First clutch replacement was a Spec Stage I. Chatter came not only from the clutch (expected) but THROUGH the pedal, and I could feel a grinding sensation. When I drove it out of the transmission shop, it grabbed/clamped HARD and INSTANTLY. I LOVED it. Around 250 miles of owning that clutch, I made the mistake of driving briskly with it -- I couldn't contain myself. I ripped through a few shifts several times. After that, it all went downhill. I babyed it for the next thousand miles, but the clutch was already dead. When they took it out, it was burned up pretty bad, along with the flywheel.
So, my mistake for getting brisk with it a little early, but the pedal vibration was driving me insane, and I was dissapointed that the clutch itself didn't hold up better.
So, being out a clutch just after a month or two, it was time to put in a new one. I bought an FRPP King Cobra clutch -- Not the "imitation kind", the "real" one. The one that Steeda sells on their site for $225 + shipping. I got it for $190 shipped through a friend, which I was told was a great deal. When it arrived, it said "Ford Racing" on the box, but also had a little stamp that said valeo, which kind of p!ssed me off. I wondered if there is any difference between King Cobra clutches at all. I pulled the clutch out and the material on the clutch felt like plastic and was really thin. I was assured that the way the material looks or feels doesnt mean anything however.
So, install time. My flywheel was resurfaced again, and the clutch was installed along with a Steeda Firewall Quadrant adjuster. The car to this day has ZERO vibration/chatter coming from the pedal, although the clutch chatters to an extent.
Anyways, I promised myself I would baby the HELL out of this clutch. First thoughts on the clutch is that it feels very weak. The shifts are super smooth, and you cant even feel the clutch engage sometimes. This is nice for daily driving, but eery becuase it feels very soft and smooshy as if it would choke under high rpm shifts. Anyways, for the first 660 miles I never took it over 3300rpm, and made sure to GRADUALLY release the clutch on shifts, and never downshift. It was nerve racking and annoying, but I MADE SURE it was babyed to kingdom come. At 680 miles, on the way back from the beach, I was itching to test it out some, and GENTLY downshifted into 3rd gear to pass someone. I took it to about 6000rpm, and it shifted crisply and fast. I was happy. For the next 230 miles, I went back to original form, babying the sin out of it, keeping it under 3300rpm, and shifting like a grandma. Then, around 890 miles, I romped on it from a 1st gear dig and shifted into second at about 6600rpm. The tires squeeled and it clamped hard. A shift into 3rd at 6000rpm brought more bark from the tires, and the clutch had ZERO slip. Then, I decided to baby it for another 120 miles. Well, with about 1060 miles on it, I once again romped on it. This time, the 1-2 shift felt SUPER weak. It felt very gooey and didnt clamp with any sort of force. So as I get on the highway, I slip it down into 4th around 70mph and mashed the gas. The clutch slipped a bit at first but then bucked me forward. I was extremely p!ssed.
To make sure this wasnt just a fluke, I tried a few more of these simple, yet aggressive runs today, and the clutch felt equally as weak. Engagements under normal driving feel HORRIBLE. It once again feels like Im shifting a kleenex tissue, it is EERILY smooth. I'm not talking about the light pedal feel BTW, rather that the clutch itself feels like its slipping under engagements, it just feels like jello.
So here I sit with another potential clutch problem, except this time its not my fault. I cannot afford to go through this process again, and I think if I have to break another clutch in its going to drive me INSANE.
I am extremely dissatisfied with this POS clutch. I had an ACT street disc made of organic materials in my Maxima. That clutch sells for around $320 (got it for $260 at cost), but there is much less aftermarket for the Maxima. That clutch held 10psi of Vortech V1 boost remarkably for 20,000+ miles and never once slipped. It clamped VERY hard and took all my abuse. I broke this clutch with less babying then the King Cobra, yet it took my abuse day in and day out. The clutch itself was touchy for daily driving, and was hard to shift butter smooth, but this way I KNEW that it was doing its job and would never fail on me at WOT shifts.
Anyways, I just want to share my experience with everyone to avoid this ***** clutch. If you have any comments or advice for me, or want to share a similer story, please do. I expected a strong clutch, being that its rated at 400tq, but I guess you STILL get what you pay for, even though the aftermarket for this car is much bigger then my previous one.
So, my mistake for getting brisk with it a little early, but the pedal vibration was driving me insane, and I was dissapointed that the clutch itself didn't hold up better.
So, being out a clutch just after a month or two, it was time to put in a new one. I bought an FRPP King Cobra clutch -- Not the "imitation kind", the "real" one. The one that Steeda sells on their site for $225 + shipping. I got it for $190 shipped through a friend, which I was told was a great deal. When it arrived, it said "Ford Racing" on the box, but also had a little stamp that said valeo, which kind of p!ssed me off. I wondered if there is any difference between King Cobra clutches at all. I pulled the clutch out and the material on the clutch felt like plastic and was really thin. I was assured that the way the material looks or feels doesnt mean anything however.
So, install time. My flywheel was resurfaced again, and the clutch was installed along with a Steeda Firewall Quadrant adjuster. The car to this day has ZERO vibration/chatter coming from the pedal, although the clutch chatters to an extent.
Anyways, I promised myself I would baby the HELL out of this clutch. First thoughts on the clutch is that it feels very weak. The shifts are super smooth, and you cant even feel the clutch engage sometimes. This is nice for daily driving, but eery becuase it feels very soft and smooshy as if it would choke under high rpm shifts. Anyways, for the first 660 miles I never took it over 3300rpm, and made sure to GRADUALLY release the clutch on shifts, and never downshift. It was nerve racking and annoying, but I MADE SURE it was babyed to kingdom come. At 680 miles, on the way back from the beach, I was itching to test it out some, and GENTLY downshifted into 3rd gear to pass someone. I took it to about 6000rpm, and it shifted crisply and fast. I was happy. For the next 230 miles, I went back to original form, babying the sin out of it, keeping it under 3300rpm, and shifting like a grandma. Then, around 890 miles, I romped on it from a 1st gear dig and shifted into second at about 6600rpm. The tires squeeled and it clamped hard. A shift into 3rd at 6000rpm brought more bark from the tires, and the clutch had ZERO slip. Then, I decided to baby it for another 120 miles. Well, with about 1060 miles on it, I once again romped on it. This time, the 1-2 shift felt SUPER weak. It felt very gooey and didnt clamp with any sort of force. So as I get on the highway, I slip it down into 4th around 70mph and mashed the gas. The clutch slipped a bit at first but then bucked me forward. I was extremely p!ssed.
To make sure this wasnt just a fluke, I tried a few more of these simple, yet aggressive runs today, and the clutch felt equally as weak. Engagements under normal driving feel HORRIBLE. It once again feels like Im shifting a kleenex tissue, it is EERILY smooth. I'm not talking about the light pedal feel BTW, rather that the clutch itself feels like its slipping under engagements, it just feels like jello.
So here I sit with another potential clutch problem, except this time its not my fault. I cannot afford to go through this process again, and I think if I have to break another clutch in its going to drive me INSANE.
I am extremely dissatisfied with this POS clutch. I had an ACT street disc made of organic materials in my Maxima. That clutch sells for around $320 (got it for $260 at cost), but there is much less aftermarket for the Maxima. That clutch held 10psi of Vortech V1 boost remarkably for 20,000+ miles and never once slipped. It clamped VERY hard and took all my abuse. I broke this clutch with less babying then the King Cobra, yet it took my abuse day in and day out. The clutch itself was touchy for daily driving, and was hard to shift butter smooth, but this way I KNEW that it was doing its job and would never fail on me at WOT shifts.
Anyways, I just want to share my experience with everyone to avoid this ***** clutch. If you have any comments or advice for me, or want to share a similer story, please do. I expected a strong clutch, being that its rated at 400tq, but I guess you STILL get what you pay for, even though the aftermarket for this car is much bigger then my previous one.
I will go for Mcleod or ClutchMaster for my next Clutch. The King Cobra Clutch isn't Holding Enough, High rpm shifts 
It just doesn't hold.
I can't powershift anymore 
. I dont really buy that one, but I can deal with a noisy tob if the clutch keeps biting like it does. Go back to a Spec man 
