Does anyone know of a relatively inexpensive (meaning don't mention the word exidy) clutch kit that comes with a beefed up release bearing? I've had 3 fail on me so far, so I would like to replace it with something that...I don't know...Is not a piece of f**king plastic in a part of the car that gets really freaking hot! I don't need anything crazy since I'm putting out maybe 2 hp over the factory specs with my super panel filter mod and crazy fast yellow plug wires. I'm not concerned about future power additions since my midlands tranny wouldn't be able to handle any more power.

Thanks for the input!

 

I know a guy who has a Sachs clutch kit on his Mini and he seems happy with it.
Might be a brand to check out.

Kind regards

Der Abt

 

As far as I know, the sachs kit is an oem one. I've gone through one of those already It was exactly the same as the valero. Do they have an aftermarket one? I know the company is known for good clutches, but oem is oem, however you look at it. Also, I am more concerned with the release bearing than anything else.

 

Well his clutch kit wasn't oem because he bought one that is stronger than the stock one (his car has 140hp, real hp that is ).
So it certainly wasn't oem.

 

I'd like to know the answer too; I suspect that at 75K my release bearing won't last much longer, and I have never been happy with the feel of it. I complained during warranty and was assured that 'all is OK.'

 

I'm glad someone posted a Non-S clutch question because I've been thinking about this lately, too. There only seems to be a few available aftermarket. This seems to be the best option to me:
http://www.jscspeed.com/mini/clutch/spec_mini.htm
Stage 1 is great for a stock or mildly modded R50 which is where most of us end up. You know, intake, exhaust, super race wires.

 

Update :

He said that Sachs made him a custom clutch, with a custom layer.
His clutch can take 220Nm of torque, the normal Sachs clutch can take 170Nm.

They did charge him quite some money (having to release the front axle and all) because it was a custom clutch and replacing the clutch is a lot of work.

Sachs did tell him that they were planning on offering a stronger clutch for the Cooper non S owners because so many people are starting to tune them.

 

Here's what I found on their website :

http://www.sachsperformance.com/EU/s.../index901.html

Two types of discs and a reinforced pressure plate.
They say it's for autocross/tuning/track purposes.

 

Sounds like a nice clutch. Unfortunately, this is the problem I always run into. Tons of info on torque limitations (which is great), occasionally some info on the pressure plate, but never any info on the release bearing. I might call a few companies and question them on their release bearing construction. I am guessing that a lot of the aftermarket clutches come with stock release bearings...(just a guess as there is never any info on them).

I'm fine with the stock clutch since I can't add any more power without demolishing my midlands. I would actually rather just get a stock clutch with a METAL release bearing. Thanks for the info.

 

No prob

You could send them an e-mail to ask them some questions about the release bearing.

 

Even my clutch masters set up had an OE style pressure plate and release bearing.

 

hmmmmm... not that I spent much time looking over my Clutchmaster setup before I had it installed, but my mechanic told me the release bearing is a lot better than stock, i.e. not made of plastic. Course don't quote me on that, it's just what my mechanic told me after he compared the OEM to the FX300 kit I purchased from RMW.

GotMINI

 

will the clutch master work in a 2006 R52 non-s

 

It is true that Sachs offers a Sachs Performance clutch kit for the R50 Cooper, that can handle up to 280nm of torque. Actually, Sachs offers two clutch discs, one is : torsion damper plate with organic facings, and the other : torsion damper sintered plate. There is only one pressure plate available, and also release bearing.

http://webcat.zf-trading.com/index.asp?SPR=4

This is the link to the online catalog of Sachs/ZF group.

And a few pics :