Anyone know about sax clutch?

[edward_harris]

as im due to have turbo, intercooler etc fitted to my s3 next month (350 bhp)!! im also having a new clutch fitted as my clutch release bearing has gone, APS who are doing the work have recommended a sax clutch, anyone have any experience with these are they nice to use etc?

 

[leecs3]

as im due to have turbo, intercooler etc fitted to my s3 next month (350 bhp)!! im also having a new clutch fitted as my clutch release bearing has gone, APS who are doing the work have recommended a sax clutch, anyone have any experience with these are they nice to use etc?

sachs. Think there a budget brand, have a look around at MTM, Helix, black diamond and see if your getting value for money. If a job involves a hefty labour charge you only want to do it once so fit the best part you can afford.

 

[S3Steve]

I wouldnt say Sachs was a budget option. Sachs are a big company that do alot of original equipment stuff for manufactures, they have also done work with motorsport upto F1 level. Ive always thought of them as good quality.

If you are trusting APS to do all your conversion work then I would trust them to recomend a clutch for the application, they must have done these conversions before and therefore should know what works.

 

[edward_harris]

i have looked them up and the sachs sound quite good from what i have read! i was just worried about the clutch being crap to use! IE heavy on the foot or the bighting point!

 

[S3Steve]

That will depend on the spring rate of the clutch and the type of clutch plate material you opt for

 

[simch]

Who said a "black diamond" over a sachs.........? You're kiddin, right!?
Black diamond clutches are total scrap! All they do is an uprated driven plate, with stupid heavy clamp springs on them, then a cheap remanufacured friction plate! So when you take up drive, it clunks, gives a huge shock through the stock remanufactured friction plate and shock loads the centre of it. After about 5-10k miles, the middle of the friction plate cracks and drops out, meaning no clutch.
I have three, all the same on a mk2 8v making 150hp! None laster over 5k miles, same thing each time! Oh, of course balck diamond customer service accepted their warrnaty claims and sent a new one out, but it dont halp wiht the £200 labour each time!
In the end, they were such crap I put in a stock vw clutch,. no slipping and 15k miles better still perfect.

Be careful of any "uprated" clutch that is only a driven plate with massive clamp springs in, it will muller the centre of the friction plate every time unless friction plate is uprated too.

 

[jojo]

Who said a "black diamond" over a sachs.........? You're kiddin, right!?
Black diamond clutches are total scrap! All they do is an uprated driven plate, with stupid heavy clamp springs on them, then a cheap remanufacured friction plate! So when you take up drive, it clunks, gives a huge shock through the stock remanufactured friction plate and shock loads the centre of it. After about 5-10k miles, the middle of the friction plate cracks and drops out, meaning no clutch.
I have three, all the same on a mk2 8v making 150hp! None laster over 5k miles, same thing each time! Oh, of course balck diamond customer service accepted their warrnaty claims and sent a new one out, but it dont halp wiht the £200 labour each time!
In the end, they were such crap I put in a stock vw clutch,. no slipping and 15k miles better still perfect.

Be careful of any "uprated" clutch that is only a driven plate with massive clamp springs in, it will muller the centre of the friction plate every time unless friction plate is uprated too.

I guess you are driving your car the way it's meant to be driven lol, my Mk2 16V is showing 103k and still on the original clutch!

 

[joe6886]

I have a Sachs clutch waiting to go in my S3, mine is standard though. I believe they are OE quality.

 

[dan_a3]

Yeah sachs are a very good quality clutch. Also price up an LUK clutch, as these are also very good.

 

[jojo]

Also price up an LUK clutch, as these are also very good.

Are you joking?, LUK clutches are cheap reconditioned jobbies, I wouldn't use one for any performance car with over 150bhp, on a runaround or daily workhourse then yes, but use it for performance application would kill it in no time.

 

[AwesomeSarah]

Mmmm LUK is classed as standard
Sachs is slightly uprated
Helix I suppose could be one of the most uprated that you can get without going silly prices for the American jobbies
I have experienced them , and I must admit I have experienced problems , but where do you go when there is a problem ? mmm
So I would say Helix
Sarah

 

[Aky]

I certainly wouldn't say its budget at £500. I had one in my Golf TDi after having it revo'd. The clutch never slipped again, had it installed for 20k miles and no problems. I think you also get a 2 yr guarantee.

 

[simch]

I guess you are driving your car the way it's meant to be driven lol, my Mk2 16V is showing 103k and still on the original clutch!

156k now, 2 litre 8v digifant, schrick cam, full race head, stainless mani and system! Sounds a treat! 155hp!
The stock one I fitted after the rubbishy balck diamonds gave up twice is holding up perfectly. i reckon it should do 80k at least in it, so should last til 220k or so!!

Oh and LUK stuff is ofter remanufactured friction plates, quite good ones, but remanufactured in the main. Better than some out there but be careful!!

The sachs uprated one you will have been quoted for edward may well be just an uprated paddle style friction plate, with stock (new?) cover.

This is a safer method of uprating just one part of the clutch, as it will not shock load the stock friction plate on taking up drive. expect it to be a little juddery on taking up drive in traffic etc though, a price you pay I am afraid!

Alternatives may include a change of flywheel to junk the potentially troublesome dual mass flywheel, for a solid one off a Vr6, then use a Vr6 uprated clutch. Some swear by them , personally, I have never had any problems with the stock dual mass....!

 

[dan_a3]

LUK clutches are cheap reconditioned jobbies

Where did you get that from? Surley if they were reconditioned clutches there would be surcharges on them when you buy them until you bring the old unit back, and there aint.

 

[jojo]

Where did you get that from? Surley if they were reconditioned clutches there would be surcharges on them when you buy them until you bring the old unit back, and there aint.

I'm not 100% sure, but I do know a guy that runs and operates a LUK clutch outlet, and that's what he told me, they remanufacture/recondition used clutches by replacing the worn material was his word... who am I to argue lol?

 

[dan_a3]

If thats what he said then fair enough, but i sell LUK and Sachs clutches everyday, and most of our customers choose LUK over Sachs when given the choice, and the Sachs ones are usually cheaper! So they cant be that bad!
Would be interested to find out if they are definately recon clutches, as was told by the guy that we buy the LUK clutches off that the reason Sachs were cheaper was because they were reconditioned and LUK were new!
Im pretty sure that when items are reconditioned they carry surcharges for the old unit from the manufacturer, e.g starters, alternators, CV Joints, Calipers, Etc, So that they can recondition them- Otherwise they would have no old core to recon in the first place!