CM FX350 installed

[minuccims]

Bump.

 

Just ordered the CM Fx350 this weekend. A satisfied 5th Gen LGT replacing ACT HDDS with FX30 pushed me over the edge.

[idiot4hire]

Mine grabs extremely hard my buddy had a hard time with it at autox.

[JermTheElf]

Not much clutch chatter. Pedal effort is fantastic. Very happy with this clutch

[MNRZR]

Any more updates on this clutch now that some have more miles on them?

 

What kind of power are you all putting down?

[01rs25]

Just finished my install last night. Definitely softer then the FX300 that it replaced.

 

Upon installation I discovered that the pivot ball for the fork had sheered off in the trans and that is more then likely why I only got 15k or so out of the 300.

 

Hopefully with that issue resolved and the new fx350 I won't have any upcoming issues.

[BarManBean]

Upon installation I discovered that the pivot ball for the fork had sheered off in the trans and that is more then likely why I only got 15k or so out of the 300.

 

Seriously? How did you fix that, just a part that can be replaced?

 

I'm seriously bothered buy those of you that are installing the 350 and getting no / very little chatter, while I feel like I get quite a bit of chatter / shudder on take off

[.Catalyst.]

Not much clutch chatter. Pedal effort is fantastic. Very happy with this clutch

This is where I'm at with it as well.

Any more updates on this clutch now that some have more miles on them?

 

What kind of power are you all putting down?

I'm running a solid Stage 2 setup (~ 280WTQ) and it doesn't even hiccup trying to hold it. I am quite happy with it now that I've got miles on it and have adjusted my driving style (1st gear takeoffs) accordingly. From time to time it's nice to know if you are at a slow roll in 1st, rev to 5K and side step the clutch, it grabs and goes without hesitation! I'll be doing stage 3 before next summer and actually use this clutch's potential more. Right now I'm just giving it a taste.

[JermTheElf]

I'm not positive how much TQ I'm throwing down yet, I'll find out when I'm tuned next weekend. I get a little chatter if I'm not careful, but it's not bad.

[01rs25]

Seriously? How did you fix that, just a part that can be replaced?

 

 

Luckily Yes. I think it had something to do with the TSK3 kit that was previously installed. Seems as though the set screws had worked there way loose and the sleeve was just riding on the input shaft.

 

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b192/00vr6gti/03E4EAF9-CB2C-4649-A501-267DA6800C50-728-0000006337AB2F82.jpg

 

Sheered off

 

 

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b192/00vr6gti/647B1D4C-E1AB-4226-A32F-21FC2BE64C62-728-00000061A6A72632.jpg

 

A lot of heat

 

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b192/00vr6gti/BB70EC31-7D2E-4DC0-8435-5E8446A0735D-728-00000061B28D3BBD.jpg

 

Finally out

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b192/00vr6gti/56B746BC-792E-4736-9A79-299631900E4A-728-00000061BC6F6EB9.jpg

 

Replaced with a Ball I salvaged from an '08 WRX tranny I had laying around the shop.

[luchadorjose]

I'm thinking of selling my new I am box FX350 and new in box STI 6mt flywheel. Anyone interested for 900+shipping? I need cash this weekend ASAP

 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4

[SBT]

Post it up in the Member Classified section if not already.

[timbo7]

Thinking of buying this. Just put an 18g in and now stock clutch is slipping. I got 75k out of the oem. About 500 with the new 18g. I saw some people didnt get very many miles out of their aftermarket clutches. Should I be able to get atleast 75k out of this or is it just how it is with aftermarket clutches? This will be my first time replacing a clutch.

[ras06LGT]

I just finished up installing the CM FX350 kit this weekend, along with the OEM SMFW and TSK3 kit. Everything went very smooth on install, with the exception of separating the passenger side halfshaft inboard joint. I just slid the trans back, and didn't remove the axles, but I think next time I will just to get them out of the way. The boot was leaking anyways, so it was a great excuse to finally change it out.

 

After my (presumably) stock clutch started to slip at 110,000 miles, it was time to upgrade to something that was going to be able to handle the power I was now making with my BNR 16G. I had my options narrowed down to the ACT HD street clutch or the FX350. I ended up going with the CM kit due to the reports of a light clutch pedal, which I decided was most valuable to me on my daily driver. I was also willing to take a gamble on the whole clutch chatter issue others have mentioned.

 

After the initial test drive this afternoon, I can definitely confirm the clutch pedal is very light with this pressure plate - even more so than stock. The feel of the pedal is very good, and this clutch seems to be very grabby. Driving around on a slipping clutch for a few months meant every start had a slightly different feel to it. Now, the engagement is grippy and predictable. I do need to get used to the SMFW vs. DMFW, especially with how much gas I give on starting and how fast the RPMs fall during shifts. The is zero evidence of any chattering at this point. Everything is quiet and smooth.

 

I look forward to the post-500 mile break-in review once I can really start to see what this clutch can do.

 

I'd also like to give a shout out to Underdog for great prices and fast shipping on the clutch components.

[ras06LGT]

I am now fast approaching the 1000 mile mark after installing this clutch, and I have nothing but good things to say. During the initial miles the clutch felt VERY grabby, although perhaps this felt amplified since I was coming off of a badly slipping stock clutch. As the miles progressed the engagment smoothed out a bit, however, it seemed to have developed a vibration (felt through the pedal) during power-on engagement. I began to worry that this might be a sign of chatter developing like others have reported.

 

As I neared the end of the 500 mile break-in period, this vibration got significantly better, and was only noticable during quick clutch releases (not abusive, just during quick rev-matched shifts). Moving up towards the 600 mile mark, the vibration was basically gone for all types of engagement speeds.

 

Today, the engagement on the clutch is very smooth, and the bite this clutch has is great! The engagement point lies about 1/3 of the way off the floor, and the engagement range extends to about the half-way (maybe just above) point in the pedal travel - at which point this sucker is clamped down.

 

I would say the biggest "issue" with this clutch is that I needed to relearn my driving style a bit. With a more aggressive bite, and smaller engagement window, there really isn't much of a buffer for less than smooth driving. It will grip, and it will jerk you around if you mis a rev-match or shift. The benefit of this being hill starts are easier now because the clutch feels better able to pull you along with less need for gas input. Normal launches can happen smoothly around 1k-1.2k RPM.

 

Overall, the feel of this clutch is remarkably similar to the stock clutch (regarding pedal effort and smoothness). There is just more bite accross the board. Haven't really abused it yet, but WOT pulls are no problem. Very happy!

[Underdog]

Great review! Thanks!

[BarManBean]

Sigh. I don't understand how my experience is so much different with this clutch. If I hold it at 3k rpm or so I'll sometimes avoid shudder in 1st gear--lower than that and I get shudder / chatter...2k miles in...

 

I'm still sorely disappointed in the driveability of this setup, and more sorely disappointed when I compare it to the experience of others. I'm a bit miffed to say the least. I still need to swap out my motor mounts on the off chance that has an impact (i've inspected mine and they look fine so I expect no change), but I'm back to wondering if I'm experiencing some sort of QC issue with the specific parts I installed--no idea what the issue would be though.

[SBT]

BMB - Sounds more like a FW issue than a clutch issue. Was the FW checked before install? I've been frustrated once before with a similar issue because the FW I installed was bent/warped slightly (doesn't take much) - and it was new. Didn't think it would make that much difference, but but it did. Pulled it back out, replaced the now unevenly worn disk, decked the FW and reinstalled. Voila. Smooth engagement.

[BarManBean]

BMB - Sounds more like a FW issue than a clutch issue. Was the FW checked before install? I've been frustrated once before with a similar issue because the FW I installed was bent/warped slightly (doesn't take much) - and it was new. Didn't think it would make that much difference, but but it did. Pulled it back out, replaced the now unevenly worn disk, decked the FW and reinstalled. Voila. Smooth engagement.

 

That would be a real kick in the nuts considering it was a new FW. No issues except in first. What would really suck is to do the whole job again only to find out it is in fact the clutch.

 

I guess when I find the downtime I'll tear it apart and inspect the flywheel with a machinist's straight edge. If it's up to spec I should be able to pick up new clutch parts in relatively short order.

[Adam393]

I have recently noticed that in parking lots or in traffic, the clutch can shudder pretty hard in first. I let it out around 1k~1.5k. Sometimes it gets real bad, and it feels like when I bought the car and it had a 6 puck in it. Otherwise, clutch seems to be doing well

[.Catalyst.]

I've got about 7500 miles on my FX350 now. I did a used SMFW that was resurfaced with the step specifically to what CM recommended on the card in the box. I had the shudder pretty bad between 500 and 1500 miles, but it's quite infrequent now with some miles on it. I also adjusted my 1st gear take offs from a stop, and if I can hold revs between 2K and 2.2K through engagement, I avoid the shudder. It's not bad when the clutch is cool at all, but at operating temps this helps.

[KCwagon]

I have no issues starting off in first or any other gear...but if I don't rev match the downshifts it is bone jarring the amount of shudder I get.

[dahoseman]

I'm not sure what's going on with my FX350. I'm not a big fan of it.

 

When I had it installed this spring, it engaged right off the floor and was extraordinarily jumpy/grabby to the point that I was hoping the dash or rear view mirror wouldn't get jarred off. It's slightly less jittery now after several thousand miles, but I still have to explain what "just happened" to passengers because it's like being in an earthquake in 1st and somewhat in 2nd gear. The stock clutch and previous FX300 that was in it didn't have any stutter/jump/jar at all. Unfortunately, the FX300 had some sort of pressure plate defect that made it fail after 1000 miles, so CM sent me a FX350 because they weren't making the FX300 any more

 

Currently, with a few thousand miles on it, the FX350 engages toward the top of pedal and makes a chirping/whine noise for about 1/2 second when it engages in first gear. It sort of sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard.

 

Does anyone have any idea what's causing that? It's hard for me to believe that my clutch would already be going out just after "break in". I don't particularly feel like changing my clutch every other oil change, if that is what's going on.

[PhillyWilly]

I had my fx350 installed about a week ago. 2007 LGT with stock flywheel. I drove the car for just the second time today. I am having issues with a high pitch squeal and the infamous shutter.

 

The shudder was there a little bit on the first day, but today it was extremely bad. It was alarming how much the transmission/engine shook. Every time I was about to start off in first gear from a stop I was scared of what would happen. There was extremely loud metal on metal banging as if something wasn't bolted down. I could deal with a little bit of shudder but this feels like something is very wrong.

 

The squeal would start off very soft but by the end of a 25 mile commute it became much louder. With the hood open the sound is coming from right underneath the intercooler. The sound happens at all times when the clutch is engaged. If I put just a bit of pressure on the clutch pedal it will go away. I am guessing it is throwout bearing related. I used the one that came with the kit - not tsk. Any one else have this issue?

[Drogos]

with the wide range of responses to 350 it seems that's going to be OEM clatch for me. I hear spec B is the same clutch as STI only little bit smaller. Can anyone confirm this? Also anyone knows what's the difference in weight/size between stock STI FW and spec B's?

[KCwagon]

with the wide range of responses to 350 it seems that's going to be OEM clatch for me. I hear spec B is the same clutch as STI only little bit smaller. Can anyone confirm this? Also anyone knows what's the difference in weight/size between stock STI FW and spec B's?

 

Yes, the Spec B clutch has a smaller surface area than the STI. The STI flywheel and SpecB flywheel look the same, but have different part numbers. I have the STI fitment FX350 and STI flywheel in my SpecB transmission. If I were to do it over, I would use the upgraded STI (Exedy) clutch and STI flywheel. Scooby2.5 had an FX350 previously, switched it out to the Exedy, and loves it.

 

As far as Flywheel weight, I have no idea.