James,
Basically every one of my posts on this forum is about the shoite clutch in these cars that's made of cheese (the soft French kind, not the hard Italian kind)
I have recently been looking into the short list of options that are available aftermarket for uprated clutches and, as you rightly point out, the UK options seem to be limited to RTS, Helix or Sachs.
Correctly bled, the Sachs uprated organic clutch (999502) and the Sachs SRE uprated pressure plate (002352) DOES give a heavier pedal weight and that appeals to me personally. However, the RTS clutches are somewhat lighter, and very very near to OEM feel.
To some people (myself included) the extra weight on the clutch pedal actually improves feel.... Though "How much" extra weight is down to personal preference and will obviously vary from person to person.
I've just started talking to one of the RTS retailers (and they are in turn working with RTS) about the performance/pedal-weight/clamping force connundrum. And we may be on to something....
The current RTS clutches are not self-aligning yet still pull the quoted torque figures when installed correctly. However, there is apparent talk of a Self-Aligning-Clutch (SAC) format potentially being workable in the limited space that is available in the 6spd manual bell-housing. Having a SAC format may allow the diaphragm/pressure plate 'fingers' to be adjusted or tuned for a marginally thicker material or alternative contact angle, which will increase the bite-point range and increase the maximum pressure applied and also allow the pedal feel to be improved, whilst potentially resulting in an uprated clamping force and max torque figure to be achieved.
I am at a point where I am considering organising a Group Buy (funds sent direct to retailer) to make this SAC format happen with or without the increased pressure plate thickness for those wanting to keep a superlight pedal. This would then allow us to get the best for our own worlds...
For you this would be an uprated clutch with OEM feel (or as near as you can possibly get) with an increased consistency and longievity offered by the SAC and potentially higher torque limit.
For me this would be an uprated clutch with a heavier feel thanks to the increased material option, plus the increased consistency/longievity of the SAC format and the higher torque limit.
Would you or anybody else for that matter, be interested in this?
They offer SMF's and Sachs DMFs for those that need/want them.
As with all group buys, the bigger the group, the cheaper they get. I will be taking mine with a new Sachs DMF.
Is anybody interested?
Cheers all,
Scott
