Puck clutch break in, the real answer?
Jan 9, 2009, 10:49 AM
#1
Puck clutch break in, the real answer?
I've heard different things about breaking in a new puck type clutch, some say none needed, some say few hundred miles, some say few hard pulls and it's ready. What is the real deal on this.
Clutch at question is the ACT 6 puck.
Clutch at question is the ACT 6 puck.
Jan 9, 2009, 07:40 PM
#3
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The goal behind breaking in a clutch is different for a puck disc versus a street disc.
Street disc - Break in helps lap the surfaces smooth and the wear rate decreases after break in. This has to be done over time (200-500 miles for instance) for best results. City driving is best and full throttle, high rpm, etc doesn't matter. What matters is that you don't allow the clutch to get hot from excessive slippage, so don't apply full throttle unless the clutch is fully engaged. If the clutch is ran hard right away, more material will wear off before it properly laps in. In this case, proper break in = longer clutch life.
Puck disc - Break in allows the surfaces to get full contact by wearing off the high spots, etc. Once full contact has been achieved, the coefficient of friction is higher and it has more area to distribute the heat. It is not as important to break it in slowly, like the street disc. Some racers just slip the clutch several times pretty hard before taking it to the track. Since there is no real precise method for us to recommend doing this without damaging the clutch by going too far, it is far easier to just tell customers to put a couple hundred miles to break it in. In this case, proper break in = better performance
I hope that clears things up a bit. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me.
Street disc - Break in helps lap the surfaces smooth and the wear rate decreases after break in. This has to be done over time (200-500 miles for instance) for best results. City driving is best and full throttle, high rpm, etc doesn't matter. What matters is that you don't allow the clutch to get hot from excessive slippage, so don't apply full throttle unless the clutch is fully engaged. If the clutch is ran hard right away, more material will wear off before it properly laps in. In this case, proper break in = longer clutch life.
Puck disc - Break in allows the surfaces to get full contact by wearing off the high spots, etc. Once full contact has been achieved, the coefficient of friction is higher and it has more area to distribute the heat. It is not as important to break it in slowly, like the street disc. Some racers just slip the clutch several times pretty hard before taking it to the track. Since there is no real precise method for us to recommend doing this without damaging the clutch by going too far, it is far easier to just tell customers to put a couple hundred miles to break it in. In this case, proper break in = better performance
I hope that clears things up a bit. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me.
Jan 9, 2009, 07:44 PM
#4
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I was like, "damn, thats really good info" and then looked over and saw its the ACT president, ha ha.
I'm about to get a new clutch as well and was wonder the same thing as the OP.
I'm about to get a new clutch as well and was wonder the same thing as the OP.
Jan 10, 2009, 10:06 AM
#6
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No I really can't elaborate for the reason stated earlier. An experienced racer should have a good feel for it, and that is what is required when trying to shorten the break-in procedure. As soon as I try to explain in more detail, then someone is going to screw it up by overheating the clutch and potentially destroying it. Then I get nasty messages telling me that I told them to do it that way, etc...
Jan 10, 2009, 05:45 PM
#7
What I do, right or wrong, is take the car up a really steep grade in third gear (15-20mph to top) under WOT, you can feel when the clutch will start to grab after it heats up. Sometimes I'll do two pulls but it usally works after one hard pull. This always seems to work for me and I haven't destoryed one yet!
I'm sure there are a ton of ways to do this, I just do it this way.
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Mar 29, 2012, 08:37 AM
#9
I've just got the ACT 6 puck sprung, and this is my very first performance clutch. So, i was told to do the 500 miles break-in like what ACTMan described the street disk would require.
But now after reading ACTMan's post, it seems that the break-in process for the puck should be different than from the street disc. But HOW DIFFERENT?? Besides of the racer's break-in method, is there a method for a average driver to break in a puck style? And more importantly, can I get my car tuned on a roller during its break-in period???
But now after reading ACTMan's post, it seems that the break-in process for the puck should be different than from the street disc. But HOW DIFFERENT?? Besides of the racer's break-in method, is there a method for a average driver to break in a puck style? And more importantly, can I get my car tuned on a roller during its break-in period???
Mar 29, 2012, 09:12 AM
#10
I just put in a ACT 6 puck unsprung with the HD pressure plate. Got about 80 miles on it. Sometimes during engagement I get this almost cricket sounding squeak. Is this normal? Just wondering. I have had a Exedy Twin prior to this and that made all kinds of noises, just trying to figure out if the squeaky cricket noise is normal and if it will go away once broken in.
Mar 29, 2012, 09:16 AM
#11
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totally normal, may or may not go away. Mine did it in certain weather conditions. I loved that clutch, but it had a lot of weird traits that took some getting used to.
Mar 29, 2012, 10:25 AM
#12
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I've just got the ACT 6 puck sprung, and this is my very first performance clutch. So, i was told to do the 500 miles break-in like what ACTMan described the street disk would require.
But now after reading ACTMan's post, it seems that the break-in process for the puck should be different than from the street disc. But HOW DIFFERENT?? Besides of the racer's break-in method, is there a method for a average driver to break in a puck style? And more importantly, can I get my car tuned on a roller during its break-in period???
But now after reading ACTMan's post, it seems that the break-in process for the puck should be different than from the street disc. But HOW DIFFERENT?? Besides of the racer's break-in method, is there a method for a average driver to break in a puck style? And more importantly, can I get my car tuned on a roller during its break-in period???
A puck clutch will not hold as much power until it is broken in, so you have to be careful not to overpower the clutch for your tuning if the clutch hasn't been allowed to break-in. Chances are you are not that close to the torque capacity of the clutch so you should be fine, but just pay attention to listen for clutch slippage to be sure.
Mar 29, 2012, 07:22 PM
#14
This is for ACTman,
got a sprung ACT six puck with HD pressure plate rated at 650 tq on your website (assuming 20% drivetrain loss that'll make it about 520ish at the wheels). Right now I'm at 505wtq and want to push it to about 550-560wtq, will the clutch be able to handle it.
My previous setup (per your recommendation) with HD pressure plate and sprung street disc was able to hold on to 450wtq which is about 40 wtq more than the advertised specs.
got a sprung ACT six puck with HD pressure plate rated at 650 tq on your website (assuming 20% drivetrain loss that'll make it about 520ish at the wheels). Right now I'm at 505wtq and want to push it to about 550-560wtq, will the clutch be able to handle it.
My previous setup (per your recommendation) with HD pressure plate and sprung street disc was able to hold on to 450wtq which is about 40 wtq more than the advertised specs.
Mar 30, 2012, 12:57 PM
#15
I am using competition clutch and it clearly says to break in for 300 miles.I went easy on the clutch for about 200 miles and then start to gradually pull hard every now and then until i reach the 300 mile.The clutch works perfect and grabs really hard during shifting, all seems good so far.I believe in slowly breaking in the clutch.