Sent my clutch back to RPS

[topgunsnsx]

As I posted previously, the ring gears on the RPS clutch separated from the flywheel causing my car to not start / run. Contacted RPS and they requested I send it in because the ring gears should never separate from one of their performance clutch. Sent it in over a month ago and they've been trying to figure out what to do. After a few e-mails, RPS responds and say basically I'm out of luck and should just buy a new set from SOS. Yes, there were some wear on my set after about 10k miles, yet it worked fine up till the ring gears broke off. Something they said should never happen. As to why it took over a month to decide, don't know. Not very happy right now as I'll basically be out 3k total for a new clutch set and labor when there may of been a defect in manufacturing. So much for customer service and standing behind your product.

 

[ralph cerbone]

They concurred with what I originally posted, their reaction is unprofessional.

 

[liftnot]

They concurred with what I originally posted, their reaction is unprofessional.

flywheel should always be one-piece(one material) design with no welds, no nuts holding another material in place claiming "unique design"....different material in this environment runs high risk of what you just experienced. Sure it saves $$ in manufacturing but the consequence passes on to the end user.

This is a design flaw that RPS should be 100% responsible and return your $$$.

 

[ScienceofSpeed]

I called RPS about this as it sounded quite odd that they would not to care of something like this. I'm not sure if you received their reply, however, they are willing to replace or repair the flywheel at no charge. They did state that the clutch is fairly worn out however and they suggest a rebuild. The cost of the SACHS pressure plates used (the same model that CT / Comptech use) are very expensive. Our cost alone on the rebuild is $1400.00. Remember that this clutch used to sell for around $2000.00 - it is an expensive unit.

Regarding the fastened flywheel design, and this being "bad". No, this is not bad, it is quite standard - please understand the design constraints. The NSX flywheel requires a higher center section due to the twin disc design stack height. If this was made in steel as one piece, it would be incredibly heavy (not to mention machining a 5" tall billet of steel would make the clutch prohibitively expensive).

By using a modular design, the flywheel is considerably less heavy and allows it to be rebuilt. The cost to rebuild is only $125.00 - where other designs you'd have to throw it away (it would be difficult to machine these due to the step). Most manufactures simply fasten the ring gear and friction liner to the aluminum body. The RPS design also TIG welds the fasteners in place. The posters flywheel bolts completely striped out the bolts and cracked the welds - this is not a failure. We have seen this when the starter motor was engaged while the engine was running. Not saying that is what happened, only an example of what could cause this.

I hope this provides some better insight. I suggest giving them a call - as I mentioned, they're willing to repair the ring gear at no charge - which I think is pretty outstanding for a 4+ year old product.

-- Chris