At some point in the not too distant future I am going to add a Quaife and when the car is apart I will do a lighter flywheel and clutch. I don't want a "switch" racing clutch but something as close to the same take up properties as stock but just beefier. What is the experience out there?

 

I got the Quaife, Spec flywheel and Spec stage 3 clutch for Christmas. I have about 500 miles on them so I'll give you my impressions.

1.) Quaife: Awesome! More acceleration in the twisties and on a fast launch. I can tell it's working because torque-steer is now much more of a problem when you dump the clutch.

2.) Flywheel: Definately revs faster. It does rattle, however. Sitting at a red light with my foot off the clutch in neutral I had a guy ask me if the Mini was a diesel. If you're more intersted in form over function you may want to think about this one.

3.) Clutch: Takes some getting used to. The Spec engages closer to the top of the pedal. It's not an on/off clutch but it's getting there. Sitting at a red light on a hill I have to use the ebrake to get a smooth launch or choices are bog or squeel the tires.

HTH

 

Thanks, not very encouraging for thew clutch and flywheel. Do you know how much HP your making?

 

I've got 19%, Rogue CAI and magnaflow. No dyno's but probably 190-ish.

 

The installer told me the stage 2 is much more mellow. I just wanted room to grow. At ~ $800 for install I didn't want to go back into the tranni any time soon.

Here's an article he provided when I asked if the rattle was okay:

http://www.uucmotorwerks.com/flywheel/gear_rattle.htm

 

Yea, any lightweight flywheel will cause chatter when out of gear. Another option you have is the UUC upgrade (same guys as from the site veni vidi vici posted). They use a spring hub clutch that deadens the chatter.

I've seen other posts about the Spec upgrades and the owners usually aren't very happy; especially with the high engagement point. It might be just a little to wild for everyday street driving.

 

I have Quaife for my MCS but I left in the stock flywheel and clutch. While the Quaife works to help with traction, the experience of driving my MINI is very much like stock. Smooth and quiet idle, no extra noise. If I didn't tell anyone, no one could tell I had Quaife until accelerating hard. Yes, I do feel alot more torque steer.

I thought about adding the lighter flywheel (about 12 pounds is good, don't go too light like 9 pounds) and racing clutch. I'd rather the car be also a good daily driver. If my MINI was a track only car then I'd add the RDR or M7 flywheel and an M7 racing clutch.

You can talk to Peter or Randy from M7 or Randy Webb of Webbmotorsports.com or Eric from Helix13.com about your options.

Right now I'm happy with my setup which is good for both track/autocross and street use.

 

You definately have to choose your comfort level. I'm going for a *****-out racing setup (as I get $ for parts). I figure that by the time it's paid for in 21 months it'll be barely streetable at all. Then I can take it to the track and wreck it.

 

There have been some questions as to how much power the stock clutch can handle. I think I am over 200 at the wheels (I will know in a week). Randy warned me of overwhelming the clutch. Have you seen any of these issues?

 

I think anything over 230whp will begin to overwhelm the stock clutch. Need higher clamping forces for that much torque/hp increase.

 

Good know know as I had the clutch/flywheel/Q in the back of my mind, but didn't really see any threads guesstimating @ what whp to move out of stock. Anybody else concur: 200-210whp??

 

Stage 3 Spec clutch/14lb flywheel/and Quaife are the ticket..but my wife informs me our kids will be needing braces

 

I did the Quaife along with a Spec atage 2 (non spring hub) clutch and stock flywheel. I didn't want ant drivability and noise issues as my car is a daily driver, and have no issues whatsoever! I might think about the UUC clutch/flywheel combo as I am thinking about the Autorotor supercharger upgrade.

Cheers,

MeanGRN

 

I'm just getting used to the extra power the head and cam gave me. I can only imagine what 245 HP must feel like let alone NO2. I have been putting a lot of miles on my car to break in the head/cam (need 1000) and I know that I need to learn to drive better. Making decisions about braking, downshifting etc. I'm not trying to hijack my own thread but as the power goes up my driving skills, or lack there of, get more and more revealed. They are inversely proportionate.

Back to the thread. I already get torque steer. You say with the LSD it gets worse.....how much worse?

 

SpiderX, I don't know if the torque steer is worse with the Quaife but the steering gets very "twitchy" under "full throttle" acceleration in first and second geer. I put full throttle in quotes because it is so easy to loose traction in first and second gear. It is now way too easy to smoke the tires with this kind of power.

To solve this problem I installed Powerflex front A-Arm bushings. This is not for the faint of heart as you have to remove the front sub frame to get to the bushings. The problem is now much better and the suspension is much tighter.

Next stop ditch the H-Sport springs and go with Leda's.

As to the question when you need to consider a clutch change, I posed this question to Randy Webb and he told me that the JCW cars were experiencing clutch problems if they were driven hard.

Cheers,

MeanGRN

 

Pulling out of a parking lot onto a road @ WOT certainly induces serious sphincter tone increase. There's a second or 2 where you're not sure if it's going to settle down in a straight line.