clutch masters kit and towing with an aveo

[northguest47]

ive wanted to beef up the clutch for towing approx 650lbs max and for daily driving, and i dont really know too much about the kits. the reason being is im envisioning a lot of prolonged starts that will put a lot of heat into the stock loosey goosey clutch - ie. uphill starts at traffic lights. also i might want to dump the clutch a couple hundred times now and again. is there anyone who could give me some insight into which kit would suit my purpose?

[petrified.rabbit]

there are stage clutches on eBay.. read the descriptions. NONE of them improve slip and pedal play. They only hold better when the pedal is not pressed.. i.e. slippage.

[northguest47]

thanks ^ for that, Rabbit.. I was just going off where its mentioned say 70% over stock holding capacity. i think i was misinterpreting that as 70% more torque, now that you've cleared up the wording. but it also says increased life expectancy with the kevlar disk - that would be beneficial to me wouldn't it? as im expecting to spend a lot more time 'in the friction zone' so to speak pulling all that extra weight into first gear over and over again? or do you think i am researching something unnecessary and just stick with the stock one? i actually do dbl clutch btw

[slayerized6]

The Aveo is rated at 1000lbs max tow capacity as it is. I would stick with an OEM style clutch. Stay away from kevlar lined discs, pucked discs, lightweight flywheels, etc.

I would just leave the clutch alone for now unless it needs to be replaced anyway. I would stick with LUK clutch kits as they primary manufacturer for most OEM kits. If the stock clutch doesn't hold what you are towing, then I would upgrade to a Clutch Masters HD kit.

The reason I say stay away from pucked and kevlar clutches is because it you never driven one before, you will have no idea what I am talking about. I had a SPEC Stage 3 clutch on my Trans Am (400hp); the clutch, which was kevlar lined and pucked, was defintly not suitable for daily driving. Those types of clutches don't allow any slippage, whatsoever, when engaging 1st gear from a stop. Its basically an ON/OFF switch, so the car ould be very jerky and not allow for a smooth ride, especially in stop and go traffic. And I don't see how it would be beneficial when towing. That's why I would say stay away from those types of clutches.

PS- also, I would upgrade my brakes too for towing. Ceramic pads on the front calipers and ceramic shoes on the drums.

[petrified.rabbit]

Slayer, what your clutch sprung or unsprung? what you describe sounds like an unsprung clutch. You can get "pretty far" performance wise and not feel a difference in regular driving. An unsprung clutch is damn near impossible to drive in stop go traffic. And they usually show up around stage 3 like you had.

[slayerized6]

Slayer, what your clutch sprung or unsprung? what you describe sounds like an unsprung clutch. You can get "pretty far" performance wise and not feel a difference in regular driving. An unsprung clutch is damn near impossible to drive in stop go traffic. And they usually show up around stage 3 like you had.

'Twas a sprung clutch.

[northguest47]

thanks slayerized - the brakes are completely replaced all around, barely any miles on them and i haven't used them hard yet, but will keep the ceramic pads and shoes in my mind. i think i know what you mean about your clutch my friend was into older rx7's (he had a '79 with a 13b motor) and when he tried one with a race clutch he just kept stalling it, almost like you have to do a burnout to start.. well i will stick with the stock clutch and see how long it lasts it will probably be fine if i really keep an eye on avoiding uphill starts in the first place. saves me money too.