Stock clutch is loosing its grip - Con O or OFE?

[JGK]

Old clutches never die... they just slip away... loose their grip...



Whatever. Mine's doing it. It's either the Con O or the OFE. I'm on the fence. It's a matter of smoothness and driveablilty of the Con O but with a recommended limit of 400hp vs a little chatter and ?? but with a higher (unlimited?) HP capability of the OFE.



Check my signature for my set up. I don't really know what the truck is putting out. I have the torque plate in stock position to be conservative (it's a clutch thing, you know), but it will be moving forward after the clutch is replaced and a governor kit is planned.



I've talked to Piers, and Ken Jones in Salt Lake that also sells the Southbend. One says Con O, the other says maybe the OFE. I'll be calling Peter on Monday.



In the mean time, any words of wisdom/experience out there?



Thanks,

Jay

 

[Don M]

Im over 400HP with my Con O. It never slips! I lean on it all the time.



I tow a trailer (about 7000lbs) and it still has yet to slip. Even racing another truck while towing.



The clutch pedal is very light and smooth. I will know here real soon how much the Con O will hold. I should be close to 475 in the next week and we will see how much it will hold



With your mods the Con O will hold great and drive better than stock.



If you want to go with more power the OFE might be the best choice. If my Con O slips after 475HP I will get on the phone with Peter and see what he will upgrade me for.



Don~

 

[JGK]

Don,



How long (miles) have you been at that power rating and doing those loads on the Con O?



-Jay

 

[Don M]

At least 12,000 miles when it was at 350HP. The 400 HP mark has about 1500 miles on it. I will say that after the 400HP if the clutch is not fully engaged it will smell a bit if I really pedal it hard. I have since learned to not pedal it until the clutch is fully hooked up. This is at 2500rpm launches and higher that it will do this.

Not normal driving. If the clutch is fully engauged I cant slip it in any gear.



So far so good.



If you like the soft pedal and not the jerky, grabby feel of metallic the Con O would, IMO, hold your power level and last a good long time.



BTW, those HP numbers are verified by about 15 dyno runs so far. Same dyno as well. The numbers are real.





If you tow a trailer, I would not get a metallic clutch. Opinion, of course.



Don~

 

[JGK]

Thanks, Don.



It seems like the Con O is coming out ahead in the opinion/recommendation poll. I "spoke" with Drawson last night and his is still holding, too. He thinks it's due to spinning the tires! Maybe so. I don't see myself going to the levels you and Dee have, so maybe the Con O is the right choice. Heck of a lot less $, too!



Any other opinions/recommendations/experiences out there?



-Jay

 

[JGK]

TTT



Please, guys, tell me what you can.



Thanks,

Jay

 

[Forrest]

No complaints from the dual disc side of the fence.





GFreshour, it's a McLeod

 

[GFreshour]

Con O or OFE ????

New guy on the block, what brand names or types are these?? thanks

 

[JGK]

GFreshour,



The two I'm referring to are SouthBend brand. They have a whole series for the 5 and 6 speed trucks with various configurations for various power levels. The Con O and OFE are the most popular for the 5 speeds, it seems.



It's said the Con O is conservatively rated at 400 HP, but some guys are doing 450 - 500 and their Con Os are holding. The OFE is rate 400 up, but sometimes exhibits a little chatter.



I was told by Ken Jones at Diesel Performance of Utah, that sells the SB clutches, that the Con O is 2 "levels" of holding power above stock (the "Gold", as he called it, is one level above).



See this link for more:

http://www.southbendclutch.com





-Jay

 

[MUDDY]

ofe

im more than happy with my ofe.



no chatter, good control, easy pedal pressure.



i was litterally undecided to the last minute. the con o probbably wouldhave done the job. but, if i make any other mods i want a safety margin. i dont want to have to do another clutch replacement for a long long time. also when i use my lpg it hits hard as i turn on the switch, which is hard on the clutch. this rig also tows a lot. i dont want the con o and have to be wishing for the ofe. a few more dollars but no downside as to driveability.



i hessitated getting the ofe because of rumors of controlability problems. there is NO problems. smooth while backing the tt into a hole. pedal pressure softer than stock. much better than i had previously expected.



imo the con-ofe is the way to go