Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) need help picking clutch!

[EdwardsW]

I bought my truck with 191,000 miles, a month and half later, I have 198,000. Purchased to start hauling for a living. Truck was stock when I bought it. Made a few mods as you can see below. Clutch is slipping, (go figure). I haul 10-15K much of the time. Please help me pick a clutch that will stand up to the task of hauling with the extra HP I have added, without breaking the bank.



Thanks

Bill

 

[Supermod56]

Don't see your mods? The best clutch out there is the South Bend, depending on your HP/Torque, they have 3 different ones, Con-O (Organic facings) Con OFE (Organic PP side/Feramic FW Side) Con FE (Feramic both sides) I have the OFE, I tow over 10 K with around 900 torque, works like a champ! Not cheap, but Olee Poole, www.powerbypoole.com had them on sale recently. Or you can go with the LUK Pro-Gold Ceramic faced, some guys have had good luck with them, a lot cheaper also. I went with the best one so I wouldn't have to ever take that trans out again



Tom

 

[Cummins Thunder]

Go for the "South Bend Clutch, Con OFE".

You will love it



CJ

 

[johncameron]

Go for the "South Bend Clutch, Con OFE".

You will love it



CJ

I have an OFE and it is better than stock

 

[zstroken]

I would have to agree with the con OFE. I have an FE and it is a little grabby for pulling. Although it has great pedal feel, just a little grabby when taking off. THis clutch does not like to slip. PM for pricing I can probably help you out.

 

[kelly4463]

I just had jetpilot put a con fe in my truck killer clutch!! pedal feel is better then stock, it's definitely a grabby clutch

 

[JWey]

What kind of money are you talking about for all the parts for the Con OFE? Thanks!

 

[EricBu12]

A Con OFE here as well... . I tow a 15k 5th wheel and it has been great! Never slips

 

[PC12Driver]

I'd still rank the OFE as a grabby clutch. Granted, it's probably better than a FE, but it is no way as smooth as a stocker (which is what I was led to believe it would be by the posts on the TDR). Once you learn some of the tricks to driving with it, the OFE can be launched fairly smoothly. But there are times when you'll lapse into a series of hops if you get sloppy, or if you're trying to spot a trailer. I think that's just a fact of life when you're dealing with a metal-to-metal clutch.



If I had to do it over again, I'd take a closer look at SBC's dual disk organic clutch. No metal-to-metal, but no dampening springs in the hub either.

 

[Hohn]

I just had my FE put in yesterday. I like it, but I don't think it would tow well. It's just too hard to make a small movement in the truck, because it doesn't slip much. It grabs and holds on, making it all but impossible to just move an inch or two. It wants to move a couple feet at a time.

Lots of guys tow with the OFE, and will it has to be grabbier than stock, it's still smooth enough to use for towing.

The purely organic DD is an interesting idea. I don't know how badly you'd need the dampening springs on a clutch like that, as the organic facings are a lot less abrupt on engagement and send less shock to the driveline.

Do yourself a favor and upgrade the pilot bearing while you have the transmission out. The factory POS will almost never outlast even a cheap clutch. Check out www.quad4x4.com for beefy upgrades. I put in the big daddy tk75 and love it!

 

[Supermod56]

Good point on the pilot bearing, although you can make the stock one last a long time if you take it out of gear at the stop lights. And the OFE is a little grabby till you get some time on it, and once in awhile it will start hopping all over the place. And you can get the 2-Low kit to back up trailers, getting ready to put it on mine, cause it is a pain to back a trailer, even with the stocker.



Tom

 

[PC12Driver]

The purely organic DD is an interesting idea. I don't know how badly you'd need the dampening springs on a clutch like that, as the organic facings are a lot less abrupt on engagement and send less shock to the driveline.

It's not so much the engagement, it's the low rpm pulses (<1500) beating up the trans and driveline that concern me.

 

[Hohn]

Rightfully so, I'd say. These engines can send impulses to the driveline that are like jackhammer action! To me, the reason to avoid lugging these things isn't to protect the engine, it's to protect everything downstream.

All the more reason to get the sprung hub, I suppose.

 

[nps]

Made a few mods as you can see below. Clutch is slipping, (go figure). I haul 10-15K much of the time. Please help me pick a clutch that will stand up to the task of hauling with the extra HP I have added, without breaking the bank.



Thanks

Bill

I've got the same mods as you and haul about the same weight. My Centerforce Dual Friction has held up well, and after the first week has been smooth on engagement.

 

[RustyJC]

SBC Con OFE here, and our 5th wheel is 16K GVWR (see signature).



Pedal effort is lighter than stock. Engagement is a little grabbier than the butter-smooth stock clutch disc, but bringing the engine speed up to 1000 RPM or so and slipping the clutch when spotting the trailer smooths it right out. The OFE doesn't mind being slipped like this - I've never smelled or felt anything out of the ordinary.



Rusty

 

[Hohn]

I've found that I can even do a little bit of this with the FE, but it's very dicey. One tiny movement either direction and you either lose clutch or it jumps on you.