Clutch replacement recommendations

That’s not the clutch with the dual friction kit. I just installed it a couple weeks ago, replaced the OEM at 45k miles. I tow a 4k lb boat, and the OEM was starting to show slight slipping, and backing up was horrible (plus reverse not geared for even moderate towing weights). The OEM had glazing on both flywheel and clutch plate, though didn’t look like much lost material on the disk. The dual friction is GREAT so far, feels much better than OEM.

Here’s the Centerforce Dual Friction for 3rd gen Tacoma w V6…

 

I just looked it up. Interesting that they make both versions. I might have to get this style when the time comes. It will help with towing. Thanks for sharing the picture.

I have the 2 low mod for reversing with the trailer. Also gives me greater control while backing into a camp site.

 

I have been thinking about the 2lo mod - still on the fence. Was gonna give this clutch some time to see how it goes. I’m in FL, so not a whole lot of elevation change to deal with so the biggest hill I have to back the boat over is the curb on my driveway! Ha!

 

What's the argument for dual friction vs standard clutch? And did you reuse the oem flywheel? I see centerforce sells a kit with a 74lb flywheel, which I assume is significantly heavier than OEM. Other than changing throttle response, what's the benefit of the heavier flywheel?

 

Usually more even power, more inertia

 

More inertia would certainly help, but I wonder what the mass increase would do with the already pretty long rev hang.

Has anyone seen any threads of anyone installing a heavier flywheel? I'd be interested in anecdotal impressions.

 

According to their page, torque and power delivery. I did not consider reusing the OEM flywheel - had the whole setup on an old jeep and liked it. Plus given the problems I had didn’t know if there would be other issues later. Plus speed - didn’t want to wait to get the old one resurfaced and get it back after taking it off. Just wanted to get it done. The flywheel on the dual friction is 47 pounds vs the OEM that’s 28 pounds. That does provide more inertia, and I could see it while idling in 2nd gear as a demo - no chugging or bucking, just idling along at a steady pace. It is very smooth, and like the video states on the website, the pedal is a bit softer, but still easy to feel contact points (like I said, accumulator deleted). There is a video on YT where the guy in a 3rd gen does the same offroading up a hill in 1st w the oem, then with the Centerforce 2. https://youtu.be/YwBFcvMe4OE?si=E289A3Gy1MxYQ4vg

And here’s a photo of the flywheel…

 

I'd replace it with OEM if you can't get a UniClutch.

I personally really want to replace mine with a UniClutch at some point.

The OEM clutch overall isn't bad and can last quite a while depending on use case.

UniClutch has some nice perks though depending on what you want to do with your truck.

 

Have you done any spirited driving with it and if so, any input on it? I sort of want one for the low speed assistance, but I don’t want it to ruin the sporty driving I sometimes do….yeah, I know. Truck. I have a feeling I’d equally like it and dislike it, making me very hesitant to go with it.

Does it affect passing on the highways much either?

For the record, if I did anything, it would be either new OEM clutch + flywheel, or OEM clutch + CF flywheel. I don’t want or need an aftermarket clutch.

 

Not really my style of driving, but this morning driving into work stomped on it a little and it was very responsive. Haven't had to pass on the highway yet, but I doubt it will be less responsive. Hard to say if there's any loss of acceleration, but subjectively I don't see any. In my personal opinion, anything that you might lose with the added weight of the flywheel you gain with the increase of rotational inertia. I think all of this, regardless of driving style, has to do with clamping force, at least in layman's terms from a guy who doesn't do anything crazy except tow the boat. The more you demand in terms of performance, the more you want the transmission to respond to what you ask, and that comes from higher clamping force. From the reading I've done of people's experience, the stock clutch is okay for a while, but for people who demand more, like for towing, or off-roading, the stock clutch won't last as long as people have expected. I'm not sure how much more life was in mine, but I'm happy I did it now as opposed to waiting until it did fail. If you go to the Centerforce website and call up the products that fit the Tacoma, they each have a product video that talks about advantages, and seems like they market more to "spirited" drivers more than they address off-roading or towing. I think that is who they primarily target. The video above, too, compares the differences with stock.

Another consideration is not only towing performance, but longevity. I don't want to have to do this work in another 45K miles. A heavier duty clutch should last longer.

And cost. I had already set my sights on getting the Centerforce because I've used it before on a Jeep, but looked a little at the cost of what I got vs. the OEM, and for replacing the same parts, the cost was not that different. Someone considering it would have to do more detailed research to see if that's right. I got it from Extreme Terrain for $999 - I'm not affiliated with them, but that was the best cost I found. So for not much more money getting a heavier duty setup was an easy decision. On the Centerforce website, looked like the flywheel alone is half the cost of the entire kit. A brief look at Uniclutch looks like they don't have one for 3rd Gen Tacoma. Also don't see one from URD.

I hope this helps. Tough decision given your considerations. Good luck.

 

It seems uniclutch doesn't offer one for the 3rd gen tacoma.

I generally do like to stick to OEM parts, but the fact that mine is showing signs of slipping at ~32k miles is making me look elsewhere. As stated before, I've driven manuals since before I could drive. I've even done a fair bit of backwoods crawling in my 4runner after manual swapping that. Never worn a clutch out this fast.


Same as Hurl19, I don't want to be doing this again in 30-45k miles. Clutches are a wear part, but 32k is excessive imo/ime, especially given that the furthest my trucks been offroad so fsr is driving around my uncles fields, and the beach a few times.

I'm also interested in a heavier flywheel option, the extra inertia would be helpful pulling out on hills at the very least. Just seeing they offer two flywheel options, I'm wondering what a significsnt mass increase (23lbs -> 70) would translate to as fsr as normal driving.

 

I'm curious where you are seeing a 70 lb flywheel? The only one I've seen for the 2GR is 47lbs. Unless you're looking somewhere other than Centerforce?

For the record, I think the clutches slipping early are simply unlucky ones. I don't think that means the stock clutch sucks, or that people don't know how to drive. Just means they probably got a defective disc or something that didn't hold up long term.

 

Yeah all I know is when I emailed UniClutch they said they would make one for the 3rd gen but never of course gave a date for that.

And ouch, that is kind of early for that sort of wear...
Makes me wonder if something else is going on.

You definitely see some examples of crazy high miles on a single OEM clutch and of course everything in between.

As an outsider looking in, probably impossible to weigh in.

I'd be curious if there were stats for average clutch life in your run of the mill 3rd gen though.

I always assumed, based on what I've heard, that my throw out bearing would go before the clutch itself.

 

107k on the clutch itself. Lots of playing around, high revs, and a decent amount of wheeling.

My third TOB is noisy (second replacement). Finally testing the removal of the spring in the slave, which significantly reduces the load on the bearing. If folks are struggling with TOBs, I would recommend trying this. It is certainly prolonging the life of this third TOB.

 

Oh interesting, you removed the spring all together or is just a lighter spring?

I never was able to get great idea of how consistently the throw out bearings were failing or if it was hit and miss.

 

Is there really a 70 lb flywheel available for the 1GR? Seems insane as that is 204% heavier than stock.

Not an engine expert but it seems to me that adding flywheel mass wouldn't affect absolute max power output. What it will do is greatly increase the hysteresis of the drivetrain. The tendency for the output (driveshaft speed) to lag behind the input (pressing the accelerator pedal.) The trade off is smoother power delivery over the entire band, for slower response to changes in input power.

Will definitely rob some acceleration because it takes more power to change the rotation rate of a heavier spinning mass. Whether it's perceptible or measurable is another matter but with a 200% mass increase I bet it's noticeable.

Another possible issue with that heavy a flywheel might be the risk of increased wear on the transmission, specifically the brass synchro rings. Differences between the transmission input shaft & output shaft speeds are resolved / smoothed by the brass synchros. If the input shaft has higher rotational inertia (due to the heavier flywheel,) then the brass synchros are going to be subject to greater friction & wear each time they do the job of bringing the shaft speeds into sync.

Probably not a big deal if one is generally very careful to naturally match shift points to minimize input/output shaft rpm differences. More of a problem for those who are a bit sloppier & allow a larger delta between input/output shaft speeds when attempting to shift.

Another side effect which might be measurable depending on the type of driving would be reduction of mpg (fuel efficiency) due to power wasted repeatedly spinning up the heavy flywheel. Only applicable in town/stop-and-go driving, not an issue on the highway at basically steady-state speeds. The extra power required to repeatedly spin up the heavier flywheel at take-off from stop signs is stored in the flywheel rather than contributing to forward movement of the vehicle. Once stored there, it doesn't "do" anything except act as a reservoir or mechanical capacitor to resist changes to flywheel speed.

 

Total delete. I thought about cutting it down but knew that I would likely cut it too short. I was frustrated by the amount of load and throw that it had when the trans was out.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/no-slave-spring-mod-nssm.839250/

 

My misunderstanding- just had to take a look again, i thought the weight referenced in the clutck kit package "70.4lbs" was a reference to the flywheel weight. Just dropped down under specs, it doesn't list the flywheel weight.

Edit- I'm assuming the kits they offer with their flywheel use the 47.2lb flywheel they also list for sale.

 

Well that was a lot harder than expected. As a self-taught mechanic and first time DIY, I spent about 15+ hours fucking around with this clutch, flywheel, throwout bearing, and pressure plate replacement. Ended up getting everything torn apart and having the classic coolant bypass joint failure common on the 16's and 17s. On this day, a great victory was won. Must have done everything right because the test drives done. All that's left is to burp the radiator.

 

Do you experience any clutch chatter with the dual friction set up?