shralp Posted June 11, 2022 Share Posted June 11, 2022 Mods feel free to move to Transmissions forum, just seems like this one gets more eyeballs as the LegacyGT in its entirety doesn't get the traffic it used to... My clutch, (presumably) gave up the ghost yesterday while picking up my kid from school. Its my daily driver, stg. 2 '08 Outback XT. Pedal feel went all weird on me and within a few more shifts engagement went to hell and it starting stinking as well. Limped it home and by the time I got it in the garage it was even worse. Gearbox and shifting feel fine. Car has 101k mi on it, the last 45k of those at stg. 2. Not super shocked as the wick has been turned up for a number of years and hey, its got over 100k on the clutch. No idea how the previous owner drove it for the first 55K of its life. Reaching out to get everyones thoughts on what I should replace it with. I'm most likely never going to go beyond stg. 2 in this car and really don't want or need a heavy pedal feel. Really looking for something that's more like "OEM +" as I don't think its best idea to put in another OEM Exedy. For those of you running ACT, Spec, or Exedy feel free to chime in on your experiences if you would. Whatever route I go, I assume everyone suggests running the TSK-3 kit as well? I'll most likely just get a '06+ WRX single mass flywheel to match it to, don't really see the need to go with something lighter in my daily? Thoughts y'all? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhino6303 Posted June 11, 2022 Share Posted June 11, 2022 I had good luck with the stage 2 daily from south bend. It uses the oem exedy clutch disc with a south bend pressure plate. My current clutch is a zf design semi metallic clutch. I have about 1k miles on it and it's been good so far. It's a really light pedal compared to the south bend. I'm not a big fan of the tsk3 kit if it isn't necessary. The bearing seems to wear quickly. One item I would recommend is the throwout bearing from a new WRX (30502AA160). Yes, it fits our cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shralp Posted June 11, 2022 Author Share Posted June 11, 2022 I had good luck with the stage 2 daily from south bend. It uses the oem exedy clutch disc with a south bend pressure plate. My current clutch is a zf design semi metallic clutch. I have about 1k miles on it and it's been good so far. It's a really light pedal compared to the south bend. I'm not a big fan of the tsk3 kit if it isn't necessary. The bearing seems to wear quickly. One item I would recommend is the throwout bearing from a new WRX (30502AA160). Yes, it fits our cars. Gotcha, how would you compare your South Bend clutch as compared to stock? Happen to have part #'s? So South Bend doesn't make a clutch disc for our cars? Assume they designed it to fit with OEM Exedy? What did you go with for a flywheel? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted June 11, 2022 Share Posted June 11, 2022 I like the Spec 2+ clutches I have had for many years. My Spec B still has a stock clutch, my wagon has the 2+'s. The wagon's pedal is slightly stiffer, but not real noticeable unless I drive them back to back. My wagon also has the first Spec Clutch LWFW. Call them and order direct, and you may get it quicker. Make sure you look at your clutch fork closely for cracks around the pivot ball. If your doing the job yourself, make sure the fork didn't fall off the pivot ball before you put the bolts in. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shralp Posted June 11, 2022 Author Share Posted June 11, 2022 I like the Spec 2+ clutches I have had for many years. My Spec B still has a stock clutch, my wagon has the 2+'s. The wagon's pedal is slightly stiffer, but not real noticeable unless I drive them back to back. My wagon also has the first Spec Clutch LWFW. Call them and order direct, and you may get it quicker. Make sure you look at your clutch fork closely for cracks around the pivot ball. If your doing the job yourself, make sure the fork didn't fall off the pivot ball before you put the bolts in. Gotcha, so wow, based on your power levels you're running a ton of headroom with your 2+ rated at 420 ft. lbs. With their Stage 1 and 2 kits rated at 325 and 375 respectively, its surprising to hear that your 2+ almost feels stock. I'd be tempted to go stage 2 for an even more OEM 'ish feel since I'm only putting down around 300 ft. lbs in the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhino6303 Posted June 11, 2022 Share Posted June 11, 2022 Gotcha, how would you compare your South Bend clutch as compared to stock? Happen to have part #'s? So South Bend doesn't make a clutch disc for our cars? Assume they designed it to fit with OEM Exedy? What did you go with for a flywheel? The south bend was noticeably stiffer than stock. They just use an exedy clutch disc in their kit that is the same as an oem disc. The southbend stage 2 daily part number is fjk1001-hd. I've used an exedy flywheel (tyf001) and a luk (lfw476). Luk lfw448 also fits. Anything from a 2006-2018 wrx fits. The 2019+ wrx moved to a 230mm clutch instead of a 200mm clutch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted June 11, 2022 Share Posted June 11, 2022 Do not go with the Spec 2, it will not last as long as a 2+. I had a Spec 2, and it only lasted 50,000 miles. Talking with Spec, they recommend a 2+ for these cars. I used to have a buddy from our drag racing day's that worked for Spec, he moved on a couple of years ago. Yes, this current 2+ has a much lighter pedal feel then the first one back in late June 07' I think they listened to customers and made it more user friendly. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shralp Posted June 11, 2022 Author Share Posted June 11, 2022 Thanks for all the info guys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeInOregon Posted June 12, 2022 Share Posted June 12, 2022 I have a stage one forget the brand same my tuner uses in his rally car... Will find the receipt later . I went with the single mass WRX flywheel much better feel, also did forged shift fork and pivot balls because it was suggested and only added 150 bucks to the job Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shralp Posted June 12, 2022 Author Share Posted June 12, 2022 Looking at flywheels here, I'm wondering whether to go with an OEM or something like ACT's Streetlight flywheel, which is actually $20 cheaper than an OEM WRX one. Still kinda leaning towards OEM for good drivability in my daily. hmmm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhino6303 Posted June 12, 2022 Share Posted June 12, 2022 Looking at flywheels here, I'm wondering whether to go with an OEM or something like ACT's Streetlight flywheel, which is actually $20 cheaper than an OEM WRX one. Still kinda leaning towards OEM for good drivability in my daily. hmmm...The exedy tyf001 is the same as oem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NORULZleggy Posted June 13, 2022 Share Posted June 13, 2022 I went with Spec Stage 2+, single mass WRX fly (Lightweight), The shop said DO NOT DO TSK kit, I have 6k miles on the car so far and it is nice to drive. I do baby the car, and do not drag or launch it. I do pulls in 2nd and 3rd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infosecdad Posted June 13, 2022 Share Posted June 13, 2022 I went with Spec Stage 2+, single mass WRX fly (Lightweight), The shop said DO NOT DO TSK kit, I have 6k miles on the car so far and it is nice to drive. I do baby the car, and do not drag or launch it. I do pulls in 2nd and 3rd. What was the reasoning for not doing the TSK Kit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NORULZleggy Posted June 13, 2022 Share Posted June 13, 2022 What was the reasoning for not doing the TSK Kit? The owner of the shop said that if you go that route, you would have to say with that TSK kit for the like of the car. He also said that if you where not able to get that part there would be a problem. It's be a few years, but he said just go with the OEM stuff new and a nice clutch and setup and you will be fine. I know I am explaining it wrong, but when he explained it to me I said nope right away. He also said save that money for something else. He is good about telling me to not waste money on things cause I would buy it lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheeseenlo Posted June 13, 2022 Share Posted June 13, 2022 +1 for Southbend. I'm running their Stage 2 Endurance w/ WRX single mass flywheel and TSK3 kit. The pedal feel is not too stiff but definitely more than stock. Still very manageable in traffic. It's holding great at my power level without any chatter. Southbend also has top notch customer service. I inquired about some light chatter with their Stage 2 Daily (ran previously) and they told me to send it in to get replaced under warranty without any further questions. They upgraded me to their Stage 2 Endurance since I told them about my future plans for more power. I sent in my flywheel also and they covered everything free of charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheeseenlo Posted June 13, 2022 Share Posted June 13, 2022 The owner of the shop said that if you go that route, you would have to say with that TSK kit for the like of the car. He also said that if you where not able to get that part there would be a problem. It's be a few years, but he said just go with the OEM stuff new and a nice clutch and setup and you will be fine. I know I am explaining it wrong, but when he explained it to me I said nope right away. He also said save that money for something else. He is good about telling me to not waste money on things cause I would buy it lol. I've used the kit twice so far. First time using with a Southbend Stage 2 Daily , which was amazing but had occasional chatter. Fast forward when I installed my Stage 2 Endurance clutch, I went with the TSK kit again along with a Verus billet clutch fork and pivot ball / point. The old bearing was a bit noisy, I think I put maybe 20-25k miles on everything but it wasn't failing by any means. In my opinion the TSK kit is a safety measure to keep the snout from getting destroyed. If the TSK bearing does fail, I'm hoping the sleeve should prevent the snout from getting damaged. I'm interested in the newer WRX TOB, if it has decent reliability if the TSK kit becomes unavailable in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infosecdad Posted June 13, 2022 Share Posted June 13, 2022 The owner of the shop said that if you go that route, you would have to say with that TSK kit for the like of the car. He also said that if you where not able to get that part there would be a problem. It's be a few years, but he said just go with the OEM stuff new and a nice clutch and setup and you will be fine. I know I am explaining it wrong, but when he explained it to me I said nope right away. He also said save that money for something else. He is good about telling me to not waste money on things cause I would buy it lol. If you put the TSK kit on a non-damaged transmission snout, it shouldn't cause any damage or prevent you from returning to the OEM style. I can't think of what would permanently prevent you from doing that. I preemptively installed the TSK kit and moved over the Verus heavy duty fork/pivot when I installed the split case 6mt earlier this year. Everything is good so far and it's my understanding that I could remove the TSK kit and revert back to an OEM TSB if I needed to in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted June 13, 2022 Share Posted June 13, 2022 I don't use the TSK kit and have not needed too. Just make sure there is a light coat of high temp grease on the tranny snout where the TOB slides. Also on the tip of the shaft where it goes into the pilot bearing. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubOperator Posted June 14, 2022 Share Posted June 14, 2022 I use TSK3 kit on LGT and on 05OB. LGT is doing fine, the TOB on 05OB died and now needs to be replaced. 2005 LGT Wagon Limited 6 MT RBP Stage 2 - 248K 2007 B9 Tribeca Limited DGM - 258K SOLD - 2005 OB Limited 5 MT Silver - 245K SOLD - 2010 OB 6 MT Silver - 205K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleano5 Posted June 15, 2022 Share Posted June 15, 2022 A reputable shop I like here in Oceanside, CA called Subie Shop has been using the South Bend and everyone really likes it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrokenProjectGT Posted June 20, 2022 Share Posted June 20, 2022 From reading other forums, I was under the impression that your clutch should be the weakest point in your drivetrain because it's cheaper to replace a clutch than it is to replace a transmission. So it should be preferred to use a stock clutch rather than something like stage 2. Is this incorrect? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted June 20, 2022 Share Posted June 20, 2022 If you've ever backed in 4+ inches of snow with a stock clutch in these cars and feel it slip...you'd understand why you put a better clutch in. The Spec 2+ has been great. I have launched the wagon a number of times, with no damage to the tranny. Learn how to pre-load the drivetrain. Using the e-brake. 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infosecdad Posted June 20, 2022 Share Posted June 20, 2022 From reading other forums, I was under the impression that your clutch should be the weakest point in your drivetrain because it's cheaper to replace a clutch than it is to replace a transmission. So it should be preferred to use a stock clutch rather than something like stage 2. Is this incorrect? "Weakest" doesn't mean "weak". The clutch needs to be strong enough to hold the torque from the engine or you'll just keep replacing them on a frequent basis. If you go beyond stock torque, you need to increase the rating on the clutch as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shralp Posted June 22, 2022 Author Share Posted June 22, 2022 The universe is against me this year gents it appears that when the clutch blew up it damaged the snout beyond repair. OMG this is going to be the most expensive ‘08 Outback XT on the road you’ve ever seen by the time I’m up and running… Did I mention that recent compression tests on my built Rallispec motor (2017), indicate that the motor in my track car is starting to get tired as well? Jeez! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Capacity Posted June 22, 2022 Share Posted June 22, 2022 Too bad you're on the other coast, I have a spare 5mt in the shed. But the Outback has a different FD. https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/transmission-gear-ratios-and-final-drives-229267.html 305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD). CHECK your oil, these cars use it. Engine Build - Click Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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