After much sweating, groaning, fluids, grease and lubrication, the 6-puck clutch and car are finally joined.
And, tonight, with great trepidation, the key was inserted and twisted.
The engine warmed, the shifter was engaged, and gently, carefully, the clutch was released...

And then, I realized...

Hey, THIS CLUTCH IS SWEET!

So, to all those who foresee taking the same journey as I, I offer these hard earned words of advice...
Just fucking do it already.

I love my ACT HD 6 puck as well.

First impressions of your puck clutch may look great,
But just wait till you beat on it and watch third gear break.
Then you'll be mad that your transmission is damaged
And be wishing you'd bought an ACT and have the advantage
Of smooth engagement and reduced shock loads
To extend the transmission's life on the road.
You'll become fairly acquainted with it,
As you'll be removing it again to fix the shit.
And after adding in the cost of a new five speed,
You'll see the ACT would have been cheaper indeed.
With its organic disk known for OEM smoothness and reliability
And sprung hub for increased transmission durability
The small savings of a puck clutch just seems silly.

I have a 6-puck spec and it fucking sucks in traffic, but awesome for everything else.

I love my ACT 6 puck, but i also loved my 5 speed too..

Ahh, the joys of beer induced prose :)

To extend my metaphor, Pat is trying to say that though the sex was great, that a case of AIDS is coming :eek5: Maybe... maybe not. I think the sprung hub and some sane clutching technique will act as a condom and protect me from the transmission death.

For the record, I got the ACT ZM2-HDG6, a six-puck with a sprung center
ACT Product Search | Products ~ Advanced Clutch Technology®

I think my biggest impression is that though the clutch engagement is faster than the stock clutch, it is not as sudden as I expected. It can be modulated. I like it.

Yeap. There ain't no way to shift anywhat smoothly at WOT. Makes for lots of shock loading that breaks shit. And personally I hate a grabby clutch. So even if it somehow extended transmission life, I still wouldn't use one. You can break 5 speeds at stock power levels with a puck clutch.

My eBay 6 puck is still great with no issues after about 10k miles

My car has around 25k miles of 6 pucked turbo action, so has the 5 spd on top of the 75k N/A stock clutch miles. It doesn't suck to drive, easy to modulate like John says. I love it, though i'm sure I would love Y8s clutch more.

I love my ACT 6-puck too. Baby the fuck out of your 2-3 shifts if you like your tranny.

edit: Or don't, blow it, and get a 6-speed. ACT 6-puck + 6-speed = capable of reliable flatshift :D

It is quite nice to have a clutch that grabs. I just retuned the EBC for 12-13 psi with no slippage problems. Finally. Sweetness...

I am keeping my eyes open for a six-speed but I have a few other things to do first.

I think I just climaxed!:eek:

speaking of blowing trannies, i have a 6-puc that i regularly slam gears in, and my stock 1.6 open diff still hasn't broke. all your drivetrains are belong to me!!!!one!1

My dad can drive this shit without complaints, you sir are a failure.

you, sir, need to get laid

I think as long as the six puck is sprung the trans should be O.K... ive done alot of slamming gears for 10k miles and its still fine. Its not bad to drive at all

^^^no. My tranny lasted 6k with a sprung 6-puck. Thesnowboarder got like 1500 miles out of his.

Really? Maybe you guys are un lucky or im lucky?

jeez, why were people saying this shit this summer when we all bought pucked discs?

im going for 5 speed and unsprung 6-puck act disk. and first time im going to drive my car will be at streets of willow with a LOT of 2-3 and 3-2 shifts :)