89_LT1_IROC

I finally raced my camaro for the first time with the new combo two Saturdays ago. I've had my car together since September, and have put about 7k on the car since then. During my first run, I slammed third gear and completely came off of the clutch, but nothing happened except my RPM's started taching out. So, I pushed in the clutch, took it out of third, put it back in third, and popped the clutch, and that did the trick. This problem didn't occur again during the rest of my runs, but I did experience some clutch slippage. Especially on the 2-3 shift, the RPMS would tach up about 200 before the clutch would release, even though I would be completely off of the clutch pedal. My engine is internally stock, and my only mods are listed in the sig below.

These were my times:

RUN 1:
Reaction: .523
60: 2.189
330: 5.790
1/8 ET: 8.982
1/8 MPH: 78.49
1/4 ET: 13.822
1/4 MPH: 101.81

** NOTES: Centerforce II clutches suck!! 3rd gear compeletely slipped so badly! Also, 1st gear was a joke, eventhough I eased into it.

RUN 2:
Reaction: .336 (RED LIGHTED.. DOH!)
60: 2.240
330: 5.850
1/8 ET: 8.777
1/8 MPH: 85.24
1/4 ET: 13.380
1/4 MPH: 107.41

** NOTES: Again, first gear didn't hook despite me letting off of the accelator

RUN 3:
Reaction: .653
60: 2.275
330: 5.839
1/8 ET: 8.747
1/8 MPH: 85.45
1/4 ET: 13.367
1/4 MPH: 106.38

RUN 4:
Reaction: .568
60: 2.119
330: 5.650
1/8 ET: 8.566
1/8 MPH: 85.58
1/4 ET: 13.170
1/4 MPH: 107.38

** NOTES: The best run of the day. I could've sworn that this was a 12 second run!!

RUN 5:
Reaction: .604
60: 2.185
330: 5.701
1/8 ET: 8.610
1/8 MPH: 85.37
1/4 ET: 13.223
1/4 MPH: 106.45

On the street, my clutch grabs hard, on the track, it seems like it is slipping. BTW: These runs were made on a 55 degree day, no wind, with street tires. Any thoughts?

scorp508

Sorry, no words of wisdom. I'm just hoping that I don't have the same issue as you are. I just bought CF Dual Friction setup for my Corvette and it looks like we're running in the somewhere in the same neighborhood.

How did you break it in? They recommend 450-500 miles of stop & go driving. I know quite a few people who are turning some big #s and the cltuch is holding great. A buddy of mine used to pull 1.5x in his old TT Mustang and it held great.

Please please please work, I don't feel like pulling the tranny again.

87RS402

You mention both the DF and centerforce II, which one is it?

RB83L69

You missed third. That's not the clutch's fault.

I have a CF DF, have had a couple of them in fact, behind a moderately healthy 400 (373 RW ft-lbs); I broke a rear end carrier in half with one of them in fact. Personally I have found them to be very satisfactory parts, they have held up quite well in my car.

Sounds to me like your tires are slipping at the track but you can't tell, for whatever reason; maybe they don't make much noise when they do it? I don't know. But clutches don't look around at their surroundings and decide based on that whether to hook up. If it works on the street, it should work at the track too.

Try revving the motor and dumping the clutch in 4th gear at about 35 or 40 MPH. If it holds or spins the tires, then there's no problem with it.

BTW, "release" means "disengage". That's the word for what it does when you push the pedal. "Engage" is the name for what it does when you take your foot off the pedal.

89_LT1_IROC

Sorry for the confusing terminology fellas, I didn't know I was in school again.. I meant, Centerforce DF, not "Centerforce II." By "slamming" third gear, I meant that I shifted quickly into that gear. I didn't miss the gear. Like I said, it WAS in third, and the clutch was, ah hem "engaged," and my car was going no where fast. As for the quote, I disagree. If your car hooks at the track, and let me clarify "hooks" as meaning "getting traction," then theoretically I could be making just enough horsepower to cause the clutch to give a bit. Whereas on the street, there would be less traction, so the clutch wouldn't be working as hard since the rear-end isn't grabbing, in which case, I wouldn't know it was slipping due to the fact that I would be roasting the tires off anyways. My point here is, if the wheels are grabbing traction, and the engine is pulling 5800 rpms, the main weak point would be the clutch. I have brand new tires, and I heard no noise coming from them on the 2-3 shift. The track was very sticky. Please don't take my post as a dig against centerforce. Maybe I didn't break it in correctly, which is a very good possibility. I do know that my buddy's near stock LS1 completely destroyed his centerforce clutch. By destroyed, I literally mean the clutch material was completely ripped off of one side about 1/2 the diameter of the clutch. His clutch was completely broken in. In fact, the reason why I bought a CF DF is because Davidt has been running his for 3 years, and never had a problem. The whole point of this post was to get some input because I've never felt this "clutch anamoly" on the street, and I wondered if anyone had anything similar occur to them.

RICH92RS350

I've been using the CF/DF Clutch for about 6 months.
No problems so far, but so far just street driving.(occasional stoplight dragraces)
My motor's pretty torquey (almost 400ft/lbs)
I hear the SPEC clutches are great, but haven't tried one yet.
I have heard stories like yours, saying CF Clutches suck, but so far mine's holding up fine.
-Rich-

mod313

Myself and a fellow racer at the track I bracket race at both had similar experiences. We found that when you shifted over 6000+ rpm's that the counterwieghts on the fingers would sometimes keep the clutch disengaged or just partially engaged. I went to a long style plate and he went to a TH400. I have since also gone auto but with a TH350.
Hope this helps.