Sponsored

Aftermarket Clutch Options?

Jeepjunkie

Well-Known Member
First Name
Eric
Joined
Dec 17, 2018
Threads
13
Messages
378
Reaction score
418
Location
Annapolis
Vehicle(s)
2019 JLU Sport
Vehicle Showcase
1
Subbed. I’m interested in the feedback from Toycrusher and Willing&Able about centerforce.
Some of the JK reviews weren’t positive, but that was on a different transmission/clutch combo.
Sponsored

 

Toycrusher

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2019
Threads
19
Messages
1,412
Reaction score
2,070
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
JLUR
Once you have heated the clutch disc enough to smell it, it is glazed from the binding resins "boiling" to the surface, and it will no longer hold as much torque. I don't know if South Bend Clutch has gone into Jeep clutches, but that is who I would choose, by far.
That's mostly true, but just like qualities of brake pads, some clutches can be "smoked" with minimal degradation. I've definitely cooked my stock clutch trying to get a 5000+ lb boat out of the water in 2hi and it didn't seem to have any negative effect even if it took 50 miles of driving for the smell to go away. I'm anxious for my centerforce clutch to get here just to get rid of the other characteristics of the stock dual clutch.
 

Torero

Well-Known Member
First Name
J. Diego
Joined
Apr 21, 2018
Threads
24
Messages
831
Reaction score
817
Location
Illinois
Vehicle(s)
JL Rubicon, FJ Cruiser, BMW Z3, F650,GL63 AMG, STI
That's mostly true, but just like qualities of brake pads, some clutches can be "smoked" with minimal degradation. I've definitely cooked my stock clutch trying to get a 5000+ lb boat out of the water in 2hi and it didn't seem to have any negative effect even if it took 50 miles of driving for the smell to go away. I'm anxious for my centerforce clutch to get here just to get rid of the other characteristics of the stock dual clutch.
Dual clutch?? In our JL?
 

Sponsored

cb4017

Well-Known Member
First Name
Cliff
Joined
Jul 27, 2019
Threads
16
Messages
194
Reaction score
243
Location
Northern Nevada
Vehicle(s)
2021 Gladiator Sport
Occupation
Retired
A dual mass flywheel with a dual disk clutch. The Rube Goldberg engineering is strong in these Wranglers.
 

roaniecowpony

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2018
Threads
144
Messages
7,236
Reaction score
9,279
Location
SoCal
Vehicle(s)
2018 JLUR, 14 GMC 1500 CC All TERRAIN
Occupation
Retired Engineer
A dual mass flywheel with a dual disk clutch. The Rube Goldberg engineering is strong in these Wranglers.
Multi-disk clutches aren't anything new. They've been around longer than you or I.
 

ChimpanZed

Well-Known Member
First Name
Aaron
Joined
Sep 19, 2019
Threads
23
Messages
236
Reaction score
404
Location
Colorado
Vehicle(s)
2020 Unlimited Rubicon

whiteglad

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2020
Threads
2
Messages
92
Reaction score
92
Location
Vegas
Vehicle(s)
2020 Gladiator
South Bend Clutch has been around a long time, and produces the very best clutches for Cummins Rams, especially with high horsepower upgrades. In their words, and I concur:
New and rebuilt clutches ranging from OEM factory specifications to varying degrees of performance and heavy duty for all automotive, truck, and industrial applications! Our goal at South Bend Clutch is to provide our customers with top quality clutch parts, friendly and knowledgeable service, and an inventory network that insures a speedy delivery. As a fourth generation family owned and operated business, our combined experience allows us to provide the best clutch options for any vehicle and driving circumstance.

South Bend Clutch is a SFI approved manufacturing, rebuilding, and machining company with four generations of industrial knowledge and experience.
 

Sponsored

Toycrusher

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2019
Threads
19
Messages
1,412
Reaction score
2,070
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
JLUR
@Toycrusher any updates on your clutch?
I've got maybe 1500 miles on it now and I love it! Some minor off-roading. Driving is transformed, feels like my 4.0 TJ except power builds at 4500 rpm instead of hitting the rev limiter. I'm running 37s on stock 4.10 gears but I can still climb some decent inclines without touching the gas pedal, just feathering the clutch. If you want to burn rubber or jump into traffic, you simply pick an rpm and roll further into the skinny pedal as you release the clutch in one smooth movement. I get angry just thinking about my original clutch, rev to 3500, let out the clutch smoothly and start adding gas, Jeep starts to jump into traffic, then acceleration pauses and revs shoot up to 5000+ as I wait for the engagement point of the 2nd disc to finally grab and start moving me forward again. Ok, now I'm angry again! :mad::mad::angry::CWL:

It's not all rainbows and butterflies though. It definitely seems i've dropped from an average 17mpg to 15.5 - 16 mpg. Also, I didn't think rev hang could get any worse... but it did. Basically if you have all that extra mass spinning at 6000 rpm, and have the engine continuing to feed fuel even after releasing the gas pedal... it's going to take a while for revs to drop on their own. Fortunately the clutch is pretty robust and I just let the clutch match rpm. If your watching everyone's head movement, it kinda looks like someone hit the "NOS" button in a F&F movie when doing a quick shift from 2nd to 3rd near redline :giggle:
 

Hydroboy35th

Well-Known Member
First Name
Josh
Joined
Apr 17, 2018
Threads
26
Messages
401
Reaction score
965
Location
Zanesfield Ohio
Vehicle(s)
2018 JLR
Vehicle Showcase
1
I've got maybe 1500 miles on it now and I love it! Some minor off-roading. Driving is transformed, feels like my 4.0 TJ except power builds at 4500 rpm instead of hitting the rev limiter. I'm running 37s on stock 4.10 gears but I can still climb some decent inclines without touching the gas pedal, just feathering the clutch. If you want to burn rubber or jump into traffic, you simply pick an rpm and roll further into the skinny pedal as you release the clutch in one smooth movement. I get angry just thinking about my original clutch, rev to 3500, let out the clutch smoothly and start adding gas, Jeep starts to jump into traffic, then acceleration pauses and revs shoot up to 5000+ as I wait for the engagement point of the 2nd disc to finally grab and start moving me forward again. Ok, now I'm angry again! :mad::mad::angry::CWL:

It's not all rainbows and butterflies though. It definitely seems i've dropped from an average 17mpg to 15.5 - 16 mpg. Also, I didn't think rev hang could get any worse... but it did. Basically if you have all that extra mass spinning at 6000 rpm, and have the engine continuing to feed fuel even after releasing the gas pedal... it's going to take a while for revs to drop on their own. Fortunately the clutch is pretty robust and I just let the clutch match rpm. If your watching everyone's head movement, it kinda looks like someone hit the "NOS" button in a F&F movie when doing a quick shift from 2nd to 3rd near redline :giggle:
Thanks for all the info. it sounds like your clutch was slipping pretty bad is that true? I’m at 23k miles and mine doesn’t slip at all maybe I got a good one (knocks on wood) I was off road when I first got it and there was sand under about 6in of snow and I smoked the clutch trying to avoid tire slippage and going into a huge bowl made from 4-wheelers. It smelled pretty bad so I took a 20min break and let things cool down a bit but like I said that was 20k mikes ago and things are still fine. I’m on 37’s with 4.88 gears half the time I don’t even use 1st gear when I take off. I feel like I should just wait until the clutch goes out to replace it but these fires and exploding transmissions has me a little nervous lol. So you’re saying the clutch grabs pretty good then? Did you do the install? If so how was it?
 

Toycrusher

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 2, 2019
Threads
19
Messages
1,412
Reaction score
2,070
Location
Texas
Vehicle(s)
JLUR
Thanks for all the info. it sounds like your clutch was slipping pretty bad is that true? I’m at 23k miles and mine doesn’t slip at all maybe I got a good one (knocks on wood) I was off road when I first got it and there was sand under about 6in of snow and I smoked the clutch trying to avoid tire slippage and going into a huge bowl made from 4-wheelers. It smelled pretty bad so I took a 20min break and let things cool down a bit but like I said that was 20k mikes ago and things are still fine. I’m on 37’s with 4.88 gears half the time I don’t even use 1st gear when I take off. I feel like I should just wait until the clutch goes out to replace it but these fires and exploding transmissions has me a little nervous lol. So you’re saying the clutch grabs pretty good then? Did you do the install? If so how was it?
Mind didn't slip, it just had a huge delay between 1st disc grabbing and 2nd disc actually locking up. I've drive a couple other JL manuals and they seemed the same. I did the install myself, pretty easy to do a 2nd time. Here the little write-up I did
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/diy-centerforce-flywheel-and-clutch-install.49376/
 

Hydroboy35th

Well-Known Member
First Name
Josh
Joined
Apr 17, 2018
Threads
26
Messages
401
Reaction score
965
Location
Zanesfield Ohio
Vehicle(s)
2018 JLR
Vehicle Showcase
1
 



Top