Monday, March 21, 2011

Why use factory the factory clutch

There has been a lot of chatter out there recently regarding the choice of clutch pack to use when it is time to replace your worn out clutch.  As the web usually goes there is more dis-information posted from unqualified or inexperienced people than there is real valuable creditable info.  The big talk out there about clutches right now is to use Kevlar or Carbon over the factory organic material.  The issue everyone seems to talk about is "twice the life" of the stock clutch.  While that might be concern to some, you should be aware that does contribute to twice the wear and tear on your power train vs a standard clutch.  Now before the haters start to grumble let me explain. Kevlar and Carbon are great materials and are used widely in the racing and high performance industry, but because of their extreme "gripping" power they will cause excessive force to be placed on your power train when used in any application.  Not to say that Lamborghini's cannot handle this, but they were not designed for use with a Kevlar or carbon clutch.  The clutch is designed to be a "weak" link in the power train for a reason, to protect the drive train from excessive shock or load.  in that way the clutch is designed to "give" if the designed load is exceeded by slipping.  When you replace the standard clutch with a Kevlar or carbon version, since it's gripping power is much more that organic (stock material) what happens when the load is exceeded since the clutch does not slip as designed all of that power is then transferred to the next component in the power train.  Eventually something has to give, in Lamborghini's with aftermarket clutches we tend to see rear axle and differential failure as well as transmissions with lower gears blown out.  It simply boils down to the laws of physics, if you strengthen the clutch then the next weakest link in the power train will have to take the load.  This is why we do not recommend Kevlar or carbon materials in Lamborghini's.  The factory engineers have spent hundreds of hours designing the correct clutch for the power train and made their choice for the correct engineering reasons.  Most factory clutches last a very long time and should give you many miles of trouble free motoring. Keep in mind that the factory clutch is always evolving and newer versions are released into production all the time to better enhance performance and life of the clutch.  This is why we always say when having a new clutch installed check with your dealer to make sure they are using the latest version from the factory and you are not being sold an older out dated unit.

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