I brought the car in for an adjustment of the Kevlar clutch because it was still glitchy and not improving. I just got off the phone with Carlos at Classic Coach and was told that they are going to resurface the clutch with traditional material. He was apologetic since they had done Kevlar Clutches before many times successfully on Ferrari's. I am disappointed, they are doing the replacement at their cost. I am traveling today and will update further later in the week. Jeff at formula dynamics was right that no one had done this successfully. sorry guys
Kevlar Clutch update
jbergstein
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Jeff, what about the possibility of upgrading, or modifing the DBW. Or something of that nature that would give us a much quicker shift, thus longer clutch life.
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I have two possible/potential solutions to this:
1.) Heat-treat the surface of the Kevlar clutch material... if part of the key to getting the "right" degree of slippage without glazing is the key, then heat treating the surface in a few varying degrees prior to install might work. This could, of course be time-consuming, and therefore somewhat expensive/experimental at first, until the right combination or process was hit upon.
2.) Add a single, thin layer of normal/stock-type clutch material on top of the kevlar... as this layer wears away, the surface of the kevlar would GRADUALLY be exposed to heat in a manner that could possibly avoid glazing. In this case, I don't even know if this would be possible or practical, but WTF, I'm just spitballin' here.
1.) Heat-treat the surface of the Kevlar clutch material... if part of the key to getting the "right" degree of slippage without glazing is the key, then heat treating the surface in a few varying degrees prior to install might work. This could, of course be time-consuming, and therefore somewhat expensive/experimental at first, until the right combination or process was hit upon.
2.) Add a single, thin layer of normal/stock-type clutch material on top of the kevlar... as this layer wears away, the surface of the kevlar would GRADUALLY be exposed to heat in a manner that could possibly avoid glazing. In this case, I don't even know if this would be possible or practical, but WTF, I'm just spitballin' here.
Hi Lorenz, had the GS for 7 months now was on 31k miles when i bought it , bought it through a salvage yard with very minor cosmetic front end damage just needed new bumper headlight and wing , BIg bonus , all the complete Lancaster Maserati service history was in the car at the time and has all checked out and verified 100% , after the repairs and a complete new larini system had it checked at the main dealer , clutch showed 100% worn on the sd2/3 this is the day before i took it to Europe France Switzerland Italy and then back through France to the UK total of 3200 miles,
Obviously i had mixed feelings whether to take the GS or my 4200 after a 5 mile test drive with the tech at the wheel , he said it drove absolutely fine and just a very minor sign of slippage in 5th and 6th at high speed , so i opted to take the GS, now total of 6K miles later its still exactly the same
All my driving is mixed town and motorway , in the Alps it was all hard work up and down the twisties , so its been put through its paces so to speak
Hence why ive already bought the parts to do the clutch and was hoping to have gone the Kevlar route
Now my 03, 4200 , had it 3 years from 18k miles , had just had a new clutch from the dealers only 6 weeks earlier, now the car is on 35k miles and shows 34 % clutch wear at the last reading , i do treat and drive them mechanically sympatheticly with the occasional track day and odd blast here and there guess it shows ive an adapted drive style for the cc box
regards loz
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160 Posts
Kevlar update
First of all Classic Coach is replacing the Kevlar clutch with a new OEM one at their cost . Secondly I was very gentle on the Kevlar clutch never giving it full throttle but occasionally giving it moderate acceleration to avoid dangerous situations. It seemed to have more power in gears 3-6. The slippage continued to deteriorate as I came close to 1000 miles on the car 65% highway. The clutch became harsh over time, it stalled in reverse I gave the car to CC for 5 days for them to drive and calibrate they came to the conclusion it didn't work We are all disappointed . I expect the car back Saturday
First of all Classic Coach is replacing the Kevlar clutch with a new OEM one at their cost . Secondly I was very gentle on the Kevlar clutch never giving it full throttle but occasionally giving it moderate acceleration to avoid dangerous situations. It seemed to have more power in gears 3-6. The slippage continued to deteriorate as I came close to 1000 miles on the car 65% highway. The clutch became harsh over time, it stalled in reverse I gave the car to CC for 5 days for them to drive and calibrate they came to the conclusion it didn't work We are all disappointed . I expect the car back Saturday
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5,189 Posts
I do believe that the Drive By Wire Enhancement will create more longevity of clutch life and a few members on the board were doing a bit of testing on that a while back with what seemed to be positive results.
It is also worth noting that Classic Coach has stepped up and agreed to cover the cost of the changeover. All of my experiences with them suggest that they are a top notch outfit.
Best Regards,
-- Jeff
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Jeff, i agree with you. I think the DBW will increase life of the clutch as well, but not that much. What I was asking is if you can improve the DBW or come up with something else that will make a substantial difference in clutch life. Im sure everyone here would put it at the top of their buy list.
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5,189 Posts
I think at this point, it's all down to the design of the clutch in the car.
Best Regards,
-- Jeff
Best Regards,
-- Jeff
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