Anyone have an ACT 6-puck sprung clutch?

[NSFW]

Cliff's Notes: if anyone can share their experience with the ACT 6-puck sprung clutch, I'd love to hear it.

 

Long version: My stock clutch slipped just a tiny bit at WOT in 3rd the other day, so I need to decide whether to get...

 

a) ...the ACT HDMM, which may or may not survive my ATP 3076 as long as I'd like. But, I drove this with the streetlite flywheel in a friends car and it all felt just right.

 

b) ...the ACT spring 6-puck, which ought to withstand the torque. But, I have no idea about driveability with that sort of clutch, and I've never heard much good about puck clutches in daily drivers.

 

I've also heard that puck clutches don't last long. That has mean leaning toward the HDMM... it might not last long either, but at least I know I'll enjoy it in the meantime.

 

I looked into Exedy as well, but heard that the pedal feel is very soft and the engagement is very wide - starts to engage when you lift it an inch, starts to slip when you press it an inch (leverage at work). The wide slip range doesn't appeal to me, in fact its one of the things I don't like about the factory clutch. The short engagement of the ACT setup reminded me of my old BMW 325 - I drove that for over 10 years, and it still feels more "right" to me than the factory Subaru clutch.

 

Thanks!

[SubyShop.com]

A friend of mine has a 6-puck Exedy in his swapped bugeye with PPG gearset. He burned through a disk in only 15,000 miles since he mainly does street driving with the car. A 6-puck has its place, but it's not ideal for street use and takes some finesse to operate. If street driving takes up a majority of the car's use, a full face disk would be the most suitable. The ACT street disk is rated to hold 420 ft lb of torque and I know of people running more than that and the clutch holds fine. The main reason my friend got the 6puck is because he is running a DOM3 and the PPG gearbox can take the hard launches all day long.

 

-Franz

[PhilT]

The ACT 6 puck takes a lot of getting used to. It took me a few days to even be able to get a smooth start, and now on occasion i get the judders.

 

Given my choices again, I wouldn't choose the 6 puck.

[FireB]

The ACT 6 puck takes a lot of getting used to. It took me a few days to even be able to get a smooth start, and now on occasion i get the judders.

 

Given my choices again, I wouldn't choose the 6 puck.

 

+1

 

It takes a little more time to get used to especially with LWFW also.

I don't drive my car frequently in the traffic so I can tolerate it.

But if you are stuck in a traffic for more than 1 hour, you might not like it.

I was gonna go DOM3 so I purchased the 6 puck but decided HTA68.

If this wears out, I would go with HDMM.

 

I think the power you are going to push might be right on the border line with the ATP 3076.

I'd say better safe than sorry.

You'll get used to it........I think.

[joeleodee]

I considered th 6-puck, but after a little reading, I am going to go with the ADT HD instead. I drive like a granny most of the time and after seeing what can happen to these cars at the track, I probably won't even run it there. Nevertheless, I don't think replacing my stock clutch for stock will last too long with an AVO450. Good to hear from people who know.

[NSFW]

A friend of mine has a 6-puck Exedy in his swapped bugeye with PPG gearset. He burned through a disk in only 15,000 miles since he mainly does street driving with the car.

 

That pretty much settles it - I'm going with the HD.

 

It may not last forever, but if I get more than 15k miles out of it, then I chose right.

 

Thanks everybody!

[NSFW]

Well, shit... http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2742277

20G + meth = slipping ACT HD.

My 3076 probably puts out similar torque.

[f1anatic]

I don't have the 6-puck but I am on my second ACT HDMM. In fact if you are interested I can put up pictures of what came off the car. About 20% life left after 30,000 miles. Granted I am at a measly 265ish whp but I never launch or otherwise abuse my clutch. I was rather surprised to see such short life span.

 

The LWFW (which I have - and love) also meant that there was uneven wear on the clutch disc. The reason why I changed the clutch now was that there was about 20% life left. A section of less "thickness" was on one side of the disc, with very little material left near one of the bolts that attach the disc to its backing. Definitely uneven wear. Definitely NVH when it was on the car.

 

I chose not to upgrade to a 6-puck at the suggestion of the ACT people. I would give them a call, they are uber friendly and helpful. In fact they sourced out a shop for me which had one in stock and the disc was just 175 shipped (of course the pressure plate and the LWFW carried over, so I just needed the clutch disc). But now the NVH is horrendous...espec. after the addition of my LSD unit. I swear the car sounds like a supercharger now...with a high pitched noise as I pick up speed.

[SubLo]

I have had the ACT 6-Puck Sprung clutch in question for 2 years. It's got its pros and cons like any other clutch. The "Jutters" I believe are not necessarily due to the clutch itself but the combo of the 6-puck and LWFW. I think a slightly heavier FW might reduce this issue.

 

Speaking of that issue, for me, it happens maybe 20% of the time and only when I try to launch (street/normal driving) like I launched the OEM setup. There is some driving style adjustment necessary. It has a lot higher and much sharper engagement even after a couple thousand miles. If I launch under 1400k rpm gently, no issues. If I launch above 2k rpm for a quick launch - no problems. It's that 1400 - 1800rpm and 2 - 3 second launch, where I'd take off on the OEM setup, where the judders happen from time to time.

 

That's the negative.

 

Now the positive: This setup has been rock solid dependable, after thousands of miles, and some grueling launches at auto-x and the strip. I'm very, very happy with the performance under "spirited driving" scenarios. That's key in my setup because of the increased torque I'm facing.

 

I would call Josh at ImportImageOnline (vendor here). He gave me good pricing on the setup and knows this stuff pretty well as well as other ACT options for us.

[NSFW]

I have had the ACT 6-Puck Sprung clutch in question for 2 years.

 

Thanks for the write-up! How many miles in those two years?

[NSFW]

But now the NVH is horrendous...espec. after the addition of my LSD unit. I swear the car sounds like a supercharger now...with a high pitched noise as I pick up speed.

 

In all gears, or just first and second?

 

Did anything change other than replacing one HDMM clutch with another?

 

Thanks!

[f1anatic]

In all gears, or just first and second?

 

Did anything change other than replacing one HDMM clutch with another?

 

Thanks!

 

I had 4 new synchros go in; the STI LSD and just the HDMM clutch. There is increased noise at any speed in any gear but 1st gear is definitely afflicted with NVH. I shall say that NVH in 1st and just noise in 2nd-5th. That being said, I have complete faith in my install being done responsibly and yes, the shifts are smooooth. But the noise is rather annoying. I hope it will get better as the disc wears out a bit.

[SubLo]

Thanks for the write-up! How many miles in those two years?

 

Not much - 5K.