Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) OFE-- enough clutch?

[WadePatton]

I'm going to put ddIII's and a Comp on the smoke pump. It's an early 6-speed so I have the smaller output shaft. I don't tow with any regularity, but want to be able to pull a car or tractor or skid-steer every now and again.



One vender said that high-horsepower AND towing can pull the center out of the MU 0090 OFE.



So I could upgrade to the 13", but is that really necessary if I tow without an attitude?



This is another one of those things that I don't want to do twice.

 

[Boost]

When I was looking for a clutch, Peter at Southbend strongly recommended upgrading to the 13-1. 25 for my 5sp. I went with the Ofe and havnt had a problem.



Rob

 

[Idaho CTD]

Get the 13" FE

I would call Peter but I think the OFe is only rated to 400hp and your going to be there. The Fe's are more $$ but they are worth it. It will hold up when you get that little twinkle in your eye for more bombs.



Nathan

 

[aotte]

I would go with the FE you will want more power and the clutch will be at its limits. Call Peter he is a straight foward guy about his clutchs.

 

[WadePatton]

Yeah, I mean to go with a "400+" clutch. I musta got dizzy going back and forth from pics to specs at SBC.



Found a local with a SBC in a bombed ford. I'll go check that out, when nobody's looking.

 

[Todd T]

I agree with nathan.



my 5 speed truck lasted 1800 miles with the stock size OFE. it could slip it on a 2-3 and 3-4 shifts too. after the center blew out on it, Peter set me up with the 13" FE. it was great, no more slipping and I sold the truck before i could break it



Thanks again, Peter. you da Man.

 

[fj40charles]

Does anyone know the HP limitation of the 13" 1. 25" input Con OFE clutch? I'm wondering if I should have gotten the FE instead of the OFE clutch. Still breaking in my clutch, so I can't say for sure if it will hold with my current mods with comp on 5x5.



Charles

 

[WadePatton]

Originally posted by Todd T

I agree with nathan.

my 5 speed truck lasted 1800 miles with the stock size OFE. it could slip it on a 2-3 and 3-4 shifts too. after the center blew out on it,

Thanks again, Peter. you da Man.

What kinda power/mods where you hitting it with and were you hauling?



I might tow 5% of my driving time and then it ain't real heavy. And I don't have a Xfer case to turn.

 

[aotte]

The horse power rating on the FE 13"-1. 25" is 550 hp. Mine does a great job. I drag race with the truck in four wheel and the clutch does not even think of slipping.

 

[fj40charles]

Looking for the HP rating on 13" 1. 25" Con OFE (not FE).

 

[HeberRam]

South Bend Clutch!!!

WadePatton... ... . If money is not the driving force get the SBC FE and the up-graded 13" coversion... . You won't go wrong, never have to worry about your clutch concerns again regardless of up-grades... . Be sure to have a qualified installer perform the install... You can call Peter at South Bend Clutch for an authorized sales and service installer in your area... .





Steve

 

[Idaho CTD]

Wade,

And just ask Steve (HeberRam) what kind of abuse he has put his clutch through. I know he has over 600hp and I also know he pulled a sled down at may madness. Do it right the first time, go with the Fe.



Nathan

 

[WadePatton]

what is 400+?

Thanks for all the replies so far, now let me refine the question:



Money is a factor. I need to know what sort of abuse the MU 0090 Con OFE can stand. The claim is 400+, but then I hear that it won't handle big power and towing. Which is okay for me. I'm only going to be 400+/-hp and don't tow much and my truck is lighter than most CTD's.



I'm sure the 1. 25-13 FE can handle all my sillyness, but them's $400 MORE dollars. I need to justify that expense.



And I am a qualified installer, but I only wants to do it the one time.



Fj40--SBC says "up to 400" on their site.

 

[Turbo Trucker]

I broke the center out of my 0090 after 30k miles with a stock motor, pulling heavy loads.

 

[Todd T]

OK just so you know, my 2001 was a 4x4 QC SB i didnt tow with the clutch that failed. i did street race it daily to work and back. 1800 miles later the center blew out.



i dyno'ed at 469/1027 a month after the new FE clutch went in.



400HP IS THE LIMIT. not the recomendation.

 

[HeberRam]

WadePatton... If I were you, I would go with the SBC FE and bite the bullet for the extra $400. The reason SBC says the Con OFE is rated at 400hp+ really means just that. . NO clutch manufactor can be more specific than that because everyone drives differently. Some people slip the clutch too much, others don't use the clutch enough. . Peter at SBC through a lot of customer reports and R&D has provided us as consumers a safe bench mark rating for each of his clutches, with a lot of abuse built into the rating. As Nathan stated I have over 600HP, drag, truck pull, street race etc. and have one of the orginal FE's ( over 1-1/2 yrs. ) and over 30,000 "hard" miles with no problems. I know of someone else "Sparky" the king of clutch abuse , has a FE and has been unable to date, destroy the clutch...



IMHO, South Bend has the best replacement performance clutches on the market, customer service and warranty.



Steve

 

[John Berger]

My stock clutch started chattering after my first really long hard pull with the TT. This was at 32K and completely stock, except the Amsoil Foam filter. I will tell you that I don't believe I abuse a clutch when I drive. I have my moments, but they are just that: moments. I have the Con OFE and have probably put 7000 or so miles on it, of which 75% are towing heavy with lots of grades. It doesn't chatter or slip (unless the wife is learning how to drive with the 5ver hooked up ). I figure I'm somewhere in the neighborhood of 275-290 hp at the rear wheels. I've got room to add more without crossing the threshold of no return. Consider how you drive and where you want to go with the truck, HP wise. If you want to do mild to moderate BOMBing for towing performance, the OFE will probably be more than enough clutch and you can spend the $400 on something else for the truck. Hey, I can spend your money all day, I don't have to live with the consequences. Either way, you are getting a pretty good clutch. Talk to Peter. He'll steer you in the direction you need to go. Good luck and have fun with the new clutch. You're gonna love it.

 

[WadePatton]

I'm going to talk to Peter when I have the money in hand. Hate to bother vendors with speculation and innuendo and no $ to back it up.



Anyway, I hardly ever wear out a stock clutch. My old F-150 is on its third one in 329,000 miles and I put the first replacement in before it was necessary and the second one just 10-15k ago. So I got around 150,000 miles out of an OEM clutch in that application. I've only replaced TWO clutches in all the other vehicles (all manual) I've owned since 1982.



BUT none of those rides were 400+ HP diesel cars.



At this time I figure on DD3's and Comp to get me to 400+ and a B1 or PDR HX40 after that. I think that 500HP is about all I'll try to get out of this ride, but that's on down the road a bit.



I'll bet the Con OFE would work for me, but I'd hate to lose that bet. So I'm probably going with the 13" FE--just to be certain.



And my stock clutch is PERFECT with 55k on it, maybe I should melt it down before I change.