Aftermarket Clutch Life
 

I was wondering if anyone has used an aftermarket clutch with NA power levels and how many miles they got out of it compared to their stock clutch. I am at ~80,000 miles and my clutch is starting to slip, which seems reasonable. I am going to replace the clutch and slave (slave is fine but I've heard of many problems) soon but am looking at getting a clutch with a little bit more bite. I want it to last a similar amount of miles if possible though. Does anyone have experience with aftermarket clutch life?

80,000 miles and no slave failure ? that's pretty darn good man !

I've heard good things about the specialty Z clutch kit as well as Z1's; can't comment on life though, still on the stock one myself.

It all depends on how you drive your car. It is a wear item. Relatively speaking, the more you shift, the more it wears.

Unfortunately I don't know if you will get an answer on this topic. I would be curious to know as well but there just aren't enough high mileage 370z's out there that have had enough time to go through a stock clutch and an aftermarket one. Most people that have aftermarket clutches are boosted or race a lot and there is no apples to apples comparison. Likely most of those that have switched to aftermarket setups did so before the stock clutch went out. If your driving style is the same you should get comparable life from aftermarket.

I understand that it is a wear item. That is why I mentioned that I got ~80,000 miles out of the stock clutch. I am mostly interested in whether there are any that wear at a similar rate to stock. If you got 30k miles from stock and 25k from the aftermarket, that would give me a good idea of what to expect. I just don't want to get an aftermarket clutch that will last 1/10th of the time with the same driving style because the labor and hassle is a large portion of the clutch replacement.

call me crazy, but if longevity is your main concern and you don't have bigger power plans for your car, I'd say it would sort of make sense to just get a new OEM replacement. With an upgraded CSC of course

I hope to be around 400hp soon, I'm not sure how well the stock clutch will handle that or how it will cut down its longevity. I will have to look into the upgraded CSC. I have seen it on Z1 but didn't pay it much thought since mine held up alright and replacing it at the clutch change is only $130. I am not sure my dealership would like that kind of a modification and they typically take good care of me so I'll have to see what they think about it too.

Oh got ya, 400 hp N/A ? I wouldn't trust the stock clutch on more than 400 lbs of torque for long.

Z1 sells a NA 400hp package now: VQ37VHR 400HP Package

I have long tube headers instead of shorties and a very free flowing exhaust so I figure 400hp should be no problem since I will have all of the other parts. That is only ~310ft lbs though. I think that is do-able for a stock clutch but pushing it, which is why I am looking to go one step up from a stock clutch, just to make sure.

Did Z1s "400hp package" ever have any independent dyno testing?

Just so you know if you didn't already...

they're 400 hp package is talking about 400 crank hp not to the wheels, your actual approximate wheel hp will be a bit less than that

I know that but clutch ratings are based on flywheel power, not wheel

Give me 3-6 months and I'll post updated dyno numbers. I'm not trying to promote Z1. I was just saying that I think 400 NA is attainable with the right parts.

If you get an aftermarket clutch, make sure you upgrade the CSC (DO NOT USE OEM). Specialty Z has a kit that comes with their aftermarket (Tilton I think). Or talk to Joe at ZSpeed and he will hook you up with the ZSpeed CSC and whatever clutch is best for your usage. I happen to have the Z1 elimination kit with exterior slave cylinder. But I'm still on the stock clutch and fully expect to get 80K+ miles out of it (currently at 60K).

Also, if you got 80K miles out of stock clutch, I would fully expect you to get the same or more mileage out of any aftermarket clutch designed for the street. This is, of course, barring any significant change in driving style.

Whatever you do, don't buy a spec. Even at gunpoint.