Had truck in shop about 4K ago and did Beans Stg1/160's along with a new ZF and new Luk clutch. The programming was same (Bills/Dale basic tow) until about 1k ago when I tried a TWildman chip (holy cow!) The old LUK was in for about 90K miles and would have went for more but since the trans was out we decided to do it.
The bad news is the new one has already gone...seems the springs in the clutch disk were already going and the clutch disk would chatter and vibrate, especially when slipping it to back a trailer up for example. Was acting a bit like a dmfw. This began before the change in programming. I am not hard on clutches, I do not drag race the truck, speed shift or drop the clutch. The only thing that migh tbe remotely tough on them is I do prefer to take of in 2nd gear (when unloaded) as 1st is so low. I think I just got a bad one.
In the interest of an upgrade the shop that did the work replaced that new LUK with what was recommended by their clutch distributor, all was fully warranted. The replacement was a ZOOM ZVT model ( http://www.zoomclutch.com/zvt.html ) and I am so far not to happy with it. It is grabby like a race clutch, not smooth to daily drive, and VERY noisy...the trans noises the LUK introduced are even louder with this unit. The supplier tells us this is normal for this clutch. It feels very strong and I would trust it to handle lots more abuse than I will ever give it, just not a good / smooth/ quiet driver. I am going to give it a little time to maybe break in but it seems unlikely that it will be satisfactory.
Has anyone had experience with this unit?
Anyway, I was behind on my reading and didn't know about the Southbend clutches that seem to be consensus by the forum and especially the reputible suppliers (ie: beans, swamps, etc).
In the very likely event that I want to replace this ZOOM clutch can anyone give me advice on the Southbend clutches? Which one would anyone recommend for my application, I assume the Con O or Con OFE? I do tow about 10 times a year but also drive a lot in town and traffic (Los Angeles...argh!) and drivability is an issue. Do these offer better drivability or would they be just as noisy and grabby?
Via brief email exchange Ryan Bean has suggeted the Con OFE to be ahead of the curve for abuse but, I still worry about the drivabilty so any real world / user feedback is appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
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1995 CC DRW, 290+K (bought it at 190K), 5spd, SB ConOFE, 4:10's, BDP D66, BDP stg 1's (at 275+K), Tymar intake, Tymar 4" exh turbo back, Tymar HX, Wildman 4 pos chip (OMG!), Hypermax I/C, modded IDM, SD hpop, two pyros pre turbo, boost gauge, 235/85/16 Michelin XPS Rib, Schaefer's 5/40, doesn't burn a drop, Gear Vendor OD at 250K...neat, Transfer Flow 98 gal tank, Firestone Ride-Rites, SD rear leafs.
Which clutch did yiu end up putting in? Was it the stg 1 or 2? Did you convert to the SMF? The ceramic clutches do tend to chatter more than the organics. Hope it works out for you.
I am getting a STG2 in the next week or so for my SD.
Marc
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2000 CC XLT DRW 6 SPEED, BLACK, 4x4, ARP Head studs, SWAMPS XXXX Hybrids, SWAMPS Gen III oil, SBDD clutch, 3600lb plate load. Fluidamper, 910 valvesprings, SuperT 72 charger on my mount kit, Small shot of NOS, Tapercore intercooler. 7' ladder bars.
Tunned by the [color:"red"] BACKWOOD HACK [/color]
Give Southbend a call, their customer support is AWESOME! Let them know your concerns and see what they recommend. They helped me replace a worn LUK clutch disk when LUK refused to sell only the disk.
Just my .02
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John
1996 F-250, Ext Cab, 4wd, 5spd, Long bed, Gutted EBPV, Shimmed FPR, SCMT, LUK SMFW, 200,000 and counting.
uncool, upon looking again at the zoom site i donbt think it correct to say it was stg1 or 2, it was the zvt line, which I think is its own line. The link I posted takes you to what went in.
Thanks guys for the responses, based on those and searching past threads on the site looks like the Con OFE is the one.
I will most certainely give Southbend a call prior to picking one. That customer service goes a long way towards getting my business too.
Thanks again!
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1995 CC DRW, 290+K (bought it at 190K), 5spd, SB ConOFE, 4:10's, BDP D66, BDP stg 1's (at 275+K), Tymar intake, Tymar 4" exh turbo back, Tymar HX, Wildman 4 pos chip (OMG!), Hypermax I/C, modded IDM, SD hpop, two pyros pre turbo, boost gauge, 235/85/16 Michelin XPS Rib, Schaefer's 5/40, doesn't burn a drop, Gear Vendor OD at 250K...neat, Transfer Flow 98 gal tank, Firestone Ride-Rites, SD rear leafs.
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