[s-cars] Spec Clutches

[Keith Maddock]

Mark Strangways <strangconst at rogers.com> wrote:
> Anyone got anything bad to say about Spec clutches.
> I was going to go with the stage 3 version, 520 Ft-Lb capacity, but I wonder what the life span would be and how hard on the leg it is...
> 
> Recommendations and BTDT please,

Nothing necessarily bad to say about their produc themselves, but
their customer service seems to be pretty horrible.

I'll let Paul K chip in his own version of the story - but here it is
from my side...

Paul & I both did a "mini-GP" with NEA for a LWFW and Spec III clutch
back in 2002.  Spec drop shipped the clutches directly to us, and
ended up sending out the wrong pressure plate.  Paul didn't find out
until he had his whole trans back in and it wouldn't shift - so he had
to drop the trans again to figure out that the pressure plate was
wrong.  At that point SPEC was less than cooperative - he got a
correct pressure plate (Stage 2.5 I think) but they didn't admit any
wrongdoing in the end (in fact tried to claim that Paul was playing
tricks on them) nor help out with the extra labor costs that their
mistake incurred.

>From my side - I called NEA to see if they might be able to do
something, and apparently there was enough problems that NEA refuses
to deal with Spec any more (or perhaps more accurately it is the other
way around).  At this point my lack of timely action has resulted in a
worthless clutch kit sitting around (and no need for it anymore with
the "new" avant...) so it is going out for free (read I'm eating
$300+) to the buyer of my LWFW tomorrow... :-/


Anyway - my opinion - beware.....

If I was in the market for clutches - the Sachs 6-puck unit that is in
my 95.5 Avant seems pretty impressive so far  (call NEA...)  - and the
CO mafia seems to really like those Centerforces...  That's where I
would head...

Cheers,
Keith