valair,centerforce,sbc,luk,spec,etc

[CATCRACKER]

report

the clutch has held everything i can throw at it with that being said it rattles like a son of a gun. the clutch is still in the truck and has pulled loads grossing 30K with boxes on kill and no slippage. next time i will go with an fe b/c of the excessive rattle this one has. i decided to give these guys a try and see what else was out there. it has done well and it was something that i could afford so i did it. i will get an fe in there one of these days and i should be able to compare apples to apples... waiting on $$. he (valair) said it was his strongest single clutch and i guess the fe is peters strongest streetable single clutch so I will be able to compare one day. i am interested to see what my flywheel looks like . i have a ceramic disk right now and peters is feramic i think. maybe not the report you guys expected but i told you what i would do next time if money was not a problem.



to sum it up its cheap, it holds, but it rattles to much

 

[blacksheepdiesel]

CATCRACKER,

Thanks for replying with the truth, that is what I quest for. Curious, how many miles on clutch, % loaded miles?

Please call Peter before you decide which clutch to buy. He will give you the truth which is what you want, but it may be pricey.

Godspeed,
Trent

 

[CATCRACKER]

40% loaded 21-30gross. I have put over 15K on it I dont drive this truck much.

 

[Cattletrkr]

Bumpin' for 2 reasons.

1. Good info
2. I ordered an OFE this morning and now I really feel good about spending the $240 more than the the LuK would have been.

Peter, thanks for the info.

 

[SHobbs]

I am in the same boat as alot of guys here, the extra money for Southbend was always a deal breaker. I talked to several installers when my original clutch gave up the ghost trying to decide what brand clutch to put in the truck. Almost every installer I taked to recommended Southbend, they said that every one they installed was holding the power thrown at them and that NONE of them gave the owner any problems. Also the members here that have Southbends was a another vote in thier direction. When I talked to Mac's Performance the place I elected to have my clutch installed they told me that they stopped installing clutches in diesel trucks due to high failure rates. That all changed when they found Southbend and they only install Southbend due to the holding power and Southbends commitment to service.



Am I a cheerleader for Southbend? Hardly, I have yet to put my OFE to the test and I will soon. It took alot for me to pony up the extra dough being that I have a daughter in college, money is very tight and I feel comfortable with my decision. The bottom line for anyone looking into a new clutch is to do your homework, look at every brand and make an informative decision based on you needs and budget. The decison is yours as well as the money you spend.

 

[CRWilliams]

OK, I was going to stay off this, but I'm kind of upset. I have had a Valair clutch in mine for almost a year, but only about 7500 miles( I ride the motorcycle alot). I spoke with Dan when he was really kind of getting started with the newer pick-up clutches. As far as bad-mouthing SBC. BULL. He had nothing bad to say about SBC, just thought the prices were too high. I have the first clutch ( I believe) that he built with a new hub design that he is using now. It was originally going to be all ceramic, but he said that he could side one side with Kevlar and it wouldn't be so grabby. He was right. But it was still pretty grabby. I called him and he offered to build me another disc and send it out to me, no charge. I told him I would try the clutch for a couple of thousand miles first. I love the clutch. It doesn't rattle, slip, or do anything else it is not supposed to. It grabs a bit, but with the number of ceramic pucks, I think it would be expected to.



My clutch is basically the NMU70253-05 with the HD pressure plate, but one side of mine is Kevlar. I have no doubt that Dan builds his clutches in house. I didn't ask him where he gets his materials, but they seem very high quality as far as I'm concerned. I had a SBC in my 93 when I converted it to a NV5600, loved it, but ouch on the wallet. I never had to call Peter, great for me, no problems. I have no doubt in my mind that Dan would be the same, he even offered as much.



To put it bluntly, I have about had it with putting other peoples products down. I joined the TDR when I bought my first diesel and have learned ALOT, as well as gotten some good advice. I let me membership lapse, but rejoined last year. The last couple of posts I have posted have gotten bupkiss for responses. Thanks Shadrach and Mhannink for at least taking the time to add your 2 cents. I deal with people lying through their teeth all day, almost every day. Dan struck me as honest and willing. I read the first post the Peter posted the link to. Sorry, I don't see where Dan was causing a problem or being dishonest. I don't think he was the person making the wild claims ( maybe I'm missing something, but that doesn't happen too often). Maybe Dan is upset about the thrashing he gets on this forum from people who don't know him, his company, or his products. I can't say I would blame him. Maybe I'm just p!$$y couse I've had a rough week. But I will say that I like this clutch, it is working well for me. If I go beyond what it will hold, I will get another one from Dan.



There, rant over.

 

[Tomeygun]

Bumpin' for 2 reasons.



1. Good info

2. I ordered an OFE this morning and now I really feel good about spending the $240 more than the the LuK would have been.



Peter, thanks for the info.

Bump x2 because:



1) Finally got the dual disk 3600# 12 puck I have been needing to sled pull, AND I LOVE IT!!!!



2) The first time you roll at about 15 MPH and slip/dump into 4th gear and hear that engine come alive, you realize you would have paid double the MSRP for the clutch... its that sick...



BTW - the rattle with the clutch in? yeah, its there. But seriously I have stacks too, Like I care about a little rattle... . In fact, I like it! The look on the peoples face next to you at the stop light is hilarious