[s-cars] RE: SPEC debacle

[Krasusky Paul (WQQ2PXK)]

Mark Strangway'd and Keith saved me moocho typing: 


<<Date: Tue, 9 Nov 2004 23:57:47 -0500 
From: Keith Maddock <keith.maddock at gmail.com> 
Subject: Re: [s-cars] Spec Clutches 


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>>>



SWEET!  Thanks SuperK., all the less typing for me.  Um, what HE said 8-). 

I'll only add that I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelllllly like the clutch...  um...
now that it is in, twice, now that it's the right part, and now that the
ELEVEN THOUSAND MILE break-in period has passed (maybe 5 months for me heh
heh?).  

It is their "2.5", so yes, 1/2 carbon 1/2 kevlar.  WRT leg effort, Keith and
I and others highly SPECulate that those rednecksisterf'ers down there in
Alablammmy simply paint the OE Sachs unit purtyblu, so it feels OE.  Which
brings me to BWHAhahhaahahaha...  PART #'s?  Part #'s???  Who asked for a
SPEC _part_number_???  

BWhahahahhaa...  yes, those are scratched off this 'proprietary' pressure
plate, not on mine only I might add... 

In the end it works great for my destined power levels and feels f'n
amazing.  Launches are stupendous, throwing revs at it for power-on upshifts
is like crack, and daily driving is a breeze.  Wunder how long these things
s'posed to last anywaze???

FWIW (not much), the Sachs Sport unit in either Ray's or Keith'snewPasq'sold
cars (not sure if they're cloned set ups or just similar) but they both
require significantly more leg effort.  Think Ray's more than Keiths IIRC,
Ray's likely being more than I could live with for 25k / year "commutes".
Keith's I could grow accustomed to.  Very grabby, sure it's a clutch to have
'fun' with 8-).  Ray's is what's needed on a 500+ft.lb. monster so who cares
how it feels...

If I could do it all again?  I'd likely look at Centerforce, a known
variable (read:  customer service).  And I'd likely go with another vendor's
LWFW ...  I'm hearing rumors out there that some of the alum. ones other
than NEA actually don't provide that ohsobitchin Diesel Soundtrack?  Heh,
least it sounds better than Pizzo's graunchy crapbox I got that much going
for me.  And if your clutch ain't blown enough yet to justify your purchase,
invite Serge "The Clutch" F. over for some "love"...

Hey, in the end I'm still waaaaaaaaaywayway ahead of Bill "Step One:  REMOVE
TRANS" Baloney tho so that much tis good of course...

-Paul 


****ps****  Oh I should add that where SPEC dropped the ball...  Tim & Brian
@ NEA stepped waay up to the plate with both cash and labor to make things
RIGHT (separate from trans install #2 as car was in CT for that and they're
in NH).  They made good on it for future work, headgasket, etc. etc. etc.
done under Ray's babysittive efforts (Ray sleeps curled up in the shop
corner in fetal position during those coldlonely NH nights).  As we all
already know, they're really great people up there, hung in there when push
came to shove...  does NOT go unnoticed...