[Charlie]

I'm not doing any racing, so performance isnt a BIG deal, but the faster the better :wink:

are there any cheaper options that OEM that are still as durable/good? Would i be worth my money to spend a little more to get a better clutch??

 

[joshman]

Just keep it simple and stick with stock. Daiken or Exedy is probably the best way to go and will only run you about a $100. The stock clutch is made to handle a little more horsepower than stock anyway.

 

[rex2nr]

Diaken/Exedy

Exedy is a division of Diaken...Diaken made (may still) clutches for the Honda factory

 

[dohcrxl]

I'm not doing any racing, so performance isnt a BIG deal, but the faster the better :wink:

If there was any amount of seriousness in that... No, a performance clutch will not make your car go faster unless the engine is overpowering the current clutch as is. In your case, there will really be no gains.

so like the guys already said...

 

[Kwicko]

Like the others have said, for your needs an Exedy/Daikin OEM replacement clutch should fit the bill perfectly. It's what I'm still running in my '91 DX, and it's withstood some 30k miles of abuse without a problem. For the record, here's what it's connected to:

'89 Si (D16A6) engine
Hybrid transmission (ZC 1-4 gears, HF 5th, Si final drive/differential)
Stock '90-'91 flywheel lightened to 13 pounds (down from the 19 pounds it weighed stock)
K&N replacement air filter
Crower Stage 1 camshaft with STR adjustable cam gear.

So it's not *exactly* a '91 DX... Call it "lightly modified". Still, the basic OEM replacement Exedy clutch works great with it all.

The flywheel I'm using might be a good option for you, too. I paid a local machine shop to lighten and balance it when they were resurfacing it anyway; it set me back all of $75. I don't think I'd go any lighter than 13 pounds with a stock flywheel, for fear of it coming apart on me. Mine's been in the car for a little over 2 years now, and around 30k miles, so it seems to be holding together quite well. It's pretty easy to drive around town, too, and feels like it spins up a bit faster than stock. My bone-stock '90 CRX Si just feels bog slow in comparison.

Mike

 

[Charlie]

Hue, when i said faster i was talking about a lighter flywheel.

yeah i guess i'll go with just a resurfaced stock flywheel and replacement oem clutch.

I would lighten the one i have but i'd have to get it out of the car first (i'm getting it all replaced by my mechanic)

 

[grouch]

Aside from the well published/known benefits of a lightened flywheel, I've always thought that a lightened flywheel is easier for a stock clutch to clamp/grab. If:
A clutch is designed to produce x amount of clamp/grab in order to function with y amount of spinning mass...
When you subtract weight from y and there's less mass, but the same amount of x, a stock spec clutch will perform "better" or more like a performance clutch.

So, go with the Exedy clutch for about $100 and the money you save on the clutch, put towards a lightened flywheel. You can pick up a used one for $10-15 and get it lightened/resurfaced like Kwicko suggested.
Or you can get name brand aftermarket lightened flywheels off Ebay for around $150 all the time. I would stay away from the sub 10lbs models. 10-13lbs seems ideal for street driving.

 

[dohcya]

That makes sense....

 

[akirarex]

Actually there are "lightweight" clutches that free up horsepower just like lightweight flywheels/pulleys do.

From what I read a 13 pound flywheel is the magical number for naturally aspirated d series engine.

Like everyone else said exedy is basically the best.

 

[crxgator]

if you are really worried about the clutch slipping, get an ACT street disc and oem honda pressure plate...

 

[Kwicko]

yeah i guess i'll go with just a resurfaced stock flywheel and replacement oem clutch.

I would lighten the one i have but i'd have to get it out of the car first (i'm getting it all replaced by my mechanic)

Yeah, but you're going to have to get it out of the car in order to resurface it anyway. Might as well shave it down a bit while it's out.

Mike

 

[stick]

A better clutch and stiffer pressure plate does make your car faster...but only on the acceleration from a stand still. It grabs much harder and faster, but you also need the proper tires and suspension to capitalize on this extra quick jump off the line.

For street driving, I wouldn't recommend anything stiffer than a Heavy Duty pressure plate. I have an Xtreme Pressure plate and modified street disc from ACT, and I love it...however, the pedal is VERY stiff, and probably not something that most people would like to deal with in rush-hour traffic.

 

[dohcya]

How much did that lil setup cost you sticker?

 

[stick]

A lot more than stock. Xtreme pressure plate, modified street disc clutch, and 8.4 lbs Pro-lite flywheel came to around $1000 CDN after taxes and shipping. I had to replace my stuff anyways though... my clutch, pressure plate, and flywheel were all completely trashed and soiled with oil. Needless to say, I fixed the leaky main seal before installing the expensive goodies.

 

[dohcya]

Dang, you ain't kidding. Well, either way it seems like a really nice daily driver clutch setup. I'd like to do that if I was intending on keeping this motor in...

 

[joshman]

I ended up going with a setup that would handle more power down the road as well. I didn't go with an Extreme PP due to pedal effort required but the clutch disc I went with recommended more than stock clamping power. So I ended up going with a Heavy Duty PP from ActionClutch at www.actionclutch.com, I highly recommend them. They also offer a dual diaphram which is a different method for creating an Extreme PP. Pedal effort is definately more than stock but nothing too difficult. I ended up paying only $200 shipped for their PP vs $275 plus shipping for ACT.

I went with kevlar for the friction material for the clutch disc rather than the standard organic. Kevlar has many superior properties to Organic clutch discs including holding capacity and durability.

Kevlar/Kevlar Clutch
Designed for long life and minimal wear, these clutches are preferred for the high performance, high torque applications. Also preferable in light weight cars to eliminate chatter.

Pretty much all the Kevlar material for the disc comes from the same place, Clutchtex. But only a few brands carry Kevlar discs and those are SPEC, ActionClutch, Clutch Masters, Unorthodox Racing, and maybe more.

Like others, I decided to go with a lighter flywheel, but didn't trust getting the stock one lightened. So I ended up getting an aluminum one from Evolution Industries as seen here
Lifetime warranty, a descent price, and a not so extreme 11.5lbs made this an easy choice for me.

So in all I paid about $650-700 for my setup which I really like. Definately a huge improvement over the worn stock clutch. Getting it to chirp in second on an acceleration ramp is fun on a nearly stock engine. Piecing parts together did take a little more time and may not be the best choice for everybody, but it did allow me to save a couple hundred bucks compared to Stick's setup. I'm kind of curious which setup drives better though.

 

[stick]

The reason I bit the bullet and went with everything from ACT was because if something goes wrong down the road, they won't be able to blame some other company and weasel their way out of their warranty agreement. (ie: oh, the clutch failed because you used "x company's" pressure plate or flywheel) I'm sure that the difference between the performance on your setup and mine wouldn't be terribly noticeable unless we both added a lot more horsies to our setups.

 

[sneaky_pete]

Im running a centerforce dual friction clutch in my hatch.. Ive got a ZC swap, and I have had zero problems with it.. Grabs awesome, and is very streetable..

later

Sneak