Manx Club

I'm fitting a new clutch to my Manx Clone. I was thinking of fitting a stage 1 Kennedy pressure plate with a Kushlok disc. What are they like?

The clutch pedal will be stiffer than stock, but not bad. If you have a high horse power engine, but don't have a really beefed up transaxle, it will act as a cushion to help the transaxle live longer. It is a nice compromise between a stock clutch & a race clutch. My opinion is based on street and drag race usage. Some of the off road guys may want to add thier thoughts. Tom

I have always run a Daikin "Super Disk" with a stock Daikin pressure plate in my buggys. They are a little easier on the transaxle and the tires will slip before the clutch will. I have run a 12.55 1/4 mile on this setup. The problem you run into with heavier pressure plates is the fact that the cable and the guide tube will wear prematurely.

"Some of the off road guys may want to add thier thoughts." I like the stock clutch for stock (or near stock) engines. I would rather have the clutch slip than to bust a CV joint if I hook the back tires in a rut or on a stairstep. I do run a better disc which is supposed to handle high heat from slipping the clutch better, but the pressure plate is stock. Higher HP engines could really use a pressure plate with greater than stock clamping force. Just remember that the driveline is only as strong as its weakest link.

I agree with Lee. Stock good quality clutches seem to come apart less frequently too. Less expensive to upgrade than a transaxle if you end up with a slipage issue. In my glass buggy I tried a full disc (non puck) solid ( no springs) with a stock plate that I am pretty happy with. I forget the brand name. It is nice for street driving because you can slip it on hills etc without chatter.

It seems like the consensus here is that a stock pressure plate with a solid clutch disc is the best set up. I'm only running a 1641cc so I probably don't really need the extra clamping force. A friend of mine (who has a shop that builds off road racers) was the one telling me to go with the Kennedy pressure plate. The cars he builds have a lot more horse power than mine and probably need the extra clamping force.

[FONT=Comic Sans MS]Kennedy clutches come from stock to extreme. you can review their products @[/FONT] http://www.kennedyeng.com. I ran a stage 1 with my 1776 with a stock IRS Tranny, but had troubles keeping the engine alive on steep climbs, almost cooked a clutch. Ask Kathleen from Lone Pine Run, now I am running a stage 2 with the bus tranny, for steep climbs. no more revving and slipping the clutch a 3 speed tranny with a granny gear. Depends on the size of the motor and the type of terrain you will drive in.

We run a Kennedy Stage-1 set-up with our 1776 motor with no problems. Only issue was the stock thowout bearing carrier inside the tranny bell housing snapped an arm off after about 4 years of use. I have since upgraded to a HD carrier shaft.