Down shifting from 6th to 5th is kind of "grabby" above 65 mph. Mazda says I need a new clutch. My car has 31K miles. This may be the wrong impression, but I don't think that I want to go with OEM.

The only mods I have is the MS Intake and Exhaust. I'm not planning on doing anything, other than a high flow cat as some point in the future.

Based on this what clutch would you guys recommend? Any adice would be greatly appreciated.

 

exedy stage 1 or act street clutch. ive had one person tell me they didnt like the act. look for a thread called clutches,clutches,clutches. every clutch for this car is in there. edit: heres the link https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...light=clutches

 

First, check the clutch pedal bracket to be sure the spot welds that hold it together are not stress-cracked. Climb under the dash and push the clutch pedal with your hand while using a flashlight to look for gaps in the bracket ***'y. Several of us have had this problem and went through all sorts of clutch parts swaps before the problem was actually discovered.

 

Charles, is that bracket issue related to just going from 6th to 5th? Mine is pretty grabby from 1st to 2nd, but don't have problems on any other shifts really. I was thinking about replacing the clutch as well (partially just to upgrade, but partially to cure the grabbing as well).

 

What do you think about clutch master stage 1? Ebay has them for about $345 shipped. Would I want the stage 3?

 

+1 for exedy, I just got mine back today, couldn't be happier. And whoever says the driveability isn't the same is crazy, the only difference is the clutch grabs a little lower on the pedal.

 

I dont like my ACT...next time I will be going with Exedy

 

whats wrong wit the ACT?

 

The bracket issue is related to any kind of difficulty shfting, but it is most noticeable either with more aggressive shifting habits or over time it gets worse. Much of the time lately it seems those with shifting issues, sooner or later, also discover the bracket to have been going bad. As for which clutch kit is the best, one thing to keep in mind is that most of those considered for street or street/strip/track use will include a factory spec disc. Even the Indy cars use factory Honda discs, for example, because the disc isn't what provides greater torque capacity. Another thing to keep in mind is that higher-than-stock pressure plate ratings may accelerate the wear of other clutch components(such as the clutch pedal bracket). Many of us have made the mistake of installing pressure plates that are far over-rated compared to what we really need. To be honest, the factory cutch isn't that bad. I re-installed mine several months ago and it doesn't hold the power any worse than the ACT Xtreme Duty kit did. I still get pretty good rips going into second gear and it doesn't slip at 100+ mph. If ACT's ratings are correct, the factory plate should be good for about 250 lbs./TQ. I figure that to be around 300-320 h.p.(for those who look at it that way).

 

Exedy is the best in my opinion. Used to run one on my civic and loved it. Will upgrade my 8's clutch with a stage 1 kit in a few months.

 

I would just get the Mazda , then you won't have to worry about the warranty of the transmission.

 

Mazda uses Exedy in the RX-8.

 

The clutch is great till you warm it up by launcing and such...then it starts to make shifting really hard and i've had it lock me into gears...i have a thread in problems titled ACT Clutch Lockout...take a look at it. I love the ACT Flywheel...next time I'll go Exedy for the stronger pressure plate and stock disc.

 

Hey Red,

Do you or anybody else with Exedy's Stage 1 track your cars? Any issues?

 

DUDE
I'm so glad I read this thread. I'm on the way over to your Lockout thread ASAP.
I have the ACT Clutch and Pressure plate and I really am beginning not to like it.
At a stop it's terribly hard to get into 1st
At speeds shifting quickly from 1st to 2nd is impossible because it locks me out of 2nd the action is just all wrong doesn't feel right.

edit
Forgot to say I'm going to check the Clutch Pedal bracket as mentioned by CharlesHill because the clutch does feel spongy even with the praided clutch line. May try to bleed again however I don't think there is air in the line.

 

The higher rated pressure plates tend to stress the factory bracket. I would check the bracket before wasting labor time R-n-Ring the tranny again. The symptoms you describe are on par with a weakened bracket.

 

Damn, and I just brought myself ACT clutch .... seems like not that many people like it.

 

I Fk'd Up My Clutch @ 35k Miles , I Got The Act Zm8-hdss - Basically Its A Better Thank Stock Clutch , Stainless Stell ( Unbreakable - Almost ) And Actually Cheaper Than If You Would Buy It From Mazda. Im Happy With It, Its Released A Lot Of Pwr From The Engine