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Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Very Happy with LUK clutch

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Just replaced the stock on my 2001 4x4 6 speed with the LUK cerametalic from carolina clutch



TDR price was $550



My trans shop, Chips transmissions, (TDR members) were drooling at the disc. They are a DTT installer in TN. Chip's couldn't believe the price and said it was lower than they could get it from LUK.



Got in my truck and the clutch pedal felt like it was broken... almost no resistance... very nice with smooth engagement yet had that "lights on" feel when i popped it.



I haven't seen much discussion of this clutch on TDR but I'd rate it +1. Claims to hold my anticipated 500+ hp



melbo
 
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Hey where did you get the cluch from at that price. I am going to need one in the near future. I have a luc pro gold, but it is starting to slip. Let us know how it works with some miles on it.



Stomp
 
Tom Haus at www.carolinaclutch.com



TDR price $550 + $15 shipping to TN



I'll try to get some pics of the disc. I never looked at it but my trans guys were goin crazy over it.



melbo

edited to add photo

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HMMmmmm - looks interesting, and nearly half the price of the equivelent SBC... . As much as I prefer the reputation and terrific customer service provided by Peter at SBC, its pretty hard to ignore a $400 savings - especially when I have a LUK installer 4 miles away from me...



Gonna have to watch user comments on this one... ;)
 
Melbo

It is hard to believe a HD clutch can be that smooth and still hold like a son of a gun but that is what the Luk is all about. Glad you like it.
 
Originally posted by THaus

Melbo

It is hard to believe a HD clutch can be that smooth and still hold like a son of a gun but that is what the Luk is all about. Glad you like it.





Feels like a honda civic pedal!!!



Awesome! no more sore leg in gatlinburg stop and go traffic!!!



Thanks for the deal THaus... also thanks for next day ship



melbo
 
Had a nice phone discussion with Tom at SCC - very helpful and knowledgeable - will very likely be doing business with them on my own clutch replacement...
 
Tom's great to deal with!!!

I bought mine from him, but before I could put it in...



I hit another deer and lost my injection pump. :(



The truck is still in the body shop; once it comes home, the clutch and pump are waiting in the garage, along with a few other toys. ;)



Tom, I'm still gonna post how it goes... good, bad, or indifferent. I'm sure it's gonna be good, that thing just looks impressive.
 
Now that you've ran this clutch for a while how do you like it? I'm also interested in this clutch. I intend to stay stock,but do tow heavy sometimes. Is the clutch grabby on takeoff?
 
WOW, this IS an old thread! :--)



BUT, feedback does help - here's mine!



After the earlier posts regarding the LUK Cerametallic clutch setup, I bought and installed mine - got it from Carolina Clutch as mentioned in earlier posts - and at the price quoted.



The clutch seems well built and engineered - I use mine lots for RV towing, and it has NEVER slipped at any time, towing or otherwise, and I figure my mods listed below are good for 400+ HP.



The Cerametallic IS a no-doubt-about-it performance, heavy duty clutch - driven properly, it is smooth enough and predictable in engagement from a dead stop and when towing. Get on it aggressively - and engagement is pretty much crisp and immediate - and if you try to rev the engine and slip the clutch, it's pretty likely to chatter - and it WILL often chatter when backing a load against resistance, such as backing an RV uphill - I figure lots of that is play in the driveline and center driveshaft support, rather than a direct clutch issue, and have read similar comments concerning competing brand clutches.



The above downsides ARE controllable, and minimal, if reasonable care and skill are used in the appropriate circumstances - it IS a performance clutch, it WON'T slip under any circumstances *I* have exposed it to - and I'd buy another one in a heartbeat, as compared to other available brands and prices...



=====

.

'02 HO Quad cab 2500, 3. 55's-Comp-Smarty #165-guages-DSS-relocated LP, Carter pusher-Frantz oil bypass/fuel filter, BHAF, Rip's 4", Don's 1. 6's. LUK Cerametallic clutch. MOBILE Ham Radio,IC-706, 600 watt amp, '88 Kit 24 ft. 5er.
 
I've been running a Luk for 60k & tow 15k daily with no issues at all. The luk 13" cerametallic kit should have come with washers to put on all the bolts. My friend installed one & the clutch burnt up because he didn't use the washers on bolts. I'm not sure if the 6 speed trans needs the washers, but I'd check it out. Luk makes the stock clutch for Dodge Trucks & are also connected to SB clutches. I'm getting my 53 block replaced as we speak & installer said that the clutch looks like new. 60k + more on its way!
 
Gary,

Gotta love the search feature to "DIG" up old threads like this one ! :p I just got off the phone with Tom. He was very helpful,and he felt that the dual friction model would be more than enough clutch for my application. I can't wait to install it,as my stock clutch is TOAST!!Thanks for the feedback ! :D
 
I found the cerametallic to slip at 480 hp on the dyno. It wore into the flywheel . 006" on one side, . 016" on the other side of the flywheel during about 10,000 miles. In the same period, the South Bend con FE did not wear the flywheel over . 001" and holds over 600 hp on the dyno. OTOH, the con FE costs more...
 
I found the cerametallic to slip at 480 hp on the dyno. It wore into the flywheel . 006" on one side, . 016" on the other side of the flywheel during about 10,000 miles.



HEY Joe - that's a pretty neat trick - almost MAGICAL! :-laf :-laf



Clue us dummies in on how ANY clutch can cause wear on the BACKSIDE of the flywheel - the side facing the engine block... :-laf :-laf



I don't doubt that the more aggressive the clutch material, the more likely it is to wear the flywheel (FRONT side!) and pressure plate - nor do I doubt that even those "More expensive" higher priced units will do the same in varying degrees - JUST as they will also all recommend that the flywheel be reground before you install their clutches if you expect them to warantee their stuff.



So LUK wears the flywheel - and so will the equivalent SBC, at double the cost - I sure know which clutch solution *I* will use - and THEN use the cost savings to resurface my flywheel if I need another replacement somewhere down the road! ;)



OH, and at the time I bought my LUK Cerametallic from Tom at Carolina clutch, he estimated it was good for about 500 HP and 1000 ft lbs torque - looks like he was pretty close... ;) :D
 
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Joseph Donnelly said:
I found the cerametallic to slip at 480 hp on the dyno. It wore into the flywheel . 006" on one side, . 016" on the other side of the flywheel during about 10,000 miles. In the same period, the South Bend con FE did not wear the flywheel over . 001" and holds over 600 hp on the dyno. OTOH, the con FE costs more...

I bet that the washers weren't on the bolts of the Luk, because I can run my truck full monty hauling 15k & 50 psi boost without slipping it once. I've even sled pulled & didn't hurt it.
 
The pressure plate was tight. Not a washer problem. Every clutch has a torque capacity that can be exceeded. Some friction materials are more aggressive and wear the flywheel and pressure plate more than others. Uneven wear like I got is another issue that can occur. Cummins and Dodge do not recommend removing "heavy stock" from the surface: only a few thousandths. When I wrote that the FE did not wear over . 001" I mean that I could not discern any wear on the flywheel with it.
 
Uneven wear like I got is another issue that can occur.



Personally, I would normally suspect "uneven wear" to be more accurately related to either a runout issue with the flywheel surface in relation to the clutch, or possibly a difference in metallurgy of the flywheel itself - normally pretty hard for a clutch disc to *selectively* wear specific parts of a flywheel circumference... ;)



When comparing clutch brands and types, folks tend to toss in comments as to flywheel wear with the more aggressive discs as though it was an unusual or determining factor in choosing one or another - is it really? How important IS flywheel wear of 5 thousandths compared to wear of 10 thousandths? ;)



SO, someone tells me my LUK will wear my flywheel 10 thousandths in a specific period of time/miles - and a competing SBC will only wear it 5 thousandths in the same period - OK, so what? :rolleyes:



Another related thread contains a statement that as far as the poster could determine, NO definite specs exist as to specific amounts that can be removed from flywheels as part of a resurfacing - and obviously, there would be differences from one brand to another as well. If DC makes a claim related to "heavy stock", what EXACTLY does that mean in thousandths of an inch? 10, 20, 30? :confused:



Brake drums thru the years have always had clearly embossed thickness limits as to how far they could be safely turned and returned to service - "Heavy stock" in a flywheel to ONE design engineer might differ considerably in opinion from another - does DC have an actual measurement specification to go by? :confused:



I personally suspect that "gut feeling" limits are in more widespread use as determining factors of resurfacing, rather than precise manufacturer specifications - but perhaps someone has a pointer to a source of specifications, especially from Dodge?



IF comparisons are to be made between 2 different brands/types of clutches, say, SBC and LUK, and each of a similar type were run for 50 thousand miles under the same operating conditions, then replaced with new ones, what would the process be for each?



Assuming no outright failures had occurred, and only routine replacement was involved, the flywheels on BOTH vehicles would require resurfacing as dictated by each of the 2 manufacturers - only potential difference, might be the amount of material removed to restore an acceptable surface - and unless there exists a clear specification in thousandths as to what CAN be safely removed from the Dodge flywheels, the difference in wear between say, 5 thousandths and 10, is sorta irrelevant as a decision maker between 2 competing clutches - they will BOTH require resurfacing!



Sure, if ONE of the 2 brands has consistently been demonstrated to wear the flywheel beyond the clear specifications of the maker in routine normal use, that would be a totally different matter! Otherwise, flywheel wear difference between brand "A" and brand "B" don't mean a whole lot, since the cost and labor to restore BOTH of them to service will be exactly the same.



What all this ultimately boils down to, is how MUCH is an extra 10 thousandths or so on your flywheel - about the thickness of an average business card - really WORTH to you? If it's worth the $300-$500 difference a competing brand might cost, then by all means, spend that extra $$$... :-laf :-laf



OH - and for the record - further above, I poked fun at Joe over an earlier statement of his - let me be absolutely clear, Joe knows FAR more in a few minutes related to engineering than the vast majority of us will know in a lifetime - when he speaks, it pays to listen! ;) :-laf
 
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