I have a 2005 S and am needing to replace the clutch. What is a good one to buy? Thanks!

 

i am a fan of the valeo single mass conversion, feels great, balanced way better than the stock unit. and it still a stock manufacturer, so it should last a long time

 

100% agree way beter feel than the stock dual mass, and it's very cheap at Rock Auto.

 

+1 on the Valeo kit. 52151203 here. Very popular choice in the MINI community. Otherwise, if you're wanting something a bit more South Bend makes some great clutches. Could look into their heavy duty one here. If not, I'd stick with the Valeo option. Good luck!

 

Awesome! Thanks a ton!

 

I went with a Luk clutch, clutch still works fine but the throwout bearing is going so I didn't replace the flywheel. $100 shipped from rockauto and they are an oem supplier.

 

Does the Valeo kit have any chatter associated with it? I see it has a sprung hub clutch with it but I've gone that route with my BMW and I still have the chatter. It's fine as I love the performance upgrade with it but it would get annoying as a daily driver for the person I'm putting it in for.

 

None at all, infact it's most likely the nicest clutch I have ever used. I thought I had installed it wrong the first time I tired it out as it was so free and easy to engauge, and not a noise out of it. Weird going from the factory clutch with failing release bearing.

 

I've read the valeos are noisy, that's what kept me away.

 

You must have read something from those knuckle heads over at Exedy or something. +1 on the Valeo from me.

 

Installed my valeo a few months ago and have no chatter at all.

Better than stock in my opinion. Much lighter pedal so it's easier to drive in traffic.

Best price I found was rock auto, make sure you use the discount code too.

 

I see there are a couple different options on rock auto. Which one do I go with? And where do I find the discount code? Did you install it yourself? Thanks for all the feed back!

 

Assuming yours is still the stock clutch, if you go valeo you need a different flywheel.
Stock clutch has a dual mass setup.

So you need to chose the valeo kit that comes with a flywheel.

Feel free to shop around but the kits are basically all the same. You can buy a kit from places like Pelican that include a lot of extras that you might or might not need.

I did my own, other than the clutch and flywheel I replaced the rear main seal too. Many will also have opionions on replacing shifter bushings and output shaft seals too. Certainly can't hurt to change those too.

As far as the code just google rockauto discount code, only 5% but every little bit helps.

 

Awesome! Thanks!
Ill probably have the Tranny rebuilt while its out too. Feeling pretty clunky. :/

 

Here is the one you will want, it's the one I ordered. Very easy to install and comes with everything you need.

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/more...&jnid=2&jpid=0

It lists as $346.79

 

I'm using the Valeo single mass flywheel. My personal thought is it doesn't quite grab as hard as the stock dual mass flywheel set up. But it is a lot more reliable and less noisy. The pedal is a lot softer also.

However, at idle, when I engage poorly (drop the clutch when my revs are too low), I do get some chatter, but nowhere the same as the stock clutch set up.

While you're in there, like others have said, check all your seals and linkages. If they show signs of wear, you should replace them.

Careful that your clutch plate is aligned properly. Poorly aligned, and you may be in for another clutch job real soon.

 

[QUOTE=PelicanParts.com;4131288]+1 on the Valeo kit. 52151203 here. Very popular choice in the MINI community.


Is this also the part number for a clutch kit for an '06 R50?

 

Pelican is a good vendor for Minis, but their price on the Valeo kit is ridiculous.

$200 more than rockauto, notice the identical part numbers too.

 

No, that is for an R53.

 

Thank you for pointing this out to us as we are working on better pricing for our MINI customers all the time.

 

Thanks guys! This all very helpful.

 

I managed an O'Reilly's store for almost 2 years; places like Rock Auto killed us. I totally get it. Keep up the good work, you're customer service FAR surpasses RA.

 

customer service at Rock is pretty good I feel, they sent me some calipers and one had a bent guide pin, I called them and they sent me a new one before recovering the damaged caliper. There prices are hard to beat when your talking hundreds of dollars saved.

 

Just to chime in, the Valeo is an excellent solution if your flywheel has failed. If it hasn't, I recommend an oem replacement (like a LUK). I prefer the feel of the OEM replacement. The Valeo has a weird feel that starts light, gets more resistant, and then gets light again at the bottom of the pedal stroke. I prefer the progressive resistance of the stocker.

To reiterate, the weird feel is worth the cost savings if your FW is bad.

 

I agree with helix, I enjoy the "heavy" feel of the stock clutch.