Clutch kit recommendation

[ASarsano]

Well it’s about that time, nothing a bit of slip in the clutch about 45mph. The stock clutch has seen a fair amount of abuse off road and held up surprisingly well but it’s time to find a replacement.
looking for recommendations on kits I have been looking at center force dual kits and a few other options but would love some input and personal experiences with after market options for the 3.6 6 speed.

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[OldGuyNewJeep]

Well it’s about that time, nothing a bit of slip in the clutch about 45mph. The stock clutch has seen a fair amount of abuse off road and held up surprisingly well but it’s time to find a replacement.
looking for recommendations on kits I have been looking at center force dual kits and a few other options but would love some input and personal experiences with after market options for the 3.6 6 speed.

Selfishly, I want you to get a Southbend kit so we can hear your review. On this forum you’re only going to find Centerforce discussion.

 

[ASarsano]

Yeah ive

Selfishly, I want you to get a Southbend kit so we can hear your review. On this forum you’re only going to find Centerforce discussion.

seen a few but all I can find online is universal center force kits even in there website when u put in 18 JL nothing comes up. Deff concerned I get the right kit lol

 

[agordon117]

Yeah ive

seen a few but all I can find online is universal center force kits even in there website when u put in 18 JL nothing comes up. Deff concerned I get the right kit lol

There seems to be something going on with the centerforce kits. I ordered one at the end of may and it keeps getting pushed back (Quadratec). I've read a few people had issues with them, and haven't found specifically if there has actually been a resolution to the problems.

From what I'm gathering, the engine to transmission mounting isn't done to a tight tolerance on the JLs, and the stock clutch is sloppy enough to deal with that, but aftermarket ones may cause issues if you were on the far end of tolerance for engine/transmission alignment.

I'm not the first to theorize that, someone said that exact thing in one of the threads here, but it seems to make sense based on the evidence.

The prospect of paying labor twice to install and then remove a clutch is making me consider just sticking with the oem clutch and wearing kevlar pants in case the pressure plate fractures. /sarcasm

 

[GATORB8]

Just curious, is there a reason not to go with a stock replacement for less than half the cost? I understand upgrading clutches for high performance applications to hold the torque, but I remember them always coming with drawbacks (noise, pedal weight, immediate grab).

 

[agordon117]

Just curious, is there a reason not to go with a stock replacement for less than half the cost? I understand upgrading clutches for high performance applications to hold the torque, but I remember them always coming with drawbacks (noise, pedal weight, immediate grab).

The issue that people are concerned with is the lack of appropriate response from Jeep about the clutches that have failed. 2 recalls regarding the clutch, and neither of them have addressed the clutch itself. So aftermarket clutches are an option that many are looking into.

A clutch is also one of those parts where the labor to replace it can cost more than the item itself, so getting one that can handle more abuse and have a longer lifespan is an attractive option as well. If a clutch costs twice as much but you replace it half as often, it's already cheaper.

 

[ASarsano]

Just curious, is there a reason not to go with a stock replacement for less than half the cost? I understand upgrading clutches for high performance applications to hold the torque, but I remember them always coming with drawbacks (noise, pedal weight, immediate grab).

Half the cost I would the issue. I have is all the dealers by me want $900-$1000 for the stock “kit” and it only includes the clutch disc and the pressure plate no throw out bearing or slave cylinder, and it’s on back order. At the price going with a better aftermarket option for only a few hundred more seams logical. Typical i do the install my self so labor is less of an issue

 

[GATORB8]

Half the cost I would the issue I have is all the dealers by me want $900-$1000 for the stock “kit” and it only includes the clutch disc and the pressure plate no throw out headlong or slave cyclinder, and it’s in back order. At the proce going with a better aftermarket for only a few hundred more seams logical. Typical i do the install my self so labors less of an issue

Ouch, I glanced at RockAuto originally and they had the JK clutch listed for the 18 JL. Crazy that a standard wear part that impacts drivability isn't available anywhere.

 

[ASarsano]

Ouch, I glanced at RockAuto originally and they had the JK clutch listed for the 18 JL. Crazy that a standard wear part that impacts drivability isn't available anywhere.

Yeah every where I’ve looked online beside the dealer just lists the JK price and part as for the JL but I don’t wanna risk it and pull the tranny and not have the right part

 

[GATORB8]

Yeah every where I’ve looked online beside the dealer just lists the JK price and part as for the JL but I don’t wanna risk it and pull the tranny and not have the right part

Try ebay? This one may have slipped by since they only listed it for the JT.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/133645161616?epid=11037487041&hash=item1f1ddf5490:g:s5IAAOSwB4JeqU4a

I just grabbed the P/N from quadratec.

 

[omnitonic]

Centerforce's part lookup doesn't show anything for the JL, but once you know the part number from somebody else's catalog, Centerforce does list the clutch on their own site:

https://www.centerforce.com/articles/centerforce-dual-friction-kdf157077

Seems to be back ordered until October everywhere I look. I can't find any other aftermarket clutch for a JL. It looks like Centerforce or Mopar, take your pick. I didn't spend a lot of time digging on this, but the result of this search was not encouraging.

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

Yeah ive

seen a few but all I can find online is universal center force kits even in there website when u put in 18 JL nothing comes up. Deff concerned I get the right kit lol

Do you mean that’s all you can find for centerforce? Southbend has a bunch of options, based on your usage:

https://www.southbendclutch.com/clutches/13157/

 

[GATORB8]

Do you mean that’s all you can find for centerforce? Southbend has a bunch of options, based on your usage:

https://www.southbendclutch.com/clutches/13157/

Holy cow, $1700? They've also got the stock TOB listed for $145!

 

[fdFifty]

Last year I decided to upgrade to the Centerforce dual friction. I was fairly certain that my jeep was effected by the recall and I wasn't happy with the stock clutch for technical trail driving. The lack of feedback and inconsistent grab in tricky loading conditions made it too much of a handful.

I absolutely love the way the Centerforce handles the trail, but there have definitely been issues documented with these kits. I've had several issues, but in my case its not been clear whether these issues are due to shortcomings in the Centerforce clutch itself, FCA's hydraulics, or both.

I know that Centerforce has been working to remedy a lot of the issues people have experienced. I haven't seen an updated design hit the shelves yet but I could have just missed it.

Personally, I'm really interested to see how the South Bend set ups hold up. I just haven't found a lot about people's experiences with them in the JL.

 

[ASarsano]

Nice. Which centerforce kit did you go with? I’ve seen a few diffrent kits with diffrent part numbers/ material.

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