Hey I have about 55k miles, bought it with about 20k miles on it and I can tell the clutch is going. I'm wondering, does it make sense to put in a perfomance clutch at this point ? I like to drive it hard. I'm concerned about cost though...anyone know how much to get it replaced with the original either at the dealership (or not) and whether there is a similar priced but much better after market performance clutch to get ? Also whether there is something else to do at the same time as the clutch replacement like maybe a lighter fly wheel ?

Thanks !

are you sure it is the clutch and not the clutch pedal and bearing?
I would buy another stock clutch anyway since it is soft on the gearbox and add a better bearing\reinforced clutch pedal to it.
Bad disengagement\engagements often accelerate wear so it's really better to upgrade while you are there

or 20-30.000km if you are too aggressive on the pedal :(
The fact is that even a pedal that is in good shape will have some flex and it will speed clutch's wear and cut the life of the synchros.

aftermarket is fine.

just dont get a heavy duty one unless you have the horse power for it. get a clutch that is appropriately rated for the hp you have.

/\ agree - std spec is good for std engine

aftermarket is fine but u DO NOT need a full race clutch just get the OEM replacement aftermarket clutch......and as u know will save u tons of money and save u even more if u do the work yourselft!

The pricing of the Exedy clutches for the RX-8 is a bit strange in that the factory part number costs a little more than the slight "upgrade" Exedy, part number 10803A. Like over $100 more.

This is true. My factory clutch recently went bad (~80k miles) and I replaced it with the Exedy Stage 1 and I've been very happy with it. It was cheaper than OEM and performs great.

the exedy sage one. is a great replacement.. and the charles hill has it with the much better to bearing..

food for thought..

beers :beer:

with the much better pilot bearing?

yes, he does.

if/when i change out my clutch/flywheel i will definitely replace my pilot bearing with the BHR one.

^ Yes +1 for the BHR heavy duty release bearing. I have it installed and like it. Definitely buy this bearing with whatever clutch Ray suggests.

I'm sure it will. My tuner loved it and he is a real asshole with comments.

^haha

So do you think I should do the fly wheel at the same time ? BTW, service guy at Mazda said don't replace fly wheel with anything other than official Mazda FW because it's specially balanced etc...seemed like crap to me.

Yeah that's BS. You can get good aftermarket flywheels for the 8. If you can afford it then yes, I would recommend getting a lightweight one. If you can't spend the extra dough, just make sure that the shop machines your flywheel when they install the new clutch.

K so I'm not sure I understand...if I get the Exedy Stage 1 I would need to ask the installer to machine it ? for balancing ? Not sure what you meant and what the need would be?

So I'm in for a Exedy Stage 1 clutch plus a BHR release bearing right ? How much are these things ? Anything else they will need...like a kit of some sort ? BTW, is this going to void any warranty for the drivetrain ??

Thanks guys, sweet talking to people who know what their talking about...

Well machining/resurfacing the flywheel SHOULD be standard practice for any shop, but I would ask them just to be sure. You don't ever want to install a new clutch on a worn flywheel.

The Exedy Stage 1 is a complete kit so you shouldn't need anything else. I don't know what BHR charges, but paid $312 for the kit from Racing Beat. As long as it's all installed properly it won't affect your drivetrain warranty.

Heh no shipping was an extra $20, but it was still a great deal. If I had known about the BHR bearing I probably would have done that, but I'm still very happy with what I got.

So you wouldn't need to resurface/machine a NEW fly wheel right ?? Just if you were using the old one that's in there - correct ?

I went with BHR suggested set up and I love it. It isn't harsh for DD and makes the acceleration much smoother and more improved. I like it a lot better than stock, I would suggest looking at it rather than getting the OEM.

Hmm, im about tto buy the kit from Charles but now I'm thinking I should check my clutch pedal as well. It feels okay but how do I check for damage to clutch pedal?

^^ look at NYCGPS's thread about broken clutch pedal. There's a few pics with areas highlighed. It shows you exactly where to look

Cool, thanks.