Clutch Masters FX300 (Stage III) Long Term Impressions

[RYU]

There seems to be a lack of aftermarket clutch options for the NSX. Many of the popular units had mixed reviews. I went thru the agonizing decision process and ended up taking a chance on the Clutch Masters FX300. L_Rao installed the FX200 on his NA 3.0L locally and I was quite impressed with it. Member cantdrive55 also had positive comments and a lot of miles on his FX400 6 puck. D1_guy is using one too but I forget which model.

Pedal pressure was a significant concern for me. I can't live with anything that was any stiffer than stock. I drive my car on both street/traffic, canyons, and track but needed the clutch to hold the power of FI and also suffered a bad ankle injury years ago. Basically, I needed something that was affordable, has light pedal pressure, easy enough to modulate in traffic, and can be capable for track weekends.

The FX200 is a full face kevlar composite face. The FX400 is a 6 puck. The FX300 is a segmented full face which is in between the 200 and 400. I believe they all use the same pressure plate. The FX200 and FX300 share the same kevlar disk but i'm not sure what type of material is on the FX400. A full face disk last longer and should be slightly easier to modulate. A segmented disk or 4-6 puck has stronger clampling force due to lesser surface area (great lbs/in). They all come with a Aluminum flywheel.

I plan to update this thread as time goes by with further impressions; both good and bad.

Current Setup:
Stock 5 spd. Soon to be with short gears.
Stock low boost CTSC

I posted some details about the FX300 here.
http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1572984&postcount=7

 

[RYU]

I was asked by a respected member on here regarding my impressions. Well, I just drove it home last night for the first time. This was what I mentioned.

I just drove it home for the first time last night with the new clutch. I put about 50 hwy miles on it. Definitely impressed with it so far (but how much can you tell from 50 miles of light hwy driving).

So far here are the positives I can yield.
* The pedal pressure is stock-like but it doesn't feel like a dead clutch pedal either. The spring back is good.
* The catch point is much more direct and firm than OEM but not difficult to modulate like an RPS Stage 1 or Exedy that i've tried. Very similar to the RPS/SOS twin disc in pedal pressure (but can't afford) though easier to modulate than the RPS twin. Flywheel? Less of a sweet spot unlike the OEM though but easy to modulate nontheless. It felt like going from stock suspension to a good set of coilovers if that makes any sense. Very positive engagement. I like it. Feels sporty.
* It did chatter on the way out from the shop. Probably because I was riding the clutch like I did with the OEM unit. I learned how to engage it and it's been compliant so far. I noticed nearing home it didn't chatter anymore. It must have been a combination of me learning the engage point and the disc area breaking itself in perhaps.
* I have no feedback on high speed high rpm shifting yet. The lightened flywheel is nice though. Blips easily.

Some pics..

OEM twin disc Unit removed. The springs were loose and tired.

FX300 Pressure Plate (bought from D1_Guy. Excellent service)

Ready for install (thanks Ramon). Aluminum flywheel (11lbs~) and segmented kevlar disc

New Throwout bearing and clutch alignment tool provided

Dali clutch damper delete (SOS has a nice unit too), New OEM Damper pulley, and Titanium Dave's Damper "shield" while we were at it.

 

[junior40er]

nice write up, got a PM your way.

 

[Nero Tenebre]

What's the clutch damper delete do?

 

[RYU]

What's the clutch damper delete do?

http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php?t=161442
Enjoy

 

[RYU]

I was finally able to break 500 miles earlier this week. Also started driving a bit more aggressively into redline for about 150 miles after that. I like the clutch. I notice zero slippage. Pedal pressure is excellent, like stock or softer, but not nearly as squishy soft as say a Honda Fit. It provides a good sporty feedback feel. It did feel much better after it's had a chance to break in.

The engagement is very similar to how Dave says his is on the 6 puck SOS.
http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1588436&postcount=35

Overall, another good option for the FI guys wanting lighter pedal pressure at a good value.

p.s. trying to sign up for a track day this weekend. I'll post up a report after if they free up a spot.

 

[NSXCessive]

I was finally able to break 500 miles earlier this week. Also started driving a bit more aggressively into redline for about 150 miles after that. I like the clutch. I notice zero slippage. Pedal pressure is excellent, like stock or softer, but not nearly as squishy soft as say a Honda Fit. It provides a good sporty feedback feel. It did feel much better after it's had a chance to break in.

The engagement is very similar to how Dave says his is on the 6 puck SOS.
http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1588436&postcount=35

Overall, another good option for the FI guys wanting lighter pedal pressure at a good value.

p.s. trying to sign up for a track day this weekend. I'll post up a report after if they free up a spot.

I know I'm bumping an oldie will be in the market for a clutch soon for my '00 SOS S/C how did the clutch masters hold up? I'm also after close to factory pedal pressure and good drive-ability for street. I noticed they listed a change in their lineup with FX250/350/400 and 850 race series.

 

[RYU]

I know I'm bumping an oldie will be in the market for a clutch soon for my '00 SOS S/C how did the clutch masters hold up? I'm also after close to factory pedal pressure and good drive-ability for street. I noticed they listed a change in their lineup with FX250/350/400 and 850 race series.

I swapped out to a OS Giken STR2C clutch soon after... If that tells you anything.

- - - Updated - - -

It was a decent clutch for the price but I can't tell you any long term impressions

 

[DAYTA]

I installed the ClutchMaster FX350 on my car (97 NA2) this past spring and have put about 2k miles on it so far. I had a good experience with ClutchMasters in the past (ran a FX300 on my supercharged TSX pushing 350whp for 15k miles before I sold the car) and I wanted a clutch that could maintain drivability yet handle FI-level power.

The FX300 and FX350 have similar designs- the difference is in the materials used. The FX300 is a carbon/kevlar disc while the FX350 uses a proprietary material for ClutchMasters called "Fiber Tuff" which supposedly holds as well as carbon/kevlar but isn't prone to the same overheating issues (i.e. hard launches, power shifting, etc).

My impressions are similar to RYU - it grips extremely well, pedal pressure is very close to stock (huge selling point), and there is only minimal gear whine when I'm crawling or backing up - at idle or normal driving speeds, it's no different to OEM. Overall, I'm really liking this clutch but I will concede that it's not always the easiest clutch to drive around town. While considerably easier than a puck clutch to drive in stop/go traffic, it does lean slightly more to the "on/off" side of the engagement scale. You can definitely modulate it - you just have to pay attention. Lucky for me, most of my NSX driving is for pleasure only where stop/go is kept to a minimum.

Another big selling point for me was switching to a single mass aluminum flywheel. I weighed both flywheels and the OEM dual mass unit was HEAVY:

OEM = 30.55 lbs (!)

ClutchMasters = 12.35 lbs

The difference in performance was noticeable immediately. The car revs considerably quicker now and rev hang is much less of an issue, something that always annoyed me with the OEM setup when trying to revmatch my downshifts. As much as improved power holding was a factor, I was equally looking for improved engine response from a lightened flywheel and this setup made a huge difference for me.

 

[ntenseone]

RYU, what is better about the OS Giken in comparison to the Competition?