I did manage to get the clutch installed before the last race at Rocky Mountain Raceway (RMR). More on that in a bit. First, I’ll do a quick review of the clutch. As I mentioned the clutch I went with was the ACT T1S-G01 (BTW- I ordered it from AA Corvette and I can easily recommend them as a great source for parts).
After getting the clutch installed (another BTW- clutch installs on the Z06 models are a PITA!) I only had a couple of days to break it in before th race so I drove the car a lot. I’d been warned to expect harsh engagement and a lot of noise from the clutch, owning to the fact that it’s a twin disc model. I found the engagement to be very smooth. In fact I can put the car in gear and just slowly life my foot off the clutch and it and it rolls forward without so much as a shudder. No problem on that end.
Noise-wise there is a lot of chatter in lower gears (when the RPM range is sub 2K). Occasionally when the clutch is disengaged it will even sound like popcorn popping (I’ve got not better way to describe it). The sound goes away when the clutch pedal is depressed. My understanding is that this is normal. In any event, I can live with the noise so it’s not an issue (my stock clutch had almost as much chatter)
Performance-wise the T1S-G01 is a rock. The clutch grabs perfectly and my street tires spin out in 1st, 2nd and sometimes 3rd . In fact, I had no idea just how often my previous clutch was slipping until now. The stock Z06 clutch weighs in at 55 pounds (I popped in on a scale when we got it out). The T1S-G01 weighs in at only 39 lbs. That’s a difference of 16lbs of rotating mass! It took the car a couple of weeks to adjust (it was surging at stops pretty bad from the change). The new clutch is rated up to 85o lbs of torque so it should last me awhile (I’m only sending about 670lbs to it so there’s still room for a few upgrades). Overall I really like ACT T1S-G01 and would recommend it to anyone wondering who’s considering it.
And at the same time I decided to upgrade the sway bars in my car. I went with the PDAFT Z06 Light Rate Racing Sway Bars and so far I really like them.
The stock sway bars hit the turbo piping in the front of my car. The PFADT bars are adjustable and so we were able to make them fit better. They still hit a little (when going over larger bumps) but it’s much better than before. Additionally the car’s handling is improved it sticks to the road even better than before. Another upgrade that I’m very happy with.
But you can’t win them all. It was sway bars or slicks. Since it was the last race off the year at RMR I decided to skip the slicks and do the sway bars. (there were still months of driving left). The clutch wasn’t quite broken in, but I decided to go for it. I actually ended up near the front for my first run so the track was really fresh. I wasn’t completely comfortable with the clutch, but I was not prepared for the spinning. I launched and spun… and spun… and spun. I ended up running a 13.8 at about 117 mph. Ouch. I got a second run too which wasn’t much better. Next year I’ll be ready though. Slicks and some practice and I’ll bet I can hit the 11’s. Fingers crossed (again).
Posted November 06, 2010