bonzelite

iTrader: (2)

i decided to try Valeo PHC in lieu of Exedy. i researched the company and they are among the top 3 mfgs. of clutches worldwide. the top three are: Luk, Exedy, and Valeo. they are based out of south africa and are widely popular in european racing and higher end OEM spec replaement parts. i will post results after the install. also, i have the Fidanza already bolted up. car is torn down at present, so i am driving my S14 in the meantime.

while it is torn apart, a center pulley with a

for more info, go to www.valeo.com

and www.phcvaleo.co.za/clutch_covers.html

bonzelite

iTrader: (2)

sorry. "a center pulley with a..." -- bad bearing is being replaced, as well as a problematic power steering leakage problem. so the maxima is under major "refinements" in the driveway right now. and, yes, i have help to do this.

davebond007

How much was it and where did you get it?

bonzelite

iTrader: (2)

$375. at SpeedZone in Glendale, CA.

they didn't have the Exedy stg 1 in stock and i needed a clutch NOW. they recommened the Valeo, as it is at the same level, actually more expensive than the Exedy i wanted. evidently, the Valeo is more widely known in europe, as i had never heard of it.

i am excited about getting the maxima back on the road. it will be a different animal after a couple of days. i picked up the stock flywheel and it was absolutely massive in weight. the fidanza is like a feather comparatively speaking. i already have high expectations. wish me luck.

Lordrandall

iTrader: (4)

Glendale eh? I'm in Burbank and my wife works in Glendale.

Let us know about that Valeo. I have an ACT waiting to go in, but I have to resolve my accident first.

bonzelite

iTrader: (2)

lordrandall,

were i you, i would reconsider against the ACT. they are not bad products, but those tend to be rather harsh on the weak maxima tranny. i know that you can have any brand of clutch, drive the car badly, and end up with tranny-bearing failure anyway. but ACT will only help that cause, IMO. i specifically stayed a hundred miles away from ACT when clutch researching/shopping.

and do not get Centerforce. never get that.

if you have the receipt, take the ACT back to where it came from and don't look back.

i will update everyone on the Valeo.

Lordrandall

iTrader: (4)

I'll keep that in mind, but it might be a moot point if my car is totalled.

I got the clutch new from a buddy, so no receipt. I might have to sell it myself.

bonzelite

iTrader: (2)

right. understand, lordrandall.

my car will be driven tomorrow with the driveline upgrades. i am anxious.
what others have done, what stories i've read, will be reality for me tomorrow.

crazy4maxima

iTrader: (5)

ok thsi has got to stop..


poeple have good experinces with act, some bad..


i just sold my exedy clutch cause most my freinds have act over here and no problems with them.. so what gives

D-sta

iTrader: (6)

I have the ACT clutch in my car and no problems at all. Many people recommend it even Jeff from maximum tuning does and I'm sure he knows what he's talking about. Izzy get rid of the exedy and don't look back and get the ACT.

crazy4maxima

iTrader: (5)

diego call me

James92SE

iTrader: (31)

You sold the Exedy just because most of your friends have no problems with ACT?

As if the Exedy couldnt be a nice clutch in and of itself?

Exedy power right here

bonzelite

iTrader: (2)

nothing replaces first-hand experience. so you are good to go. i mean, what can i say?

as for me, to avoid expense and pain, i have read post after post after post about clutches and have found that in most cases, people advise against the ACT. so i took advice rather than buy into a product that i may have been unhappy with. people often remark about how the ACT is too "clampy." it works TOO well for it's own good.

i found the most sought-after clutch for the maxima to be Exedy.

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

4-geners are having problems. How many 3-geners?? "Maybe" 1. I have an ACT also. If you respect your machinery, it will be fine. Abuse it and it will bite you back.

bonzelite, where did you get your Fidanza from? You got pics of your stuff and your skyline rims?

D-sta

iTrader: (6)

The gripping power is awesome but thats also into the taste of the driver. Its not stock smooth at all especially in the break in period. The clutch on the ACT kit is a modified exedy disc now where this kit is very different compared to others is in the pressure plates, its twice the weight, and its much thicker.

Bonezlite I agree with you and I'm sure James will also that CENTERFORCE sucks. Putting that clutch shouldn't be considered a mod, more like a *** up. I hope everything goes well with your clutch kit and flywheel.

James exedy is a great clutch its provides great grip and still keeps the Maxima smooth. Its a all personal taste when it comes down to it.

D-sta

iTrader: (6)

excellent point Jeff.

James92SE

iTrader: (31)

Haha yeah I posted pics a couple months back of what happened to the Centerforce that was in my car. It totally destroyed itself...

As far as the gripping power on the ACT I couldnt imagine how hard it must grip. I really got on my Exedy hard the other day and it about shook my dash apart at the 1-2 shift. That's grippy enough for me lol

D-sta

iTrader: (6)

lol....lets just say the shaking is always there for the ACT but its gotten much better since its broken in.

MrGone

iTrader: (30)

Heheh, I'm glad Izzy sold his Exedy, I needed one

VQ's seem to be having the problems with abusive drivers and ACT's

I would love to have an ACT, but the Exedy is the best bang for the buck.

crazy4maxima

iTrader: (5)

dang i shouldnt have sold my exedy, just shipped it to shawn, i hope you like it MrGone. Now what the hell am i gonna do for a clutch.


Man i am back to square one!




why why me?. I dont know what to do. As far as the act killing trannies, i think it all boils down to 2 things. maybe three. 1- Driver 2- The clutch , 3- the installation of the clutch. and maybe a combo off all the things listed.

N34JZ had the luke clutch , it was great, but the thing was that after 6+ months the clutch was gone, but not because of the driver. I think jason said it might be due to the installation, dont know how they fu(ked that up, but after doing the JDM swap and installing the Fly wheel and the act they found out that the lukehad no meat on it left, and that it was basically eating at the stock fly wheel when he engaged the clutch.


Maybe i should post up a poll. Who has what on their 3rd gen and how they drive

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

Geez, use the ACT, make sure to install it correctly(clean surfaces!, break it in right) and then just drive it 1/2 normally most of the time.

I ain't changing clutches and will install my ACT on the new car when I get the chance.

MrGone

iTrader: (30)

Izzy, why not the ACT?

bonzelite

iTrader: (2)

ok. i have to photograph my wheels, and there is another thread with a skyline tail light dispute that only photos will totally prove (i am going to show that R32 sedan tails are the closest in size and shape to the 3rd gen, not the R33s). so i have to do that. and i will do it.

i got the Fidanza from gabe potter on these forums.
for cheap.

i took the car out on the streets and the Valeo is great. very easy, smooth, fatory-like. not a problem whatsoever. no break-in feel or harshness. it is super smooth and the shifts are effortless. the clutch pedal is not spongy or soft. it is firm and normal.

the Fidanza >>> welllll. i am disappointed. it functions well and all. the car revs easier and smoother. but the car now lacks torque and is a bore to drive!!!! i can rev to redline all day, easily and with no effort, and the car no longer has the 'push you back in the seat" torquey feel like it had before. so i must say that the lightweight flywheel case for me is closed: i hate it.

unless the engine is built to the hilt, i am assuming, the lightweight flywheel is a white elephant.

as soon as i get cash, and as much as my mechanic friend will hate it, i'm putting the OEM flywheel back in it. i want my real maxima back.

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

You do know that the light flywheel has nothing to do with torque, ESPECIALLY when in gear already. There is NO torque loss. Who is gabe potter?? gabe kotter?? hehe

The only loss(if any) would be from a standstill when a heavier flywheel is able to store more kinetic energy than a ligher unit.

I have driven a 4th gen with a Fidanza, it's great.

bonzelite

iTrader: (2)

then that is what i have noticed as a difference. since i posted last, i have taken the car out in traffic. and i am starting to see some advantages of the lighter flywheel, despite the apparent loss of initial punch. actually, once i get the rpms up there, it has the same amount of power as it did before but i am able to zip in and out of traffic easier from dead zero. it is sort of difficult to describe without actually feeling it. the lighter rotational mass is most felt at the beginnning. which is good and bad. what i miss is the g-force type of feeling in the seats. what i am not yet used to is the car surging ahead, apparently just as fast if not quicker, without the apparent jolt. and i interpreted that as "less torque." the car simply accelerates easier, more SMOOTHLY and that is something i am not used to. so i said i "hate it." and because of how i am used to driving, with the OEM flywheel, i am at redline quicker than greased ****.

i have yet to take the car out on the freeway. that is where i really put the hammer down. and i get pictures back in an hour (i still don't have a digital camera yet). i will attempt to post them tonight, soon. so how do you post pictures on here? i want to show everyone my car with the R32 wheels on it.

bonzelite

iTrader: (2)

i'm starting to like the Fidanza flywheel a little more. it is taking some getting used to for me. the car is actually easier to drive. the easy/high rev situation would benefit from a short-throw shifter. in this case i can see that being extremely useful. actually, that would nearly be required to get the fullest gain from this mod, IMO.

MrGone

iTrader: (30)

do you have an intake on your car and if so, did the engine sound different at all? It technically has a lighter load to pull so it might sound different.... just wondering.

Glad to hear your warming up to it

bonzelite

iTrader: (2)

yes. i have CAI. you have a point about the sound. the thing is, i am not used to the car climbing to high revs so easily. perhaps this is an illusion.

but because i have the habit of driving like a demon, i am accustomed to giving the car a lot of gas to get up and go. and that would traditionally cause the car to sort of surge forward once it got up to speed, overcoming the heavy deadweight of the OEM flywheel, then rushing in with the higher horsepower as it reached the peak of the powerband. that condition is totally different now:

the car reaches peak horsepower rev range very quickly. and there is not this sudden, or rather, more abrupt, albeit later, "surging ahead" feeling. the car does it smoothly and gradually nearly throughout the entire rpm range, up to peak. and i initially perceived this as lack of torque. eventhough it is not that at all.

perhaps i am talking too much about it. i am just getting used to it, really. it is very different. i drove the car again tonight and i have more "sensory awareness" of the before and after feelings. i like it more and more. it is easy to cut around people. the car seems to have gained a sort of agility that it did not have before. but it does not give me the g-forces that i had because it has created more uniform, more seamless acceleration. it is a paradox.

bonzelite

iTrader: (2)

i realize now that what i have been experiencing is the clutch slippage of the break-in period. the setup is beginning to feel good now. i retract my "hate" statements earlier. i love the Fidanza flywheel. it is not a mistake. i like it more and more. the break-in period is getting better and better.

ignore my long-winded bullsh!t of earlier on.

MrGone

iTrader: (30)

good to hear

D-sta

iTrader: (6)

Flywheel is always good stuff, I think you would of been the first person I would of heard say something bad about a flyhweel.

crazy4maxima

iTrader: (5)

check again, he loves it after the "Break in period"


man i guess i wont be modding til sep or oct.

bonzelite

iTrader: (2)

crazy4maxima is correct-----> THE FLYWHEEL AND CLUTCH HAVE A BREAK-IN PERIOD THAT DOES NOT GIVE THE DRIVER THE TRUE FEELING OF THE MODIFICATION WHEN TAKEN FOR A FIRST DRIVE, AND MANY DRIVES THEREAFTER. after a little while, the benefits become obvious and enormous and only get better with time. I WAS MISTAKEN AT THE OUTSET AND WAS NOT AWARE OF THE BREAK-IN SLIPPING. this is why i said i had no more "torque," when, actually, i was getting bent out of shape over a normal condition with the new parts.

crazy4maxima

iTrader: (5)

well i driven diegos max and i riden in his max. the fly wheel makes it rev hell fast. and the pick up is awsome.:its like this....


He revs and pulls and shifts.. my head is all the way in the back of the passenger rear seats as i said holey shiet.. and i got a really big grin a smerk. All i can say is that you will get more and more used to it and it will change..


like all thing
clutches, brakes, flywheel you have to let it settle and make the surface ready for the normal spec use for driving. Samething i had with the fstb. i said wtf did i pay 40 bucks for this.. then i took it off and i notice why it was good.. i put it back on and now the turns are realy more stable than with out it..


I am glad you retracted your statement. Cause lots of poeple have them and really love it. Patients is everything, and is a vertue.

have fun bro,

bonzelite

iTrader: (2)

crazy4maxima

iTrader: (5)

see having fun already