Which 2004 OEM Spec Clutch?

[Ava]

Hello everyone,

 

Currently using my Z as my daily driver after a long absence, and not very fond of the current clutch. I think the Nissan dealer that did the replacement years back put something inferior in and wasted my time, but anyway, I digress.

 

I was looking over at tarmac sports as I think I'll probably end up replacing it soonish, and saw that there is an OEM spec kit for my 350Z...it's this one:

 

https://www.tarmacsportz.co.uk/clutch-and-drivetrain/350z-03-05-vq35de-exedy-luk-oem-replacement-clutch-and-flywheel-kit.html

 

Anyone got any comments on this one or any other dual mass flywheel options?

 

I'm not looking for anything more than stock performance, so just want something that will feel good and wear properly...

 

Cheers!

 

Ava

[Jack94]

That's what the cars came out the factory with so if you're after something comfortable for daily driving that'll do the job well. 

 

I take it you've looked into/aren't interested in any single mass flywheel options? 

[Ava]

28 minutes ago, Jack94 said:

That's what the cars came out the factory with so if you're after something comfortable for daily driving that'll do the job well. 

 

I take it you've looked into/aren't interested in any single mass flywheel options? 

Yeah, I liked the original clutch just fine. The replacement one was crap, not sure what they did there!

 

As I understand it, the single mass flywheels tend to trade better performance for worse economy, which would be fine if I still had a heavy foot, but these days I'm happy to take things a bit easier.

 

But if it's not that simple, or there are other benefits, I'd totally be interested in finding out what they are... ;-)

[Jack94]

Maybe they put a cheap nasty one in before like you say then, but yeah you won't go far wrong with exedy/luk.

 

Single mass flywheels do increase performance (they're far lighter which allows the car to rev much more freely), they also tend to be cheaper and last much longer than a dual mass. 

The main trade off for all this is increased NVH (usually in the form of gearbox "chatter" at idle). 

 

On the other hand dual masses tend to be more expensive and wear out quickly (it's usually recommended you change it everytime you change the clutch) but they're far quiter. 

 

So really it all comes down to whether you could tolerate a bit of extra noise for the increased performance or not.

 

Also most of the clutches in aftermarket kits are uprated, so they can handle more power and abuse but will make the pedal a bit harder, so it's worth thinking about whether this would be a benefit or hindrance to you. 

 

[Ava]

On 21/05/2019 at 06:26, Jack94 said:

Maybe they put a cheap nasty one in before like you say then, but yeah you won't go far wrong with exedy/luk.

 

Single mass flywheels do increase performance (they're far lighter which allows the car to rev much more freely), they also tend to be cheaper and last much longer than a dual mass. 

The main trade off for all this is increased NVH (usually in the form of gearbox "chatter" at idle). 

 

On the other hand dual masses tend to be more expensive and wear out quickly (it's usually recommended you change it everytime you change the clutch) but they're far quiter. 

 

So really it all comes down to whether you could tolerate a bit of extra noise for the increased performance or not.

 

Also most of the clutches in aftermarket kits are uprated, so they can handle more power and abuse but will make the pedal a bit harder, so it's worth thinking about whether this would be a benefit or hindrance to you. 

 

 

Thanks for extra info Jack...it's good to know the full set of trade offs.

 

I think for this time round I'm probably going to go for the dual mass flywheel, as it's the easy option to go with...but at the same time, I could totally see myself enjoying a harder pedal. Do you have any recommendations on the specific single mass options available? Tarmac sportz seem to have the following similarly priced options available:

 

https://www.tarmacsportz.co.uk/clutch-and-drivetrain/exedy-tarmac-sportz-350z-03-06-de-replacement-clutch-plus-lightweight-performance-flywheel-kit.html

https://www.tarmacsportz.co.uk/clutch-and-drivetrain/jwt-nissan-350z-vq35de-03-06-clutch-and-single-mass-flywheel-kit.html

 

Thanks again!

 

A.

[Jack94]

At the moment my zed is still on its OEM clutch /flywheel but I've got one of these stage 1 kits ready to go on later this year- https://www.tarmacsportz.co.uk/clutch-and-drivetrain/xtreme-clutch-nissan-350z-z33-vq35de-engine-clutches.html

 

I know Xtreme are really popular and well rated, not sure about the 2 options you've linked. At a guess I'd say the flywheels are pretty similar but the clutch in the JWT kit is uprated hense why its more expensive. 

 

I'm sure @buster or @Tarmac@TarmacSportz will be able to give you more info.

Also might be worth having a look on Torqen's site or speaking to @Adrian@TORQEN

 

[Ava]

On 23/05/2019 at 08:54, Jack94 said:

At the moment my zed is still on its OEM clutch /flywheel but I've got one of these stage 1 kits ready to go on later this year- https://www.tarmacsportz.co.uk/clutch-and-drivetrain/xtreme-clutch-nissan-350z-z33-vq35de-engine-clutches.html

 

I know Xtreme are really popular and well rated, not sure about the 2 options you've linked. At a guess I'd say the flywheels are pretty similar but the clutch in the JWT kit is uprated hense why its more expensive. 

 

I'm sure @buster or @Tarmac@TarmacSportz will be able to give you more info.

Also might be worth having a look on Torqen's site or speaking to @Adrian@TORQEN

 

Ok, thanks for all the info!

 

I think given the bad feeling I had with my previous clutch, I'm probably going to go as close to a standard OEM install as I can for now...just so that I can get back to a place where it's more enjoyable to drive again and get a good baseline understanding to judge things from going forward.

 

I think that means that I'm going to go with the Exedy (NSK 2168) + LuK (415 0213 11) combo this time.

 

The TarmacSportz website says they're currently out of stock at the moment on the LuK (but not the bundle strangely!), so I'm probably going to have to source it all from elsewhere.

 

The priciest but probably most reliable source seems to be from eurocarparts on eBay, so I'll probably just go with them so that I can get it all delivered together and booked in with my mechanic quickly.

 

Just in case there are any supply issues, is there anyone else worth going to for the whole lot?

 

Oh, and I think I'm right in thinking the only things included in the various kits are the flywheel, clutch pressure plate, clutch, and release bearing? Is it a good idea to source and change out the pilot bearing at the same time also? (and if so, where's the best place to get one?)

 

Thanks again!

 

A.