Clutch Recommendations.
 

I was wondering if anyone could recommend a good after market higher performance/heavier duty clutch than the stock one?

My 370z has an oil leak and it looks like the seals between the transmission engine or something. The dealer says they are going to have to drop the transmission and stuff and thus I could replace the clutch with no additional (labor) cost.

My 370z currently has 53k miles on it. I know my clutch has some wear as i do drive decently hard and once or twice i missed up when driving to the point i smelt the famed burned clutch smell so I think such a labor intensive task should be done now while the car is getting other work done.


The OEM clutch is $717.89 via Nissan. Any suggestions for a better after-market clutch to replace it with? If its a little harder as a daily driver I am ok with that. I do track the car now and then (it has an oil cooler).

Sounds like the rear main seal failed. Usually they last longer than 53k miles but sh!t happens I guess.

You could PM Joe@Zspeed. He is kind of the Z clutch guru around here. I bought a SouthBend stage 2 clutch and lightened flywheel from him.

ZSpeed Performance Nissan Infiniti Specialist 240SX 300ZX 350Z G35 G37 370Z

+1 for South Bend and Joe at ZSpeed.

Whatever you decide clutch and flywheel wise, I'd definitely make sure you get a HD CSC since the OEM CSC's are failure prone.

Thanks guys. Gonna see if I can go ahead and go with that clutch. Especially considering that the kit (clutch + flywheel + HD CSC) is cheaper than the MSRP on Nissan's Flywheel alone. I guess if the dealer really doesnt want to do it i will probably just go with a stock OEM clutch and leave the flywheel alone.

+2

Southbend Stage 2 Endurance sitting in the closet until build time.

He sent me a ceramic disk. I LOVE IT. I sort of wish the flywheel was a tiny bit lighter.

Also, if your CSC is stock this is a good time to replace with the Heavy Duty one. It feels great. Make sure it is bled properly. Talk to Joe, and he'll tell you all about it.

My release bearing is failing on my 2009 370z. Nissan will replace this item including labor with the provision that a stock release bearing is installed. Which flywheel did you install? Is the CSC bearing a combo throw-out and slave bearing in the 370Z? Which ceramic clutch disk (stage 1 or stage 2) is a ceramic one?

Thanks guys I ordered the kit and got a tracking number within an hour of ordering. I previously ordered the aluminum engine cover from zspeedperformance as well and it took about 6 days to arrive to California. I called them about expedited shipping but the cheapest expedited shipping was $170 vs free ground so I think I am gonna live without having my Z for a few extra days.

I wish I ordered this on Monday. I did want to give the dealer a chance to possibly procure the part though. They finally got back to me this morning said they could get the kit for me for $600 more than z speed performance =(. If it was 10-15% I might have gone that route but not for 50% more =(.

Anyway thanks again for the suggestions.

I think it is stage 2. In the picture, it looks like a copper disc with 8 ceramic tiles on each side. The flywheel is the Southbend DXD, and is single piece with close to OEM weight. I still recommend you get the HD CSC since your OEM CSC might fail quicker with the aftermarket clutch setup.

Once installed and bled properly, you should not have more than 1" of play in the clutch pedal. Regardless of temp, the engagement point or pressure doesn't change. Overall feel is slightly heavier, but feels natural. It is very easy to engage, and it is comfortable for daily driving.

I honestly have never dumped the clutch with this car. I'd love to, though :)

Is the flywheel & clutch "stock-like" quiet or?

Ok so got the clutch + flywheel + csc installed. The clutch definitely feels different. It had quite a bit more resistence reminded me of my dad's 350z clutch. After driving it a bit the clutch is now sticking. It stuck to the floor twice and now is sticking just after it disengages when letting off the clutch =(. Does it just need to be broken in or is something borked? I guess I am probably gonna be bringing it back to the dealer tomorrow =(


Here is a video of the stick:

Most likely there's still air in the system..

The clutch pedal is sticking to the floor? If so you still have air in the system. It can be a pain to bleed sometimes. After I got my clutch and Csc installed, my pedal was real soft and spongy feeling. So I re-bled and now everything is good to go.

Talk to Joe, but here's how mine was perfected:
1) Crack open the hard line to the master cylinder while keeping the CSC bleeder closed. Manually lift and pump the pedal at least 20 times to get all the air bubbles out. Once it is out, you'll see continuous drips out of the hard line. Make sure reservoir is always full! Once completed, tighten the hard line.
2) Pump pedal at least 20 times and then push hard to the floor, loosen the CSC bleeder. You'll feel the pedal sink further down. Tighten, and repeat at least 4-5 more times.

With a new master cylinder, one must bench bleed to prime the cylinder with fluid. Otherwise, air pockets will remain trapped and is nearly impossible to get out without taking it off the car.

I assume they don't have to drop the tranny to re-blead the clutch right (I hope not). It was ok for the first few uses afte ri picked up the car and appears to be getting worse and worse.

It did stick all the way to the floor once or twice (had to use my foot to pull it up. The other times it is sticking right after disengaging when pulling my foot off the clutch. I guess thank god its after the clutch is disengaged since its not effecting my shifting (all that much).

And whups.. Youtube video link fail missed the l in front here it is:



You can hear the 'thud' when letting off the clutch where its sticking.

You dont have to drop the tranny to bleed. The bleeder screw is just outside the tranny. I'll be doing mine this weekend, clutch and all. Judging by your vid I'm definitely going to like the pedal feel. Can't wait.

I'm a firm believer in gravity bleeding brakes and clutch. This method has always gave me better feel than any other way and eliminates any way of air getting in as long as the reservoir is always full.

Definitely gravity bleed. With pedal sticking you definitely have air trapped in the master cylinder, which might require bench bleeding (removal of the master).

My tech avoided it by unhinging the clutch pedal so the plunger can travel further to squeeze all the air out.

Well it looks like I am gonna be spending my day at the dealer tomorrow. I just drove to in-n-out for lunch and now the clutch is sticking to the floor after every use. Also the engagement point chainged and its literally activating only when its all the way to the floor and disengaging 1/2 inch from the floor (and sticking soon after that). Hopefully it doesnt get into an un-drivable state in the meantime.

Air in the system will do that. Once done properly it will remain consistent, and it will be so much fun to drive afterwards. Volunteer to help by pumping the pedal while tech is working on the hard line and bleeder.

Well the dealer is convinced its the CSC like it was bad or something. Their foremon does not think that its air in the system because they have like a pump or something that bleeds it so they dont have to worry about air in the system. If that is the case this is gonna be a huge pain in the ***. This sucks.

Talked to Joe. He said you can't pump bleed it like that and the dealer did not follow the instructions with the CSC (I gave them everything). sigh... Joe offered to talk to the dealer mechanic to say what was needed but the dealer guy really did not want to talk to him saying it was unneeded(wtf?).. Oh well.

So it looks like I need a new master concentric cyclinder =(. Joe at zspeed performance also mentioned that might be the case cause my Z has 53k miles on it. Guess I don't get my car until Tuesday =(. Haven't really gotten to drive it at all the last 2 weeks so really missing it.

Sorry to hear that, but if the CSC is bad then you probably lose fluid. If fluid levels didn't change, it's probably air bubble stuck in the master cylinder.

My tech also tried to pump bleed, but it made things worse (no pressure). After almost an hour, it was air trapped in the master so the plunger didn't have any seal without fluid. This is where he disconnected the clutch pedal from the plunger, filled up the reservoir, and manually pushed the plunger to squeeze all the air out. Eventually he started feeling pressure and reconnected everything. Then it was about 25-30 manual pumps several times before getting pressure again.

[EDIT] Oh you didn't get a new master cylinder? I replaced mine at the same time with the CSC because these things are weak! After replacing the clutch disc, I went ahead and replaced the CSC and master cylinder again.

Also make sure he bench bleed the master cylinder to prime it and does not make any attempt to pump bleed it.

There are new instructions included with every slave, He needs a new master cylinder or it needs bled correctly.

You have to pump the pedal with the bleeder open to shove the air down the bottom, After this let it gravity bleed and your done. Very simple really.

If they try to use their "Pump' It will never get the air out, Pump bleeding also will not get the air out, You must pump the pedal with the bleeder open, This gets the air out of the top area of the system and down to the slave, Once the air is in the slave it will gravity bleed the rest out.

It literally takes 5 minutes to do if you follow these instructions. If it doesn't work correctly after this the master cylinder is weak and needs replaced

Instruction included with slave...

Inspect slave before installation to check for any possible damage in shipping!
A new Clutch master cylinder is recommended with this kit
Remove Old Slave and Line Assy all the way to frame rail connection.
Flush old fluid from master cylinder and hard lines, Clean reservoir of any debris.
Install Z-Speed heavy duty slave cylinder to transmission
Route line through rubber boot of bell housing, Reinstall transmission
Attach SS line to frame rail connection
Check install height!
see website product page at ZSpeed Performance Nissan Infiniti Specialist 240SX 300ZX 350Z G35 G37 370Z, after trans is pushed up flush with engine block. After trans install is complete loosen slave cylinder bleed screw in short SS line.
Fill Reservoir with fresh Dot 3 or Dot 4 or dot 5.1 (DOT 3-4 compatible) brake fluid. With bleeder open at slave line, Pump pedal slowly, pausing at the top for a second or 2, 10-15 times making sure pedal is pulled completely up on each stroke by hand to distribute fluid through system making sure to keep reservoir full.
Allow system to Gravity bleed for approx 5 minutes keeping reservoir full
Close bleeder valve.
Pump pedal 15-20 times, while holding pedal on floor open bleeder one time. Close bleeder and pump pedal until you get a full returning pedal, It is normal for the pedal to stick the first few times.
If clutch pedal will not return fully master cylinder may be weak and in need of replacement.
Any questions or problems feel free to contact us at 937-665-0450 or 937-689-0905 Sales@ZspeedPerformance.com

"Clutch Master Cylinder" is the correct term, not " master concentric cylinder" :tup:

I did mine yesterday. It's simple and super easy. Did it by myself except the last step.

So... 7 months and it appears my master died already? I am starting to have issues with the clutch starting to stick again after 7 months of no issues after my original OEM master got replaced which lasted around 55,000 miles. Also the clutch engagement point is also changing as its being driven. Its basically doing exactly what it was before. Are there any good after market replacements for the master?

My original one lasted 2 full years and 55k miles until I got the new clutch/flywheel/csc and then the master just about immediately died after that. This new one has lasted uner 10k miles =(

get a JWT clutch and lightweight flywheel

just installed them on my car and it is amazing

just note there is a lot of noise, not sure if it will go away over time but anything under 2k causes tons of rattles

Funny how some have problems with the master and others don't. There are no aftermarket ones as of yet. I'm being told that it's the seal that's the issue and replacement one is being looked into. Just remember all things take time.

If you guys are looking into a clutch, look no further than Joe@ZSpeed. Follow the link in my sig. Every combination for your type of driving needs along with Joe being a very great guy and vendor among the forums.

^You sound like a spokes man for a tampax commercial.:bowrofl:

How many you need? I can pull some strings.

That's funny I don't care who you are.:rofl2: