Thirty_Seven

iTrader: (5)

Alright, before you click the back button on yet another South Bend clutch review, hear me out. I opted for the "quiet disc" option because lightweight flywheel chatter bothers the **** out of me. SO I'd like to spend most of my review talking about that.

Let me start off by saying South Bend has a top notch product here. The clutch is the perfect balance of comfort and grabby. I'm not going to lie, it's a heavy pedal. I have an RJM Pedal Assembly, which I'm thankful for, because with the stock set-up, it'd be more of a pain. I've mostly driven cars with non-hydraulic clutches in the past, so this isn't a huge deal to me. But, if you like a lighter pedal feel, and you sit in NYC traffic like me every day, you may want to consider something else.

In terms of clutch feel, it's a million times better than stock. If you've never driven a car with a lightweight flywheel (12 lbs), then it may take some getting used to, as the revs fall and rise MUCH faster. Shifting with this set-up is a huge improvement over the original combo. Every shift I've made has been smooth, no more of that jerky 1st-2nd shift action (yes that still happens sometimes with the RJM Pedal). Engagement is much better than stock, and seems to bite a little lower, which I love.

I haven't gotten a chance to do any WOT pulls or launches with it yet, as I'm breaking it in for 500 miles as per instructions (stop and go traffic is not hard to come by around here). I'll update the thread with my impressions once I'm able to play with it a little more.

Quiet Disc Impressions:

Now, the reason you probably stayed and/or skipped the previous section, the quiet disc review. Now I took a huge gamble here. I HATE the chatter you get from a lightweight flywheel, but I LOVE lightweight flywheels.

The quiet disc option is something they attach to the hub to lessen the effects of this issue.* I ordered the 12lb aluminum flywheel with my clutch, which is one of the lightest options available for our cars. Generally, the lighter the flywheel, the worse the chatter.

The guys at ConceptZPerformance assured me that it will reduce the noise significantly, and it's not just a gimmick. They were 100% right. The car is quieter than the stock set-up was (I promise) at idle. There's no audible chatter with the windows up. Windows down, you can hear it slightly if you're next to a wall with the radio off. I believe this is a must have option for a flywheel this light. I'm extremely happy I paid the extra money for it. It works better than advertised.

*For those that don't know, this problem known as "chatter" occurs because of going from a heavy, dual-mass flywheel to a lightweight, single mass flywheel.

The only con I can think of is a noise that occurs sometimes from about 1-1.5k RPMs. It sounds like a metal-on-metal "Shhhhhhh" sound. I believe the reasoning behind this is because of the weight of the flywheel, and it's lessened ability to deaden sound over the factory flywheel. It doesn't bother me much as it only happens if I roll a stop sign in 2nd gear at 5mph then put the engine under some load.

Overall, I'm extremely happy with the set-up. It's probably my favorite mod I've done to my car so far. It makes driving a pleasure because of how it shifts and responds now. I'll continue to post my impressions as I get more miles on the car.

GTresSiete

In the market for a clutch, mine is slipping like some shoes on ice. Thanks for this.

Sway_NV

iTrader: (3)

I HAAAAATTTEEEE flywheel chatter........... Now that you've used this clutch a couple months... How does it feel? Feel like you accelerate any quicker? Still quiet? Any clue on how many hours if labor? I've done enough clutches that I don't feel like doing another and I'll gladly pay to have it done if it's not too bad money wise.... Thanks for the review!

Thirty_Seven

iTrader: (5)

I still love the clutch. It does feel like I accelerate more quickly, the tires break loose rolling in 1st gear which they never used to do. It's still very quiet which is awesome. The only chatter I get is between 1.1k and 1.4k RPMs, so I've adjusted my driving style to keep it out of that range, and now I don't even have to think about it.

It was 6 hours of labor according to the receipt, and I feel that it was worth it to have a shop do it. I could've done it in my garage, but I have a bad back and I don't have a lift so it would've sucked for sure. It was a friends shop and his rate is usually $120/hr but he charged me $100/hr even so the total was $600 flat.

I hate chatter as well and I'm pretty sure it would've driven my girlfriend crazy so I'm glad I found this quiet disc thing.

perfectgecko

I'm glad I came across this review. I've been talking to black Betty and he has a similar setup as you I believe. I have been struggling on my decision between the stage 2 and stage 3 options... I am looking at CZP also and love the options for clutch disks and the explanations it gives ... Having trouble picking one of those too lol. Coming down to either the HD-O or the HD-TZ
I'm going to keep the stock petal assembly for now.
The choice is so hard because it isn't price as it comes out close to the same with the stage 2 and 3's, It's just tough to make a choice based on what you read rather than drivability.
For me I'm going just bolt on and MAYBE fi in the future but way down the road.
I drive 20-30 minutes to work every day in light to moderate traffic.
Do yall think stage 2 would be better? Or should I suck it up and go for the stage 3 ?

Thirty_Seven

iTrader: (5)

It all depends what you want. Either one would be fine for a bolt-on set-up. Obviously stage 3 will take a little bit more of a toll on your leg. I learned to drive on a car without a hydraulic clutch, so I'm used to a pretty heavy pedal feel so the stage 3 wasn't really that terrible. I've sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic for 3+ hours coming into NYC and that was the only time I started to feel a little tired with it.

I don't think it's that bad but if you're going with just bolt-ons it may be a little overkill for your purposes.

perfectgecko

Thank you thirty_seven... You really have helped me make up my mind.. After talking with a few reps I'm gonna go with the stage 2 with the quiet disk and the fidanza aluminum flywheel because of the plate design and ability to refinish it down the road.
Next more than likely will be that pedal replacement since everyone gives it such high reviews.

Thirty_Seven

iTrader: (5)

Great, man. Glad I could help.

The fidanza weighs in at 14lbs and the Southbend I have is 12 lbs so they're very close in weight, so I'm guessing with the quiet disk clutch, you'll have almost no chatter whatsoever which will be great. Good luck with your set-up.

RickyBobby

Until I came across these silent disk options available with a multitude of clutch plate/flywheel combinations at conceptz, I had pretty much given up on going for a lightweight flywheel as I don't know if I want my car sounding like a truck when I start it up in the garage and let it idle and warm up. So I decided I wanted a sprung 6 puck design that would reduce some of the weight from the clutch since I didn't think I would be getting a lightweight flywheel and I wanted to reduce clutch weight as much as I can. Also worth mentioning that I do occasionally launch at the track, and more so on street and take advantage of my RWD with VLSD (if you know what I mean...)
Now that I'm hearing about good reviews on the quiet disk with a 12lb flywheel, do you think a 6 puck will be too aggressive for us as well as weight savings negligible by 6 puck design versus kevlar/organic to daily drive (meaning myself and mostly my fiancee)? Our driveway is also up a steep hill, so let me know if you think 6 puck is a bad idea

thanks!

ZSpeedPerformance

iTrader: (8)

South Bend Does not make a 12lb flywheel, I do not know of ANY 12lb flywheels made for this car, South Bends Steel flywheel is 19lbs.

Thirty_Seven

iTrader: (5)

Jesus, yeah that's quite a typo. Thanks for catching that. 12 lb would be crazy light. It's 19

ZSpeedPerformance

iTrader: (8)

A 6 puck will not drive good enough for everyday use IMO, It's meant for racing, Nothing agile about it. You also cannot get the quiet disk with a 6 puck.
Stick with something like our stage 2 kit here. ZSpeed Performance Nissan Infinti OEM & Performance Parts

kevshiau

iTrader: (15)

Concept Z sells a 12lb Southbend Aluminum Flywheel

ZSpeedPerformance

iTrader: (8)

South Bends Original Aluminum Flywheel was 14.5 lbs, They use the Fidanza in their kits now which is also 14.5ish lbs. There is no 12lb aluminum flywheel for the 370Z or G37

Jdragon1974

So here is the quick run down. I have a 08 g37 coupe sport. Had it for about 2 years and the first clutch change was at about 100k. Decided to go with Comp stage 1 clutch and 17lb. flywheeel also Comp. Yeah that clutched lasted about 9k before it started slipping. I do not race my car or get on it much honestly. Decided to go with something beefier and went with he stage 3 daily by South Bend.

First impression well let me back up, I also added B&M short throw when changing out the clutch. The kit came with a Z1 CSC and it was hard to bleed the clutch. My mechanic has worked on a bunch of the SB clutches and said he has never had a problem. So when he finished, the clutch pedal is pretty soft, not near as close to stock or the Comp clutch kit. The engagement point is pretty low. Probably about 4-6 inches to the floor. Other then that, it grips pretty wheel, hardly any chatter and I did not go with the silent option. Over all very impressed. I have about 300 miles on it so far. I dont know if it needs to be bled more, but the clutch is pretty soft to me???