centerforce dual friction clutch and plate ?

[Raw16057]

I am looking to buy an upgraded clutch and pressure plate combo and was looking at centerforce DF116116 and wondered if anyone has used or are currently using one.

 

[Bennybooster]

I talked to a clutch guy when I was doing mine and he said the centerforce ones are worthless unless you do extreme high RPM shifting ( I.E. Drag Racing) at normal driving speed they are exactly the same as a normal clutch

 

[Raw16057]

I have put 3 different clutches in my truck from 3 different auto parts stores and I swear that they were all the same. I am looking for a clutch that will last a couple of years. I have searched the net looking but I see nothing different . This is something that Ford dropped the ball on. The 4.0 is way too powerful for the measely clutch that they installed. I remember way back in the seventies when you could buy competion clutches and pressure plates that made the pedal hard to push but would last for years. I guess I should have bought an automatic,LOL

 

[cammeddrz]

I have put 3 different clutches in my truck from 3 different auto parts stores

after hearing this i need to ask these questions:
i assume you are having a machine shopre-surface the flywheel each time right?

i assume that you are seriously dousing the flywheel with brake parts cleaner
and wiping it with a clean towel until no residue shows on the towel right?

i assume you are doing the same thing as the flywheel with the pressure plate right?

i assume that you are greasing the splines of the input shaft so that the disc can move freely right?

do the splines on your input shaft have a "step" where the disc spins causing it to hang up instead of fully pull away from either the F.W. or the pressure plate?

and lastly, is your wife or daughter driving it regularly? go ahead and call me a chauvenist but in my years in the industry i see women (especially young women) fry clutches frequently. granted a punk teenage boy "rallying" it hard is pretty bad too, but revving it up and dumping the clutch breaks parts, it doesn't wear it as bad as over-slipping it during normal driving

not doing these things will not cause the clutch to not work, but it will seriously shorten the lifespan of a clutch

I remember way back in the seventies when you could buy competion clutches and pressure plates that made the pedal hard to push but would last for years.

a stock style clutch should also "last for years" don't mistake a clutch with strong springs (i.e. hard to press pedal) as something that is inherantly better for lifespan than a properly set up stock-style clutch

and "back in the 70s" clutches were cable or mechanical. if you put a modern diaphram style clutch (like your 4.0 has) into a car with a cable clutch.....the pedal would be pretty hard. what was "competition" in 1975 is stock now

 

[Yellowsplash]

I have the Centerforce Dual Friction clutch in my truck. It is a decent clutch that grabs better than a stock replacement. It does make the pedal alittle harder to press, but not as much as you would find in an upgraded clutch installed in say a mustang (or the ACT 2600 in my DSM). I like it and would buy it again.

And as far as them being useless unless using it at high rpm is far from the truth. While the idea behind the dual friction is, if you would have ever have driven an rbv with one you will soon realize it has more clamping pressure than a factory replacement.

I use Luk clutches in all my other stock replacement projects such as my exploder. If you jump from the exploder and then into the ranger you can definitely tell a difference in the amount of pressure required to press in the clutch pedal, and also in how much more clamping pressure it has when taking off from a stop.

 

[AllanD]

Those "assist" weights do shit on a low rpm engine but the thicher/stiffer diaphram and the more heat/wear resistant compounbds work well.

I've never personally had a "dual Friction"

But on kmy 2.9 I did run a CenterforceII clutch (this is a mid level clutch in their lineup)

And that 8-7/8" clutch was almost as good as the 4.0 flywheel and 10" clutch on my 2.9.

Grippy as hell... I loved it.

AD

 

[cammeddrz]

Those "assist" weights do shit on a low rpm engine but the thicher/stiffer diaphram and the more heat/wear resistant compounbds work well.

I've never personally had a "dual Friction"

But on kmy 2.9 I did run a CenterforceII clutch (this is a mid level clutch in their lineup)

And that 8-7/8" clutch was almost as good as the 4.0 flywheel and 10" clutch on my 2.9.

Grippy as hell... I loved it.

AD

how did it do for longevity?

 

[pcollins]

If your clutches are only lasting acouple of years i would seriously look at who drives it and how. A clutch with typical use should last at LEAST 10 years and/or 100k. Minimal.

 

[cammeddrz]

A clutch with typical use should last at LEAST 10 years and/or 100k. Minimal.

"minimal"?......no, common-to-maximum? yes

 

[AllanD]

how did it do for longevity?

Just shy of 110k and when pulled it was still going.

I removed it because at the time I was swapping out BOTH the engine and trans And I had a NiB 4.0 clutch and flywheel going on.


I just didn't think the CF-II had another 20K in it let alone another 50K

AD

 

[Raw16057]

Thanks for all your input

I am guilty of letting the wife drive the truck. I am hopeful that she will learn but It doesn't seem to be happening. As far as cutting the flywheel I have never done that although I may this time. The clutch that was in my 67 Mustang was a lot wider as far as material goes and yes it was mechanical and on those cars you could dump the clutch and not break things. I do haul a lot of firewood and it is quite hilly around here, I think that is where my clutch material has gone to.I am changing it now because my slave is leaking and probably the clutch is getting wet. thanks for all.Love this site.

 

[pcollins]

"minimal"?......no, common-to-maximum? yes

what do you mean common to maximum? The clutch in my ranger went to 14 years and 135k, My stepfather sold off a Straight six 4 speed F150 with over 200k on the original clutch.