1/8th scale buggy clutch ?
 

has anyone used these offroad:

Werks 4 shoe w/carbon shoes

Fioroni turbo sliding clutch

are these really worth the $ or just a stock clutch w/ carbon shoes do just about as good of a job ?

clutch
 

Fioroni Turbo slider. Vertually NO maintenance. AWESOME:nod:

1fastdude thanks I hope to here from someone that has used the werks clutch also

the best clutch for you i think is RMV Speed 2. You can adjust it from outside without removing engine from the car. I have ran 6 gallons with mine now and i have not changed moore than 2 bearings.

You can buy it from Cmdi or look in the MACK thread on Starting grid forum www.rc-racing.com

Hello,
I want a new clutch and just can't make up my mind. The market has a lot of inovations to offer.
RMV Speed 3 (no slipping, very tight locking, low shoe wear)
RMV Speed 2 (can easily be adjusted without removing the engine)
Werks (a lot of options, low shoe wear)
Team Orion (similar to the werks, but has 6 shoes)
What to choose ? They all offer some kind of good points.
The whole adjustability sounds nice, but do i really need it ? The RMV has something different to offer (no slipping)
And the main question, is it worth it ? Maybe i shouldn't waste money and stay with a regular 3 shoe alu clutch ?
What would you choose ?

This is the same question I asked.
Then I looked to see what the pro use for my particular car, truggy, buggy.
Here is what I found.
They all almost always use the regular three shoe, aluminum clutch shoes.
Heck Chad Bradley even went as far to put his entire setup in a magazine and explained how to use the stock shoes for every type of track by drilling a small hole to lighten the shoe up and hints to make your clutch alst longer..
Nuf said.
Plus I tried the Turbo Slider, works good, less mantaince but don't you like working on your car??? I know I like to, so to check in on my clutch after a weekend of running it isn't too much to ask...LOL
-Shookie <><

What is the reason for drilling holes in the clutch shoes? Also what things can be done to improve the life of Al. shoes.


Eli,

Are you messing with offroad any this year?

drilling holes makes the shoes lighter...when used in conjunction with heavy springs results in delayed clutch engagement which improves of the line punch....because it takes longer for the shoes to engage, the engine is "starting" to engage the clutch bell when the rpm's are higher.

The trick to aluminum shoes involves a few things.

1.) your driving style....if you are constantly feathering the throttle, youre inducing "slip".... slip = heat = wear

2.) what engine youre using....

3.) maintanance....clean and deburr your shoes after every race day or bash session.

4.) a relatively "clean" shoe contact patch....makes a big difference. If the surface is gouged or pitted or laced with melted aluminum, get a new bell.

It will all depend on what car you are running, what motor you are using and what the track conditions are. The werks setups are very nice I switched to them in my truggy after breaking carbon shoes every weekend have not had a problem since.

I personally had a lot of problems with aluminum shoes, mainly because of my driving style. They just didn't work for me. I switched to the works clutch and have been very happy since. Now, if I was a pro driver, maybe aluminum would be the way to go, but I have had much better success with the works clutch and will not go back!!! :) :nod: :smile:

I personally think aftermarket clutches are a waste of money. There is no clutch that I have used that is better (or even up to par) with my stock clutches of choice. Here is a write up I did a while back on my local track forums.

If you are running a bottom end motor, I think the only choice is the Kyosho carbon setup. Basically, the aluminum shoes that come with the kyosho clutches aren't even good as paper weights, I don't even take them out of the bag before I chuck 'em. If you have ever run the aluminums on a kyosho clutch bell, it is very important you do not run that same bell with carbon shoes. Carbons were designed to engage to steel, not aluminum, and when you run the aluminum shoes, they form a thin layer of aluminum on the inside of the steel clutch bell. Before instalation, you must trim a good 1mm of the end of the shoes. This can be done with a razorblade. It doesn't have to be done precisely, but just make sure each shoe is as close as possible.

Also, another extremely important (in my opinion) step to having the perfect carbon clutch, is ceramic bearings. Regular bearings simply do not have the right type of grease for clutch use. And when blown out (the grease, that is) the bearings do not last long enough for practical use. Ceramic bearings can be run straight out of the package, with no worries of slippage. I've gotten as much as 5 gallons out of a set of Acer racing bearings, they more than make up for their price in durability. With ceramic bearings and a carbon setup, you should shim the clutch tighter than usual. You should only have a very slight amount of play with the clutch fully installed. Also, I like to put a concave cap washer on the end to sheild the bearing slightly, as ceramic bearings, due to their low grease content, do not like dirt.

If you are running and top end motor, and want to get more of a bottom end snap out of it, your best bet is an aluminum setup. I beleive the only aluminum setup worth looking at is a Mugen 3 shoe aluminum. This clutch is extremely durable with 1.0 springs on a bottom end motor, but I beleive a kyosho carbon setup is better suited for the raw torque and bottom end snap of a punchy motor. So, an aluminum setup is best reserved for top end motors where a higher stall is needed to produce some bottom end. The best setup, basically, is 3 shoe aluminum, with 1.1 springs. With the 1.1 springs, instalation is key. I like to machine out the small groove on the clutch nut so the spring better fits. If you don't, there is a higher likelyhood that the spring will pop out, producing a slightly noticable bog. With 1.1 springs, unless you enjoy struggling with a flat head screwdriver, you should invest in a clutch installation tool. I prefer the one made by sportwerks, but there is one made by happytime that works just as well. With the aluminum shoes, do to their higher heat production, should be used with a slightly looser shimming than possible, to compensate for heat. Always remember when shimming (aluminum or carbon) to get the shoe as centered as possible in the bell, and always try to get it on that same spot every time you remove the clutch setup, as to not produce uneven shoe wear.

Its okay to use a normal greased bearing in aluminum clutches. I like to blow them out with air on the tip of a hex wrench, about 5 seconds on each side. But if you plan on replacing them often, you can fully blast them with nitro spray, and don't have to worry about burning off the excess grease when you are running the car. To quickly burn off excess grease, simply hold the car on the ground and grab some throttle for a few seconds.

Excellent info!!

Choosing a clutch for MT use has a whole bunch of different complications - yet there is still a school of thought that suggests that aluminium shoes are the way to go, despite the fact that most MT engines develop power in a completely different way to 1/8th Buggies.

Like you, I have always got on very well with Carbon clutches on both 1/8th buggies and MTs. Alot of it depends on driving style and how people use the throttle. I think that those that use the most powerful engines and/or use the throttle like a switch, prefer alloy shoes with thicker springs. Others who have a more progressive throttle technique can put carbon shoes to good use.

From what I have observed of both normal carbon and alloy 3 shoe clutches, both require regular maintenance, but alloy setups demand more attention. Alloy setups when poorly maintained can generate far more heat.

Regards bearings, I've found that rubber sealed bearings work really well in clutches. You can keep them lubed with grease yet they don't contaminate the clutch bell.

I've also found that if your main bearings on your engine are worn, it can lead to premature failure of CB bearings, no matter what CB bearings you use. This is due to vibrations caused by the main bearing failure.

:nod: Great info on clutch maintance. That is any area that I have not done. I will start working on it.

If you ran a werks you would understand how crappy 3 shoe spring clutch is. A werks with carbon shoes with still last longer than any 3 spring with 3 times the engangement rpm. my clutch went 12 races set at normal engagement.
Very much worth the money

Unless you like to take 1.1 springs on and off for fun

I got a friend that has a Orion clutch and he is about to throw it in the trash. I dont know if it is him or the clutch but I would think a product should be user friendly.