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I am a car enthusiast and know general information about cars but am not nearly as familiar with clutches so my apologies if my terminology may not be clear. I try to be thorough in my review but feel free to ask questions if additional detail is needed.
I bought my car with 76k on the clutch. I had no problems with it until I started down the path of power adders. At 186k my stock clutch was still working fine but with the amount of power I was putting down, third gear was starting to slip under medium throttle. This started my search for a new clutch and thus came across this setup.
Here is the link to the XLR8 clutch kit
Installation:
Not much to say here other than its a straight forward clutch install. In comparing this setup with stock, there is a noticeable difference in weight. It's amazing how heavy the stock setup is. I would make the following recommendations to be either mentioned as must haves in preparation of installing this setup or added to the package.
Recommended additions to be included with this clutch setup:
Honda pilot bearing (part #91006PGE008)
Release Bearing
Clutch alignment tool (I had to buy a Honda clutch kit, use the tool, then return it)
Lube
The Review:
Post install- The clutch surprisingly feels stock-like if not easier as far as pedal pressure is concerned. My biggest fear in purchasing an upgraded clutch was the additional pedal effort needed. During my commute there is usually traffic involved and I didn't want to sacrifice the additional clamping power for increased pedal pressure. I am extremely impressed with how easy it is to push the pedal down with this setup. Engagement is smooth and feels more refined. The engagement window feels small and is at the top of my pedal which actually helps in knowing exactly where that catch point is. With the stock clutch this at times seemed difficult to find. Not the case with this new setup. Engagement is predictable. Revs are also quicker thus making for easier rev matching. Driving is so easy with this setup that If I didn't know any better I would have thought the clutch was stock.
Post 500 mile break-in- I'm starting to notice little things now. The clutch seems to grab better now that it has been broken in. The window for the engagement point is larger now much like the stock clutch. It also has a tad more bite. I can put the clutch in gear and while slowly releasing the clutch, with out applying gas, the clutch will still pull the car forward just like stock. I thought the clutch and lightened flywheel combination might make this more difficult for some reason but it is unchanged. There is no chatter or additional noise of which I had both exist with my stock clutch. With the stock clutch I would experience chatter especially on cold days. I also had a noise that sounded more like a squeak every time I pushed the clutch pedal in. It's a relief to no longer have either in this new setup.
In driving it more aggressively the clutch does a great job of grabbing at any rpm and any gear. I performed several third gear pulls, the gear which would slip on my stock clutch, with no issues or any signs of slipping. It feels strong and capable of handling the power. Acceleration feels smoother and quicker especially in the first few gears. The car is definitely more fun to drive and rev match.
Recommendation/Conclusion:
This setup has impressed me from day 1. I have had a couple others who have driven it as well who were also impressed when I mentioned it was an aftermarket upgraded clutch setup. I would recommend this clutch to anyone looking for the benefits of a stronger clutch and lightened flywheel with stock-like pedal feel.
..... glad kit works perfectly......toooo late for me my shipment should be coming in next week ......CM250,AASCO FLYWHEEL,K TUNED SHIFTER and a bunch of other stuff...... love when new parts come available for our 3gen TL thanks XLR8....... 220000km 11 years later still runs strong... original owner
Great review! The one issue I have with the CM FX250 is the chatter...do you get any clutch chatter?
Originally Posted by Grand_hustle17
I intend to go down this road but instead of a whole clutch i will just be swapping out with p2r disk
Just wondering why you are going with the P2R disc without a PP upgrade...I'm asking because using the stock pressure plate with the P2R disc will not give you any more clamping power, unless I'm mistaken?
We will have a full release, with full details and images, as well as a large stocking order of these very shortly. We will create a separate thread. But I thought it would be nice for the AZ community to see the feedback from the original tester.
Thank you god for coming out with this. I have had shitty luck with clutch masters and I wasn't about to buy another kit. Can't wait to see the pricing on these
Thanks guys. I am extremely satisfied and impressed with the setup. Josh will have to supply the details on pricing and amount of power the clutch can hold, which I think he will be releasing soon. I can definitely answer any user questions though.
Sonnick there is zero chatter. I actually tried to make it chatter by not giving it any gas and just letting the clutch engage from a stop. It just engaged and pulled with no noise or chatter. My stock clutch on the other hand would chatter every time I would start from a stop.
Great review! The one issue I have with the CM FX250 is the chatter...do you get any clutch chatter?
Just wondering why you are going with the P2R disc without a PP upgrade...I'm asking because using the stock pressure plate with the P2R disc will not give you any more clamping power, unless I'm mistaken?
For NA it takes more abuse without slipping slightly better
For NA it takes more abuse without slipping slightly better
That P2R disc does hold more power that the stock but, doesn't like quick shifting. It also has a fair amount of chatter when trying to take it easy, not a big deal just takes some getting used to.
All LW flywheels are solid. The stock flywheel is dampened, the LW Assco flywheel is solid or non dampened Without the disc or flywheel being dampened engagement is more harsh and abrupt.
Great job on the clutch Excelerate. Can't wait for the deets to get it listed on Heeltoeauto.com
Originally Posted by Grand_hustle17
I wished oem clutch worked with lightweight flywheel
The 2007-08 stock clutch will work on an AASCO wheel, but not the older apps.
Originally Posted by Hi speed
All LW flywheels are solid. The stock flywheel is dampened, the LW Assco flywheel is solid or non dampened Without the disc or flywheel being dampened engagement is more harsh and abrupt.
I am not 100% sure I am with this. It depends on the disc. With a disc that can slip and a deft clutch foot and the right revs a non-dampened setup can work just fine. But there is a much narrower window...
The clutch kits just arrived a couple days ago. We're setting up all the pictures and details shortly. I'll have to start ordering more flywheels for stock soon too as I anticipate these are going to be an upgrade many people want.
Gaaaawd damn it lol.... I kind of want a lwf more than i want a staged clutch lol
I really like the AASCO flywheel. The revs don't drop too fast so you can still casually drive without feeling the need to shift fast to make a smooth engagement. The XLR8 flywheel and clutch kit together is a fantastic match though and every morning it surprises me how easy the car is to drive with this setup. For those who want to take the guess work of mixing and matching to find a setup that is stock like in feel yet has obvious performance gains, this is your kit.
Furthering this, I see no reason why you couldn't use this plus a light weight crank pulley. For those who may be interested in the revs dropping quicker, that might be a good combination for you. I can only speak from individual experience as I have had both on my car but not at the same time.
Well id have to assume if the revs fall faster then it may rev faster too?.. Idk. Personally i like closest to stock feel
It does rev faster but it heightens the stock like feel of the car. I should have taken a comparison video but I didn't. The setup feels like stock but better though. The car is just easier to drive with this setup.
Speaking of easier to drive, something I noticed lately with this setup is in the past I wouldn't always push the clutch pedal to the floor when changing gears, which is not a good thing to do. Guess I was lazy sometimes and just didn't want to give it the full extension.
With the XLR8 setup the clutch pedal needs less effort to push down and thus I notice the pedal now receives the full motion all the way down to the floor. Yet another positive trait about this clutch!
Blah, I wish this was available before. Looks like a great clutch. I replaced my OEM clutch not even 2 years ago with another OEM and it's already slipping now. I think I should give the CDV delete a try.
Blah, I wish this was available before. Looks like a great clutch. I replaced my OEM clutch not even 2 years ago with another OEM and it's already slipping now. I think I should give the CDV delete a try.
I definitely recommend the CDV delete with any clutch install. The CDV basically slips your clutch, which is never good IMO.
I'm HOPING this disc and pp will work with the Luk DMF063.
LOL, I think I found the answer to my question:
Originally Posted by Excelerate
The clutch kit we currently have here will hold about 365 torque and this is only a Stage 2 setup with a fully faced disc. It is not a self-adjusting pressure plate like the OE setup. We will be offering it for the TL-S and the base TL. It will require the purchase of an aftermarket flywheel, which we sell, as it is based around a single mass flywheel.
We can release more details and pictures at a later date but the clutch is made by a well-known company we work with, will use an AASCO flywheel, will hold 300-650 tq roughly, and will range in the $1000-$1500 range for the most part.
Ive been putting in a looooooot of hours at work... I wish there was someone in my area for me to test drive and see how this feels... I am really iffy on this. Its almost like with coilovers, everyone raves how they love the stiffer ride from their coils while i absolutely hate it.. I want the exact same or close to OEM feel lmao. I want the daily commute to feel the exact same if not close to the same as the OEM feels now. I dont mind if the revs drop faster thats fine. I do care however the feel of the clutch i am really afraid of making this move. Might be one of those things i gotta just drive. Drove my friends type S with upgraded p2r disk and while its cool i still like mines a lil bit more
You'll be fine. Clutch only gets rough for daily street use after a stage 3 and up. Mine feels like stock, just better, like a more refined version of it. It's a 14lb flywheel not an 8lb one.
And on coil overs, you can make them stiffer or softer than OEM so entirely up to your taste.
You'll be fine. Clutch only gets rough for daily street use after a stage 3 and up. Mine feels like stock, just better, like a more refined version of it. It's a 14lb flywheel not an 8lb one.
And on coil overs, you can make them stiffer or softer than OEM so entirely up to your taste.
Im sure im over reacting just a costly install for something i may dislike.
02-25-2015, 05:49 PM
..... glad kit works perfectly......toooo late for me my shipment should be coming in next week 
......CM250,AASCO FLYWHEEL,K TUNED SHIFTER and a bunch of other stuff...... love when new parts come available for our 3gen TL thanks XLR8....... 220000km 11 years later still runs strong... original owner
