Folks,

I've got an R53 with the 6 speed manual transmission and 205k miles on it. At about 120k miles, I replaced the supercharger pulley with a 17% pulley. At about 150k miles, the original OEM clutch went out. Now at 205k miles, the clutch is going out again. I don't know what clutch the shop put in, but I'm sure it wasn't an expensive one as the whole job was roughly $1700. I don't do any track driving, just "spirited" street driving.

I have a couple of questions.
1) Assuming my driving style didn't change significantly after the new pulley, did the new pulley create a situation where the new clutch wore out more quickly?
2) Does the JCW model have a different clutch than the regular S? Should I look into a JCW clutch to go with the 17% pulley?
3) Prices for clutch kits range from $150 to $1700. Can someone explain the relative performance differences between these clutches? What would be appropriate for a spirited street driver as replacing the clutch appears to be a PITA and I would prefer do the work as seldom as possible.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

Cheers,
Duane

 

1) No
2) No
3) For your use just go with the Valeo OEM replacement.
You're not making near enough power to be considering $1k clutches.

Did the other shop replace the flywheel as well? An uneven, scuffed or surface damaged flywheel, can wipe out a new clutch real quick.