There are many things in life greater than the rush of raw horsepower—yeah right! Nothing in the world compares to dumping the clutch for killer burnouts or power-shifting grabs down the quarter-mile. But like most fun things, it may come to a premature end when those joy rides make your stock clutch unhappy. Daily commutes become a chore, your clutch leg cramps up, and what used to be fun on-ramp blasts end in clutch smoke.
We’d been experiencing this over the past several weeks but didn’t think to replace the beater clutch while we already had the tranny out (see “How to Rebuild a T5,” Feb. ’01). If you already have a potent motor under the hood, or are lost in the many assembly choices, then trust us, move over to the Centerforce Dual Friction assembly. This unit generates up to a 90 percent increase in clamping capacity over stockers, and you’ll be amazed at the reduction in pedal effort and the smoother operating characteristics. And to ensure solid shifts, we also installed a B&M short throw shifter. Although we went over our allotted $500 budget by $1.85, it proved to be excellent bang for the buck, and we couldn’t be any happier to be back in the saddle again.
