First off, sorry it took so long to get this one ready. We've been working hard with AP but there have been some hurdles.
The initial review/description of the clutch came from the AP engineers. To be honest, it was on such a technical level that it was like a different language. We've gone through their description and made it a bit easier to read/understand. If you would like to see the engineers description of the improvements that were made feel free to PM me with your email address and I will forward it to you.
Most of you haven't had the stock clutch out of your car so you don't know exactly what it looks like. Once we get the new clutch from AP I will be taking some comparison pictures to better illustrate these improvements.
There were four primary improvements made to the clutch that result in one major improvement.
1. The two AP friction discs have a reduced wave spring in the middle of the discs. This improves the clutch in a couple of ways:
A) There is a more positive feel to the pedal during engagement
B) The travel is reduced to 65mm (2.55 inches) from 90mm (3.54 inches) from engaged to disengaged. Basically, you won't have to push so far to the floor to get the clutch to disengage.
2. Clutch cover diaphragm springs are tested and selected to have the highest possible rating that is still within Ford's range of allowable tolerances. This is important as an excessively high spring pressure clutch could cause premature engine thrust bearing and/or clutch release failure. This also results in a clutch that is virtually identical to stock in pedal effort.
3. The friction material used is a proprietary AP facing develop for use in their street clutches. This material has much better heat dissipation and fade resistance than the factory Ford F510 material used in the stock clutch. The combination of optimized diaphragm pressures and improved clutch friction material results in a clutch that can transmit 616 ft. lbs. of torque yet still be completely streetable.
4. The friction discs are upgraded to a 6 spring design rather than the 4 spring design of the original. This allows for more torque capacity and increased longevity during heavy use.
This clutch is a direct result of extensive testing done by Stillen on the New Zealand Targa Rally.
The initial review/description of the clutch came from the AP engineers. To be honest, it was on such a technical level that it was like a different language. We've gone through their description and made it a bit easier to read/understand. If you would like to see the engineers description of the improvements that were made feel free to PM me with your email address and I will forward it to you.
Most of you haven't had the stock clutch out of your car so you don't know exactly what it looks like. Once we get the new clutch from AP I will be taking some comparison pictures to better illustrate these improvements.
There were four primary improvements made to the clutch that result in one major improvement.
1. The two AP friction discs have a reduced wave spring in the middle of the discs. This improves the clutch in a couple of ways:
A) There is a more positive feel to the pedal during engagement
B) The travel is reduced to 65mm (2.55 inches) from 90mm (3.54 inches) from engaged to disengaged. Basically, you won't have to push so far to the floor to get the clutch to disengage.
2. Clutch cover diaphragm springs are tested and selected to have the highest possible rating that is still within Ford's range of allowable tolerances. This is important as an excessively high spring pressure clutch could cause premature engine thrust bearing and/or clutch release failure. This also results in a clutch that is virtually identical to stock in pedal effort.
3. The friction material used is a proprietary AP facing develop for use in their street clutches. This material has much better heat dissipation and fade resistance than the factory Ford F510 material used in the stock clutch. The combination of optimized diaphragm pressures and improved clutch friction material results in a clutch that can transmit 616 ft. lbs. of torque yet still be completely streetable.
4. The friction discs are upgraded to a 6 spring design rather than the 4 spring design of the original. This allows for more torque capacity and increased longevity during heavy use.
This clutch is a direct result of extensive testing done by Stillen on the New Zealand Targa Rally.
