Spec me a clutch..
14-08-2011, 03:25 PM
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Spec me a clutch..
I ended up stranded yesterday on the A417 thanks to a clutch/slave cylinder issue, left me totally stranded with nothing but a box of neutrals!
The car in question is a mountune fiesta st, eventually this will have the MR200 kit so will be running 200bhp and around 160-170 lb ft of torque.
It has a 4 paddle Helix clutch in it for now that was only fitted in march, not sure whether this has survived whatever the issue is but I have never been keen on it, being quite juddery and none too pleasant for town driving. I have also spoken to Tremona garage and a few others since who generally slated Helix.
If the Helix is knackered I'll try and swap it under warranty (it should easily last more than 4 and a bit months of road driving) and sell on the clutch I get back.
Can anyone recommend a replacement? Do AP or Alcon do anything suitable (its an IB5 and 2.0 Duratec)?
I want something that will stand the extra power for the odd track day I want to do in the future, but pleasant enough for road use - should be okay given the power output I'd have thought.
A mix and match approach any use - say cover plate from AP and driven plate a Ford item?
The car in question is a mountune fiesta st, eventually this will have the MR200 kit so will be running 200bhp and around 160-170 lb ft of torque.
It has a 4 paddle Helix clutch in it for now that was only fitted in march, not sure whether this has survived whatever the issue is but I have never been keen on it, being quite juddery and none too pleasant for town driving. I have also spoken to Tremona garage and a few others since who generally slated Helix.
If the Helix is knackered I'll try and swap it under warranty (it should easily last more than 4 and a bit months of road driving) and sell on the clutch I get back.
Can anyone recommend a replacement? Do AP or Alcon do anything suitable (its an IB5 and 2.0 Duratec)?
I want something that will stand the extra power for the odd track day I want to do in the future, but pleasant enough for road use - should be okay given the power output I'd have thought.
A mix and match approach any use - say cover plate from AP and driven plate a Ford item?
have been reading his build before, awesome project that...!
14-08-2011, 09:40 PM
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Like I say, got a Helix in already, don't like it much...
Want OEM feel and progressiveness, but stronger. If the likes of Alcon or AP did one that fitted...?
Want OEM feel and progressiveness, but stronger. If the likes of Alcon or AP did one that fitted...?
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18-10-2011, 01:30 PM
#8
Sorry to read that you were left stranded and that you do not rate Helix products, was it the clutch or cylinder in the end?
I hope that the problem was sorted without too much more expense.
The Helix Organic clutch facings for the fiesta ST can cope with 189 lbft of torque and are very easy to drive in traffic.
If you are using the car purely as a road car, it is best to have a clutch with some give in it. (Preferably with some springs in the plate centre)
The paddle clutches are a lot more aggressive so less good on the road, but come into their own on track days. They can also cope with 258lbft of torque.
If it is just a road car, I would try and stick to organic, however if you feel the need for paddle, try a 6 paddle with sprung centre, as the extra surface area means the clutch takes longer to wear out, it also has a better take up than a 4 paddle.
I hope this helps.
Alex
design@helix-autosport.com
I hope that the problem was sorted without too much more expense.
The Helix Organic clutch facings for the fiesta ST can cope with 189 lbft of torque and are very easy to drive in traffic.
If you are using the car purely as a road car, it is best to have a clutch with some give in it. (Preferably with some springs in the plate centre)
The paddle clutches are a lot more aggressive so less good on the road, but come into their own on track days. They can also cope with 258lbft of torque.
If it is just a road car, I would try and stick to organic, however if you feel the need for paddle, try a 6 paddle with sprung centre, as the extra surface area means the clutch takes longer to wear out, it also has a better take up than a 4 paddle.
I hope this helps.
Alex
design@helix-autosport.com
so what about accepting the faulty clutch and checking for defects as its less than 5 months old and if necessary offer a replacement?
18-10-2011, 05:57 PM
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i would doubt it the clutch that is faulty, all the ones ive seen is slave failure
i would run a ap organic clutch or a helix one, unsure why you went down the paddle route to start with tbh
helix are well made items used in motorsport there not cheap crap to be fair
i would run a ap organic clutch or a helix one, unsure why you went down the paddle route to start with tbh
helix are well made items used in motorsport there not cheap crap to be fair
18-10-2011, 06:51 PM
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Well thought I would post back seeing as there was some more response!
First issue that was apparent upon the garage taking a look...the slave cylinder was knackered....I had a new one put in (genuine Ford part) in March 2011...alas not covered by warranty as whilst the part was not fitted until then, I had it in its box, not fitted, since July 2011, so it was no longer in warranty
The slave cylinder did not show signs of leakage onto the friction material but the clutch itself was very very worn, almost down to the rivets.
I ended up having a new Helix clutch fitted with a new Ford slave cylinder, seeing as nobody else of repute (Alcon or AP) did anything suitable...what can I say other than its loads better now, in retrospect since the old one was fitted it was never right - no judder or vibration, a much lighter and more OEM feeling pedal.
So can't really blame Helix I feel, given the slave failing probably resulted in rapidly increased clutch wear either through fluid contamination or lack of clean engagement/dragging.
I did speak to Jamie at Jamsport when the problem first became apparent, he said it was due to the tubular manifold generating extra heat and overheating the fluid and that the clutch just needed bleeding
apparently a common problem, but not one I have ever heard about on any forum with the Fiesta ST...not an especially helpful conversation frankly, really put me off from using Jamsport.
First issue that was apparent upon the garage taking a look...the slave cylinder was knackered....I had a new one put in (genuine Ford part) in March 2011...alas not covered by warranty as whilst the part was not fitted until then, I had it in its box, not fitted, since July 2011, so it was no longer in warranty
The slave cylinder did not show signs of leakage onto the friction material but the clutch itself was very very worn, almost down to the rivets.
I ended up having a new Helix clutch fitted with a new Ford slave cylinder, seeing as nobody else of repute (Alcon or AP) did anything suitable...what can I say other than its loads better now, in retrospect since the old one was fitted it was never right - no judder or vibration, a much lighter and more OEM feeling pedal.
So can't really blame Helix I feel, given the slave failing probably resulted in rapidly increased clutch wear either through fluid contamination or lack of clean engagement/dragging.
I did speak to Jamie at Jamsport when the problem first became apparent, he said it was due to the tubular manifold generating extra heat and overheating the fluid and that the clutch just needed bleeding
apparently a common problem, but not one I have ever heard about on any forum with the Fiesta ST...not an especially helpful conversation frankly, really put me off from using Jamsport.
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