Sachs Paddle Plate Clutch - Bedding In

Alex C

Alex C

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After being reassured over the Sachs SRE paddle plate clutch with the standard cover plate giving an OEM feel I ended up having it fitted; I'm currently on standard 210bhp power levels but I do have plans in the future so I thought I'd lay the foundations for it with a clutch upgrade as it was all out for a gearbox refurb.

The clutch disk was tight fitting on the flywheel so was flipped over with the hub of the friction disk pointing gearbox side rather than engine side (@badger5 It was me who rang on Tuesday Bill for the fitment advice; I didn't mis-hear you did I?)

Should I expect a 'run in/bed in' period for the clutch? I have driven it roughly 50miles and it slips in stop start traffic and its a pain moving slowly uphill or in car parks; if I try and feather the clutch in it is juddery (catch-slip-catch-slip) on the uptake. Having just parked the car up there is an obvious clutch smell.

Is this to be expected early days with this clutch setup?

Cheers
Alex
 
This way around?

20140215_173529.jpg


<tuffty/>
 
Yeah that's it Tuffty; or at least that's the way round I relayed to the garage doing the work; I did double check when I picked it up so I am confident it's that way round

At the same time it had a new standard DMF and standard pressure plate fitted; I'm hoping the clutch engagement is going to improve with time?
 
You do need a few more revs than normal for a smooth engagement but I have never personally had any real issue with the setup that would make me think I need to rethink my choice of clutch... I am on my second now and have driven cars with uprated organic clutches and paddle clutch/SMF setups... this setup should easily feel as light as original (its the same pressure plate after all) and be less juddery/snatchy then a full on paddle setup...

There is a small judder on take up on occasion when in stop/start or hills but its more a case of getting used to the bite point/take up and give it a little revs...

Tbh it is the nature of this particular beast... round organic plates are designed around smooth uptake for normal driving but the only way to get a decent torque rating from them is to clamp them harder...

In short you either end up with a shaky leg and a throbbing knee in slow traffic managing a heavy duty cover plate or get a small amount of juddering take up which can be managed once you get used to it...

I feel your pain though... the few times I have driven my car to work and had to deal with start/stop traffic wasn't the best thing ever but then I normally drive an A2 with a clutch thats much much lighter anyway...

<tuffty/>
 
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Thanks, the weight of the clutch is fine, nice and light; it's the engagement that's causing me problems at the moment. I'll see how it evolves and if I get used to it but I may end up reverting tbh
 
Clutches seem to be hugely subjective... when doing my initial research the discussion over clutches for the 02M was massively varied..

One fella had a southbend clutch and thought it was the best thing ever, another fella fitted the same one and couldn't live with it...

I really like the 'bitey' feel and have got quite used to it over the years... I do have VT engine mounts of course which help as I suspect normal engine mounts would potentially enhance the 'judder'...

I can honestly say the clutch setup from a functional vs drivabilty point of view is perfect but this of course is my opinion and as Bill has said he has fitted this setup to numerous cars now and performs with no issue..

I can see your point as the snatchy nature of this type of paddle setup may not be for everyone and can take some getting used...

This type of setup will inherently feel more like you describe due to the extra grip afforded by the friction material and slow traffic/hills will exacerbate this...

I still say that this setup gives an OEM feel but depends on the context I guess... its as light as an OEM clutch but it is more grabby

<tuffty/>
 
yeah thanks Tuffty; this is why I was so cautious before finally deciding to just go with the flow and get the paddle plate clutch. Do you know what the friction material is on the paddle plate?

This link may be a little too perscriptive but there should be some truth in it

http://www.uucmotorwerks.com/clutch/

Perhaps the Sach's SRE Organic or even the standard Sach's organic would be a better option for my daily drive useage; I'll see how it is in 2-3 weeks (~500-750miles). I've also got the VT Road mounts with a poly dogbone mount
 
Alex C said:
Thanks, the weight of the clutch is fine, nice and light; it's the engagement that's causing me problems at the moment. I'll see how it evolves and if I get used to it but I may end up reverting tbh
Click to expand...
a few extra revs to trickle in the clutch is all thats required.

unless they've cocked up the install, it would be virtually normal to drive
thats why I use them,
 
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Alex C said:
yeah thanks Tuffty; this is why I was so cautious before finally deciding to just go with the flow and get the paddle plate clutch. Do you know what the friction material is on the paddle plate?

This link may be a little too perscriptive but there should be some truth in it

http://www.uucmotorwerks.com/clutch/

Perhaps the Sach's SRE Organic or even the standard Sach's organic would be a better option for my daily drive useage; I'll see how it is in 2-3 weeks (~500-750miles). I've also got the VT Road mounts with a poly dogbone mount
Click to expand...

Organic is'nt going to be particularly uprated is it

I have to ask why choose an uprated item when you say you dont need it?
Sounds bizarre to me
 
badger5 said:
I have to ask why choose an uprated item when you say you dont need it?
Sounds bizarre to me
Click to expand...

because I want to go down the Hybrid route at some point and figured it made sense to sort the clutch out now whilst the box is out for a refurb
 
Based on that link I would say this is what the plate is close too...

carbon/ceramic
CHARACTERISTICS Very high temperature materials, usually only found on multi-puck disks. Will accommodate 500hp+ Engagement is more abrupt. Will wear flywheel surface faster, especially in traffic situations. Carbon is slightly more durable and flywheel-friendly, ceramic has a higher temp range. Multi-puck design may result in slight shuddering or "stepped" engagement when used in traffic situations, although many users report completely acceptable operation. Material is any of several light hues - gray, pink, brown.
USE Street/strip applications for drag-racing and heavy track use cars up to 500hp. Will take very hard use, suitable for extreme-clamping applications.
Click to expand...

<tuffty/>
 
I honestly found that training legs more often made this clutch so light! Lol. It takes abut of getting used to, once you do it's totally fine. My old man drives it more than me so that's saying it's perfect for OAP's, it should be fine for us!
 
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