Centerforce I Clutch

Price Paid:  $460.00

Year / Model Reviewed:
 CenterForce Stage 1 kit

Strengths:
None

Weaknesses:
Center Force is still in business.

Summary:
After my stock '06 Tacoma clutch started going out, I decided to replace it with an upgraded clutch. Had a repair shop install the Center Force Stage 1 kit, and right off the bat had problems. Each time I drove the clutch would burn - badly, to the point of severe smoke. Finally the repair shop broke apart the truck to find that the clutch disc was so badly burned it had holes in it. The culprit...a badly warped pressure plate. Got NO help from Center Force, they blamed it on improper installation. "Hey Center Force, soon you won't have to worry about these complaints, 'cause no one will buy your crappy product!"

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Value Rating
 1 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.50 of 5, 4.00 votes

Price Paid:  $570.00 from Local Speed Shop

Year / Model Reviewed:
1992 Taurus SHO/dual friction Centerforce

Strengths:
There are none

Weaknesses:
Everything about it. It's even an ugly Home Depot orange. Not pretty like a Chevy orange.

Summary:
I expected much more. I never wanted to do another clutch in this car so I bought the best I could find, or so I thought. It held the power ok, but it is only 220hp (advertised). The pedal was firmer then stock and it was difficult to slip it easily in traffic. It lasted a little over 12 months and about 14,000 miles. It started to slip noticably at the end. When I pulled it out, the bell was full of carbon dust, the flywheel was etched about 15 thousands, the pressure plate side was on the brass rivets, and the throwout bearing had worn half way through the diaphram fingers. If you think that maybe I didn't adjust it correctly, well, it's a self adjusting, constant contact system. It adjusts itself. I have done about twenty clutch installations on my own cars over the years. If I didn't do this one right then there isn't any hope of getting it right. The only conclusion that I can come to is don't ever buy a Centerforce clutch again. It is increadably overpriced. It is increadably over rated. I went back to a stock Ford clutch and am glad that i did. Also, don't expect any kind of help from Gene at Centerforce. Apparently there isn't anything that they did wrong with the clutch. This is considered "normal" wear. Bye, bye, Centerforce. You have lost me FOREVER as a customer.

Similar Products Used:
Hays, Ford, Borg-Warner, Delco

Price Paid:  $280.00 from Fly-n-hi 4wd shop

Year / Model Reviewed:
 centerforce dual friction

Strengths:
Umm, hi tech? with the little kevlar and copper-wire pads on the flywheel side?

Weaknesses:
What happened to the clamping force? I can push the clutch pedal to the floor with my hand. Try that with the old centerforce II, it won't happen unless you're Arnold Swartzennegger.

Summary:
I let it break in for 500 miles before I used any boost at all on the engine. It has stock pedal pressure all the way thru the RPM range, so how can it handle more power than stock? It didn't. The clutch will break loose at high rpm in any gear, even on a soft launch. I'm putting out less than 200hp, running 15.3 sec 1/4 mile times, and the clutch is my limiting factor. I just pulled the clutch/flywheel and the disk and flywheel are fine. The wear pattern on the disk is smooth and even, with over 90% of the clutch disk in contact with the flywheel and plate. This clutch is broken in. The clutch plate has little spotty burn marks in a ring toward the outside. My flywheel has a small step in it that adds artificial height to the clutch disk. I am having the flywheel re-machined, and the height of that step will be doubled in hopes to add clamping pressure and make this wimpy thing hold. I have now sanded the clutch plate with 240 grit to remove all the burn marks. I have sanded the disk to a rough, not shiny surface. I am getting my machine work done tomorrow, so hopefully I will have more clamping force. I will re-install the clutch, re-break it in and see what happens. I am worried now, because I bought two Dual-friction clutches at the same time.... this one for my street car (180-200hp) and one for my race car (350+hp). If I can't get the street car solid, then what chance is there that the race car will hook up?

Similar Products Used:
Centerforce II old-school. I bought one 10 years ago. That one had GREAT clamping force I liked it a lot and several other people liked it and BOUGHT them on my reccommendation.

Price Paid:  $168.00 from On the Net

Year / Model Reviewed:
 71 Datsun %10

Strengths:
Comes in a Nice box. Stock pedal feel. Will make the Slave a Clutch cyl last a long time.

Weaknesses:
Cheap Korean Disc. Just a stock clutch w/ weights that only really work at high RPMs.

Summary:
I received my Centerforce Stag 1 clutch kit(L16/18). When I cked closely I notice it looked like a Stock 510 clutch. Then I look closer it sais ,Made in Japan. I noticed it said,Daiken or DK mared on there. This is a stock Pressure plate when their Patened weight system on there. So Takeing a stock pres of 350KG of force and 30% as they claim(at 6Krpm) I will receive another 105KGs for a total of 455KGs. I can purchase a 650Kg Datsun Roadster clutch(30210-20111) from Nissanparts.cc for the sum of 64$ w/o Disc. Disc is about 35$ for a Daiken Super Disc. This is a 85% increase in clamping force at Zero RPMs. Also I was dissapointed it came with a Korean Disc. Could have sent a Daiken disc with it. This is being cheap(profit margin) At least keep it all Japanese. Ps I can take a can of Gold Spray Paint also to make it look more expensive

Similar Products Used:
Daiken(Japan).

Price Paid:  $230.00 from nopi

Year / Model Reviewed:
 93 nissan 240sx

Strengths:
good quality, grabs hard

Weaknesses:
doesn't include release bearing

Summary:
First I would like to comment on mr. ss67chevelle. he has posted in this section and the dual friction centerforce section(does he even know what he has) second, he says it suck on imports. WTF? If it can handle v8 power then it can handle import power. I know 240sx owners that have installed centerforce on everything from stock up to 350hp turbos and none hav had a problem. since he posted twice so will I. he was right about centerforces grabing HARD. i get chirps through 3rd gear. (dual friction) if you want a cheap replacement get a stage I, stage II for Mild performance, and dual friction for high performance or if you just want the best

Similar Products Used:
stock