Okay I'm getting clutch slip on my 'blade engined Indy so I intend to order some of the MT-95-05 barnett springs to address this (have already ruled out cable adjustment and oil). I haven't taken the clutch apart yet so I don't know if the frictions etc are worn or not yet but I plan to get some anyway because sooner or later I will need them.

The barnett frictions are 90 quidfrom PDQ. How do these compare to the OEM honda frictions in terms of cost and suitability? I know EBC (allegedly) aren't the best, just wondering if how the barnetts compare to OEM as seems to make sense to order everything from the same place.

Ta, Sy

Barrnets are very good clutch plates,as good as OE stuff,stay away from the ebc ones though,I fitted a barrnet kevlar clutch in mine,with new drive plates,its lasted over 5000 miles,alot of that hard track use,and its still going strong,I would recommend replacing the drive plates at the same time,because if your clutch has been slipping these will have become quite hot,and could be warpt,and if they are this will soon wear out your new plates,its a few quid extra,I think it cost me about £160 for the frictions,plates and springs.

Sy, it seems pointless buying new clutch plates just for the sake of it. Best bet would be to check the plates and find out if they are within tolerance before shelling out for new ones. The original OEM ones in our blade engine have done over 4,000 miles and were still going strong before it was crashed.

The OEM ones in our ZX12R have now done over 2,500 miles without problems.

I'd definitely recommend changing the springs for Barnett ones but the OEM plates are pretty good.

Phil

Perhaps I was underestimating the potential lifetime of the existing plates in a BEC. I'll get my micrometer to it and check the plates before I order anything in case they really aren't that worn.

Cheers, Sy

I think you will find,they will be worn,beyond service limits,once a bike clutch has started to slip,taking into account its reving at up to 12,000 rpm,it will not take very long to wear a few thou off the plates,and even if only one is worn,burnt or glazed,they must be renewed as a set,its false economy,trying to save a few quid now, for it to then fail on a track day,after a couple of laps your choice

I agree with Paul, if they are slipping they could still be within thickness tolerences but the friction material could have cooked and gone hard.
If it were me I would get either OEM or Barnett - EBC Kevlar were not too bad in my car and lasted OK but gave a much sharper grabby clutch feel which wasnt as nice, but conversely they are nearly half the price so pays your money etc.

If you don't mind potentially being off the road for a few days, I would just get frictions and springs first as they are the most likely to need replacing (also get a clutch gasket). Take it all to bits and inspect the steels, if they are a bit blued that can be cleaned up with emery paper. You can check if they are significantly warped by stacking the steel plates together and looking for gaps with a feeler gauge but in my experience they are less likely to need replacing than frictions so I wouldnt buy a set without knowing I needed them.

Chris

If it's the first sign of slippage that you've had, then you may well get a few more miles out of em with uprated springs. Like Paul says though, it won't take long to wear em down completely, so best to have another set on standby just in case.

Cheers all.

Took it apart last night. It hasn't slipped much with me at all (maybe 3-4 times), I haven't had any dry weather to wring the neck out of it yet so I've hardly pushed it, though obviously I have no idea what experience the previous owner had.

However I measured all the friction plates, and every single one was >3mm, most were 3.05mm-3.08mm which is basically new according to Haynes. Steels looked pretty new too, no blueing or any sign of over-heating and I couldn't get a 0.1mm feeler between them so they're as straight as. My guess is that the clutch was renewed shortly before I bought it but the springs weren't seen to.

But just in case they're "cooked" I'll get a set of springs and frictions, but for now just fit the springs and see how it goes. I'll have the spare frictions just in case they are cooked, or as a spare down the line. I presume there's no real shelf-life on them provided I keep them stored correctly? (mental note, buy 2 gaskets!)

I don't really mind spending 90 quid on a "just in case" item that will get used eventually, I'm used to paying a lot more than that for a lot less on the TVR *gulp*!

Thanks all. Got new springs and frictions. Fitted the springs only first and tested them, only had a brief run (before spending an hour queuing on the ring road due to an accident - grrr!) and it didn't slip in that time. Have got the frictions for whenever they're needed now.

Seems I need to look at my fan/thermostat next though, temperature was soaring in the accident traffic - had to turn the engine off and push otherwise I'd have spilled! Slightly embarrassing

If it did actually drop once the fan kicked in, just wire in a fan override switch so you can kick the fan in at a much lower temperature

[Edited on 28/1/06 by ChrisGamlin]