New Clutch Breakin

[T&A Racing]

I am putting a new clutch in my AI car (SPEC Stage 3) they reccomend a 500 mile break in period for the clutch. Any suggestions on how to do this with my race car, not like I can just hop in drive it to the ice cream store. I also won't have that much time between when I get it all put back together before the next race just about a week. Any suggestions would be great.

 

Thanks

[getfast]

On a chassis dyno?

 

Or on jackstands with the wheels removed?

[Chris F]

I am putting a new clutch in my AI car (SPEC Stage 3) they reccomend a 500 mile break in period for the clutch. Any suggestions on how to do this with my race car, not like I can just hop in drive it to the ice cream store. I also won't have that much time between when I get it all put back together before the next race just about a week. Any suggestions would be great.

 

Thanks

 

Last new clutch I had, I went from a warmup lap straight to a standing-start race.

 

Don't worry about it too much.

[Grizlbits]

I break mine in backing the car off the trailer.

[Driver]

Any suggestions on how to do this with my race car, not like I can just hop in drive it to the ice cream store.

Move to a smaller town...? Up in Johnstown ohio, it's common practice to drive untitled race prep cars from the fabricators shop to the grain scales and back.

 

Break in is just heat cycling, so anything you can do to mimic that should be sufficient. Hell, has anyone stuck their clutch in an oven for a couple hours prior to installing it? Would that "break it in"?

[Lo-bucK]

I am putting a new clutch in my AI car (SPEC Stage 3) they reccomend a 500 mile break in period for the clutch. Any suggestions on how to do this with my race car, not like I can just hop in drive it to the ice cream store. I also won't have that much time between when I get it all put back together before the next race just about a week. Any suggestions would be great.

 

Thanks

 

Last new clutch I had, I went from a warmup lap straight to a standing-start race.

 

Don't worry about it too much.

basically. i put a new one in over the winter and it backed out of the garage and prolly went right to an event. i wouldnt worry at all about it

[T&A Racing]

Thnks for all the suggestions, I have used most of them, with the exception of the oven. We drove it around the neighborhood a bit just a few laps in the middle of the day. Then we took it to a dyno and ran a few runs at 50%. Then we ran several runs full blown, next we will practise and race at Gratten.

 

Thanks

Mark

[Falcon]

When I installed a new clutch, I enrolled in the Friday Test 'n Tune day at the track. I got about 100 -150 miles on it that day, then raced on Saturday. It is a Spec 3 clutch. No problems a year, and many track miles later.

[Elvenhome21]

The easiest way to break in a clutch is stop and go traffic and dirve it on and off the trailer a couple times. Its not the best thing to go straight to racing after a clutch change. Because the surfaces havent had a chance to fully bed in.

 

Example, lets say you flywheel has worn into a cone shape/taper, the clutch disc is still flat so if you take it until full throttle and it starts slipping and it doesnt seat/wear in before it gets hot, your essentially going to burn up your clutch before your race is even done. Granted the taper would have to be extreme lick more than .003 from inside to outside, but i have blown a clutch from not breaking it in. Eagle talon turbo at Road America, clutch started slipping saturday morning, put in new disc that night. Sunday morning first session made it past turn almost to the bridge and the clutch already was severely slipping.