My clutch went on my 05 R52 yesterday. Looking for a new one I found prices ranging from $95-$1000. Can anyone recommend and reasonably priced, quality replacement?

 

Parts cost numbers?

Either stock or Valeo. Check ebay and vendors here.

Install costs a bit because the tranny has to come out and not all that easy to do unless you are an experienced DIY'er.

Regards,
Jerry

 

 

I've been leaning towards either Luk or Valeo. Both with solid flywheel conversion. Either of you use the solid flywheel? Did you do it yourself or take it somewhere and if you took it somewhere what was the labor $$$?

 

I thought I would give the Exedy a voice here. I am a contrariant with many things. I like to make decisions myself as opposed to let someone else ease the mental stress for me. Most popular to me is a red flag and requires more careful research.

I went with Exedy (and not the racing version) as it is the what some South Bend clutch kits based, but at a fraction of the price. The most important consideration is, Exedy flywheel, unlike Valeo that is very unconventional, allow me to shop for more aggressive friction plates from other manufacturers. I am quite sure with Valeo you cannot.

 

It all depends on what your looking for. pnwR53S I follow your thread and know you track your MINI so the Exedy may be the best for your use. I only wanted something that was a smooth and easy as possible because my wife (and hopefully my daughter) will be driving my MINI also. Even though I bought my MINI with a bad throw out bearing I was able to tell the clutch had a nice feel to it. So I went with the dual mass Luk kit. I bought it from Rock Auto for about $300 total for the flywheel and clutch kit.

I did debate putting the Valeo in right up until I actually installed the Luk kit.

I did the install myself (with some help from my son initially, then he lost interest). It took quite a few hours. I watched Mod Mini's videos on You Tube for how-to's. One reason it took so long was because of the "while I'm in there" syndrome. I ended up changing out gaskets, seals, boots, bushings, o-rings, struts, mounts, etc. If I remember correctly the hardest part for me was getting the transmission physically out and back into the car. It kept hanging up on some of the AC lines that run from the front. I was afraid I was going to put a hole in one as I was wiggling it around trying to get it out or in.

 

I can tell you, like most with Valeo, that the SM clutch kits have nearly no down sides compared to the OE dual mass one. Just the better defined engaging point alone is the enough to justify the change. The car is easier to drive for less skill drivers as well. The clutch to avoid are the high performance clutches especially a very light weight FW. Neither Valeo nor my Exedy is. They are designed to improved upon the lacking of the OE at much lower prices.

I do not want a racing clutch as long as I drive my Mini on the road. It is a PITA. Additionally I never need to abuse the clutch driving on track.

 

I have about 15k miles on stock replacement on my R53 hardtop (according to the work order supplied by the prior owner) and about 2000 miles on a Valeo on my R52.

I actually prefer the stock setup a little more. The R53 has a short throw shifter, but I like the stock setup a little better because it engages lower in the pedal travel and seems to engage quicker (less pedal travel). It is a little more abrupt, so you have adjust a little.

If my wife was going to drive the car on a regular basis, based on my experience I would probably opt for the Valeo. If I am the only driver, stock setup seems more to my liking, probably based on years of track driving.

Regards,
Jerry

 

^ My lightly used stock FW and clutch is up on sale for anyone who want it locally. Truth in disclosure, it is a nice clutch for daily driving and you are gun shy for the very slight increased in drivetrain communication and defined engage point. I only has 14 track event driving under my belt but I definitely prefer the circa $250 Exedy SM FW and clutch kit, even if it means jeopardize any chance of selling the stock one to someone.

 

Agreed. I've got 5k sometimes hard miles on my Valeo SM conversion. Highly recommended.