Background: As some of the SoCal folk know, my 04 coupe clutch felt exceptionally worse than most stock clutches. It engaged higher than normal and had a very “spongy” feeling when you steep on it. After talking to Dru (meechin) and taking his sexy ride for a spin, I decided I needed a new clutch for sure. Dru is rocking the JWT clutch and UR flywheel. I loved it; however the chatter at low RPMs bothered me, so I decided to go with just a new clutch with stock flywheel.
Install: As stated above, I took my car to Street Image for just a clutch install. However, after dropping my tranny, they concluded that I would need a new flywheel to pair with the new clutch since my stock fly had a lot of wear on it. I blame Ed (G35lin) for abusing my poor car
(just kidding ed haha). Anyways, since the UR flywheel is quite rare and takes a while to come in, I went with the JWT flywheel since Street Image could get it that day.
Impressions: As expected the car is a dream to drive now. It feels like the front of the car shed off 150 pounds. Gears 1 through 3 pass a lot faster. As expected, it is more of a “weight reduction” feeling than a “more horsepower” feeling. Engine breaking is less severe and it’s smoother now. The clutch engagement point is extremely low, but I am told it will rise a bit as the clutch gets broken in. As the clutch pedal is released, it feels very linear and is way lighter than before, but still not as light as Dru’s clutch pedal (no clue why). Rev matching is much easier with the lighter flywheel, and mismatches are much less violent. On the bad side, I get chatter when in gear and giving it gas under 2200 RPM. With some music on at a reasonable level, you can’t even hear it from within the cabin. Very little chatter at idle. So little that idle chatter is a non issue. No chatter in reverse.
Stuff you should know:
I am VERY picky about squeaks and rattles in my car. The flywheel doesn’t really bother me since I expected it to be a little noisy, and I accept it as the price to pay to play. A light weight flywheel is NOT for people who are very picky about noise.
For those who do want a new combo, but want to minimize chatter, go with a JWT clutch and UR flywheel. The UR rattles under the same conditions as my JWT flywheel, however the chatter ends much sooner at around 1600 RPM. The UR piece is more expensive, however it is better made, and rattles a bit less. Most of the guys with the JWT flywheel complain about noise at idle, and don’t really mention chatter under acceleration under 2200 rpm.
Overall: GREAT mod, and definitely one of my favorites. The chatter sucks, but that is the ONLY downside. Somebody REALLY needs to build something to keep the throw out bearing from rattling against the flywheel!!!!
A big thanks to ed, Street Image Eric and Mondo for their flawless work, Dru for letting me try out his setup and for dealing with my flip flopping, and everybody else who gave me their input on their setups. If you have any questions regarding any of my mods, feel free to PM me or catch me on AIM.