ACT Clutch kit went in today! *Review*

G

Gravity

:
Mazdaspeed3, Mazda2 Yozora Ed., RX-8 R3
Ok... So.. my ACT HDMM clutch kit went in today. Copy/paste what I sent to Corksport this afternoon about the results below!

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Just got back from picking up at my dealership and I can tell you without hesitation this is one of the most significant upgrades I've made to the car. The numbness is gone, pedal stiffness is MUCH more positive and even throughout the entire travel. It is certainly stiffer. I think even stiffer than my RX8 R3 clutch, but still quite comfortable. I suspect i'll get a leg workout if I hit any major commuter traffic though.

The clutch engages positively and immediately as you lift off the floor. Shifts are exponentially faster and fast shifts are far smoother than stock. Even without paying careful attention to rev matching the clutch engages quickly and smoothly with just a bit of a bump if you miss the revs by too much.

No question, this is a HUGE improvement over stock. This is well worth the price of admission. (For the record, after a break on labour at my dealer install was $660 taxes in. My dealership completed in 5.9hrs... better than the 6.4 that mazda specs.)

This was absolutely worth a $1k upgrade.
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Gravity said:
Ok... So.. my ACT HDMM clutch kit went in today. Copy/paste what I sent to Corksport this afternoon about the results below!

--------
Just got back from picking up at my dealership and I can tell you without hesitation this is one of the most significant upgrades I've made to the car. The numbness is gone, pedal stiffness is MUCH more positive and even throughout the entire travel. It is certainly stiffer. I think even stiffer than my RX8 R3 clutch, but still quite comfortable. I suspect i'll get a leg workout if I hit any major commuter traffic though.

The clutch engages positively and immediately as you lift off the floor. Shifts are exponentially faster and fast shifts are far smoother than stock. Even without paying careful attention to rev matching the clutch engages quickly and smoothly with just a bit of a bump if you miss the revs by too much.

No question, this is a HUGE improvement over stock. This is well worth the price of admission. (For the record, after a break on labour at my dealer install was $660 taxes in. My dealership completed in 5.9hrs... better than the 6.4 that mazda specs.)

This was absolutely worth a $1k upgrade.
--------
Click to expand...

Nice write up and happy to see it worked out so far. Have any links and photos to share? You installed it at a Mazda dealer..... ouch on price!!!
 
Agreed... the price was a bit more (though not much more) than the local performance shop... But my dealer is upgrade friendly, and I trust them and their work. They've rarely messed up an install, and if they ever have they make it right, no questions. They've gotten me in last minute frequently and thrown the occasional bit of free labour. That's worth a bit extra for me :-) Not for everything mind... I had my wheels and my exhaust down elsewhere, and I'll likely have my rotors and pads done elsewhere as well.. but for a major job like a clutch (esp when no one else have ever done one on this car) I like the peace of mind. Of course, as stated above, I have a great dealer and great relationship with them. YMMV ;-)

As for the clutch, I'm super happy with it. I'm a little concerned about the break in though... I have to admit I was a little spirited today on the way home, I even got a weird sharp 'thunk' a couple times... (I know I know...) though I can't imagine my 100hp car would do a lot of damage in mostly stop and go....

Still though, I know I'll have to go easier on it for the next few days. I've heard you shouldn't do any highway driving at first, but my whole commute is hwy driving.... Should I worry?
 
I've got a couple questions... Why'd you replace the stock clutch? Did you already go through it in the amount miles you've had the car? Are you going to be adding significant power adders to need a heavier duty clutch? You're a car guy, why not do the install or other upgrades/maintenance yourself? That's cool you have a good dealer. Glad you like the clutch
 
The stock clutch is GARBAGE.... It's totally numb feeling, engages way at the top of the throw, has lousy engagement linearity, and is just way to soft. Not to mention that Mazda's 'clutch cushioning' they feel as a 'feature' on this car, means theres no way to quick shift. You can drop the clutch and it STILL takes about a second and a half to engage. Numb numb numb.


Basically all the things i listed above in the review are things that were seriously lacking in the stock clutch.

My stock clutch assy. is in great shape actually. I might just sell it. Anyone want a clutch with less than 30K on it? I'll make a deal ;-)


As far as why i didn't do it myself... If i had access to a hoist, I probably would have... I do as much of my own work as possible, but some stuff just isn't feasible for me to do without access to a proper garage... And I'm just not willing to get under a car on jack stands for any major work. Of course, for serious work that could become a safety concern... I'd rather leave it to the pros ;-)
 
Last edited:
Gravity said:
Not to mention that Mazda's 'clutch cushioning' they feel as a 'feature' on this car, means there's no way to quick shift. You can drop the clutch and it STILL takes about a second and a half to engage.
Click to expand...

Can you or somebody explain how the clutch cushioning works or what it is. I don't understand what it is. Thanks.
 
I can't tell you exactly how it works... But Mazda describes it as a 'never have embarrassing shifts again' kind of thing. IN effect they've softened the release and engagement so that you have less control over the speed of engagement. In effect it's almost like a controlled timed release. is my understanding.
 
Honda has something similar in their s2000. I forget what they call it but it's terrible for spirited driving or racing.
I dont know what the stock weight of the flywheel is, did you resurface it or lighten the stock one or think about a lightened flywheel, if there's even on available for the 2?
 
Gravity said:
I can't tell you exactly how it works... But Mazda describes it as a 'never have embarrassing shifts again' kind of thing. IN effect they've softened the release and engagement so that you have less control over the speed of engagement. In effect it's almost like a controlled timed release. is my understanding.
Click to expand...

This clutch is hydraulic? (I don't know -- I have AT).

I wonder how could the speed of engagement depend on the clutch itself? It should depend on the hydraulic system (master/slave cylinder, some valves, etc). As such, I just doubt that clutch replacement could change all that. The engagement point -- yes, but otherwise all the hydraulic stuff is still in place.
 
Thats my guess too. The clutch is hydraulic but I suspect this 'cushioning' is something built into the pressure plate. I had my concerns that it WAS in the hydraulics and this would be a great big $1000 disappointment... but fortunately I was wrong!


If you compare the stock pressure plate to the ACT HD pressure plate there is a LARGE visible difference. Fewer fingers on the stock diaphragm and they aren't as 'heavy' looking. The PP itself is also much more substantial looking.


arcxer said:
This clutch is hydraulic? (I don't know -- I have AT).

I wonder how could the speed of engagement depend on the clutch itself? It should depend on the hydraulic system (master/slave cylinder, some valves, etc). As such, I just doubt that clutch replacement could change all that. The engagement point -- yes, but otherwise all the hydraulic stuff is still in place.
Click to expand...
 
Good review. It answers some of my questions too regarding the "clutch cushioning" that Mazda likes to think is a good thing. I'm most likely going with an aftermarket performance clutch when mine bows out. My only real complaint with my 2 is the numb clutch engagement. This sounds like the ticket to fix it.
 
It certainly was. I'm almost wondering if the cushioning isn't build into the stock throwout bearing. The stock bearing appears somewhat different in design than the one that came with the act clutch...
 
Yup. Thats what I said. As this clearly causes you some distress (evidently enough to make a comment about it completely unrelated to the topic at hand) I wholeheartedly apologize for my choices regarding the servicing of my car. I realize that this admission probably makes me less of a man, and certainly someone who's not fit to consider myself a car guy, but alas such is my cross to bear.

Now that thats over with, perhaps we can step back and let people with meaningful things to say contribute to the thread.



Phone said:
Won't do any major work with a car on jackstands? Ok there, champ.
Click to expand...
 
Honestly I'd rather not do a transmission drop on jackstands either. It's one of those things where you're way too likely to shake the car around a lot while doing it. If you're gonna do work under the car and it doesn't require removing the wheels, you're way better off using a good set of ramps.
 
I've been debating installing one of these come spring. It just seems wrong to think of swapping the clutch at 25k miles if it'll get rid of that awful stock clutch feel then I'd be very very happy.
 
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