Meanwhile... my South Bend clutch experience

[NOTORIOUS VR]

So as some of you might know before my S4 was taken for me my South Bend clutch started to slip, after being certain that it is indeed the clutch I contacted South Bend via email.

Andy @ South Bend replied to me and asked a few key questions (what exact clutch kit, what FW, etc, etc) and went on to recommending that I re-break in the clutch as it's been seen before that the Feramic can glaze over.

Keep in mind that I bought this clutch kit from Avalon quite some time ago through one of their specials and didn't install it until I put in my 605's. I ordered their Stage 4 (at the time) which was the hybrid full face Organic/Feramic disc with the HD PP which I then mated to the TTV single mass steel flywheel.

And while the clutch didn't see more then 9k miles, it did get to see quite a bit if hard driving, launches and track time... All that abuse and it was still easier to drive then the old OEM clutch that was in the car, I was amazed.

So, I re-broke in the clutch but same thing happened it would slip every time I would get into boost from 3rd gear (from boost on-set), I then tried dialing down the boost ramp and the clutch no longer slipped. So it was obvious to me the clutch had to come out and that it just could no longer hold the power. I didn't understand why or what could have caused it to fail so soon but that was the case.

Either way, once I had a chance to pull the clutch kit from the car (after it was recovered by the Police, etc) it became clear that it was no normal failure. Both materials had lots of life left the PP looked good as the flywheel. Then I noticed the clutch disc itself had crack leading from every spring causing the disc to flex.



I emailed the pics to Andy and he said that is an older disc design and that they no longer use it because of similar failures.

That said, I sent the whole kit and FW back to SB to have the disc replaced and the rest of the kit checked and machined back to new. I can honestly say that at this point there is no other Clutch manufacturer that I would give my money to before South Bend. Even before this I was recommending SB to my friends looking for a good solution for their cars (some did end up buying a SB) and now of course I am even more inclined to do so again for my new project and anyone else that happens to ask me for my opinion.

After some of the negative threads recently about Clutches and such I thought it would be good to share my story and know now why I made the right choice going with SB, and believe me it was a lot of reading and research before I came to terms with my choice as many of you know there are a lot of options out there and the S4 is not nice to clutches when driven hard.

[aysix]

Thats some great customer service.

[Monty23]

My friend has a similar story, apparently he bought a used stage 3 endurance clutch to go with his fts. Well when he received the used clutch it turned out the rivets on the clutch were loose. He did some research and discovered southbend got in a bad batch of parts which lead to several kits with this failure mode. My friends calls southbend and they end up rebuilding his clutch and resurfacing his dmfw for free. Talk about amazing customer service!

[somebody5788]

I had a South Bend in my A4 and that thing took crazy amounts of abuse even for just being a 2.8. If I manage to go FT I will probably be going with another SB clutch (assuming my RS4 clutch doesn't hold) It also helps that they are ~30 miles from me and I can actually go in and pick up the clutch as well as get wholesale price (parts manager at the shop I work for)

[sean01S4]

Andy is the man!!! He did the same for me also...I had a problem with my clutch sticking and he had me ship it out and he rebuilt everything and shipped back free of charge!!! Some great customer service if you ask me.....southbend ftw!

[AudiA4_20T]

SB all the way. Clutchmasters has so many failures and bad QC. I got my entire setup from SB rebuilt twice (not because it was bad, I just had the motor out) for like $230 each time, literally brand new again. Can't beat that. Held up to 460+awhp and over 50 7k+ clutch dumps, rolling all 4 tires.

[034Motorsport]

Andy is a great guy to deal with, and that's great to see how quickly they addressed it, Notorious.

Every company is bound to have clutch issues at some point, especially on an item that can be so touchy with installation and break in, but it makes all the difference when the company backs up their product.

I'm currently breaking in my Southbend Stage 4 Extreme 6 puck on my single turbo. Once they are broken in, they really do drive almost like stock, with just a bit stiffer pedal that gives better confidence. KEN@034 is loving his Stage 4 Extreme 6 puck on his Tial 770R car. Handles the 550 ft/lbs no problem, and a chick could drive it in traffic.

Just don't get discouraged by the break-in; they feel terrible at first hahahaha.

[str8blst]

I had great experiences with SB as well. I went through two different clutches before they foud one that would hold. I believe some of the work a development that went into the clutch in my car is now being used on their production pieces. I had dinner with the SB crew a year or so ago at WF and they were a great bunch of guys. Knowledgeable and seemed to love cars just as much as we all do. For my S4 there is only one clutch I would use... SB....

[NOTORIOUS VR]

That's awesome, I'm glad to hear that many people have had just a good of an experience as I have!

Max, yes a clutch will never show it's true colors until it's fully broken in :)

[MDJ]

I'm not sure why I ever even considered another clutch manufacturer, especially after having one in my MKII GTi. I just got my DXD-HD series from them a week ago. Andy and his son were absolutely a pleasure to work with and I have no doubt that I will use them from here on out.

[witwer4444]

Just out of curiosity (and after a quick google search), who are you guys purchasing your S4 SB clutches through?

[S4 00 2.7]

Only clutches I would consider are Southbend and Clutchmasters.

[MDJ]

Just out of curiosity (and after a quick google search), who are you guys purchasing your S4 SB clutches through?

Just a personal view on things, but I prefer to deal directly with manufacturers as often as possible. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of stand up suppliers out there and those that regularly contribute to these threads really make things simple when there are questions or issues with products. Not to mention they usually have close working relationships/friendships with a lot of suppliers.

That said, I would opt for dealing directly with South Bend first. Second, obviously 034.

[Scotty@Advanced]

Just out of curiosity (and after a quick google search), who are you guys purchasing your S4 SB clutches through?

I offer Southbend products, and often can make a better deal on clutches than Southbend themselves.

Southbend had been very liberal with their warranties. They have taken care of a few of my customers that had a catastrophic clutch failure 2+ years after the warranty expired.

[MDJ]

+1 for Scotty, too.

[034Motorsport]

That said, I would opt for dealing directly with South Bend first. Second, obviously 034.

Thanks for the reference.

We are a long time South Bend dealer, but I am pushing them more and more now that a lot of us are running them here @ the shop.

If anyone is looking for a new setup, feel free to PM me for an Audizine price. Combine it with some other parts, help out even more!

[naudlee]

Thanks for the reference.

We are a long time South Bend dealer, but I am pushing them more and more now that a lot of us are running them here @ the shop.

If anyone is looking for a new setup, feel free to PM me for an Audizine price. Combine it with some other parts, help out even more!

so, whats your shop experiences with the Spec 3+ versus these Southbends... Im just curious as you guys repped the 3+ for a while.

[Don Supreme]

I have been running my SB stage 3 drag clutch on my FT setup since Jan '11. A couple trips to the strip and it hasn't skipped a beat. I am very pleased.

[S4 00 2.7]

Max, why the move from Spec to SB? Did you guys stop selling them as well?

[034Motorsport]

I have run both SB stage 3 as well as now stage 4 extreme and have loved both. The stage 4 took a good 800-1000 miles of break in but is well worth it. I was surprised how great it feels and holds my power with no problem. Feel free to contact Max or myself for any clutch inquires.

[topquarkpc]

just wondering how this can heppen...

So as some of you might know before my S4 was taken for me my South Bend clutch started to slip, after being certain that it is indeed the clutch I contacted South Bend via email.

Andy @ South Bend replied to me and asked a few key questions (what exact clutch kit, what FW, etc, etc) and went on to recommending that I re-break in the clutch as it's been seen before that the Feramic can glaze over.

Keep in mind that I bought this clutch kit from Avalon quite some time ago through one of their specials and didn't install it until I put in my 605's. I ordered their Stage 4 (at the time) which was the hybrid full face Organic/Feramic disc with the HD PP which I then mated to the TTV single mass steel flywheel.

And while the clutch didn't see more then 9k miles, it did get to see quite a bit if hard driving, launches and track time... All that abuse and it was still easier to drive then the old OEM clutch that was in the car, I was amazed.

So, I re-broke in the clutch but same thing happened it would slip every time I would get into boost from 3rd gear (from boost on-set), I then tried dialing down the boost ramp and the clutch no longer slipped. So it was obvious to me the clutch had to come out and that it just could no longer hold the power. I didn't understand why or what could have caused it to fail so soon but that was the case.

Either way, once I had a chance to pull the clutch kit from the car (after it was recovered by the Police, etc) it became clear that it was no normal failure. Both materials had lots of life left the PP looked good as the flywheel. Then I noticed the clutch disc itself had crack leading from every spring causing the disc to flex.



I emailed the pics to Andy and he said that is an older disc design and that they no longer use it because of similar failures.

That said, I sent the whole kit and FW back to SB to have the disc replaced and the rest of the kit checked and machined back to new. I can honestly say that at this point there is no other Clutch manufacturer that I would give my money to before South Bend. Even before this I was recommending SB to my friends looking for a good solution for their cars (some did end up buying a SB) and now of course I am even more inclined to do so again for my new project and anyone else that happens to ask me for my opinion.

After some of the negative threads recently about Clutches and such I thought it would be good to share my story and know now why I made the right choice going with SB, and believe me it was a lot of reading and research before I came to terms with my choice as many of you know there are a lot of options out there and the S4 is not nice to clutches when driven hard.

[034Motorsport]

the sprung disc wasn't designed for the hard driving this was probably put through.

[JDM EJ1 95]

MUST BE NICE



hahah..... nice work soutbend

[martin0079]

Max, why the move from Spec to SB? Did you guys stop selling them as well?

Pretty sure they sell both southbend and spec as well as clutchmasters and some others

[JDM EJ1 95]

Max, why the move from Spec to SB? Did you guys stop selling them as well?

I hope they did

[034Motorsport]

We sell Tilton, SPEC, Southbend, and Clutchmaster. Not to mention factory replacements. Basically any clutch you could need or want.

[034Motorsport]

To be extra clear, KEN and myself are using a Southbend Stage 4 Extreme 6 puck Graphite Impregnated Sprung Hub... there are various options for disc compound, full face, etc. They will drive differently and change torque capacity.

so, whats your shop experiences with the Spec 3+ versus these Southbends... Im just curious as you guys repped the 3+ for a while.

Max, why the move from Spec to SB? Did you guys stop selling them as well?

We most definitely have not stopped selling SPEC; we will continue to sell them for years to come, as they are the company we have the best overall experience with. We've sold countless numbers of them, and the failure rates are lower then any other clutch company we have dealt with. We've been selling SPEC 3+ clutches for years and years, and it has been the preferred single disc clutch for B5 S4s. We've taken the smaller Coupe Quattro SPEC 3+ w/ Superclamp to over 800whp on our VR6-T B5 A4.

My reasoning for now pushing the Southbend clutch over the SPEC clutch is more that I like to rep products that I use myself and have experience with.

Both KEN and myself (and 034) wanted to see what this Southbend Stage 4 Extreme could do for us and for future customers so we both decided to be guinea pigs. We've been seeing more forum members going with this clutch, and I have friends who use it, so we were curious for ourselves. We like testing everything before pushing it. While the 3+ has been a great choice over the years, we wanted to confidently offer another option that can handle big turbo B5 S4 power.

The results have been stellar and we like dealing with Southbend, so KEN and myself are now pushing this setup over the traditional 3+. The fact that it comes with a great steel flywheel is a big plus as well, as the driveability is even nicer with the heavier weight (but it won't rev as quick).

Every clutch company is going to have some issues at some point, so it is always interesting to see what people deal with; clutches see the most abuse out of any component on a vehicle, especially a high powered vehicle. There are bound to be mistakes made, and you'll see complaints about every clutch company out there. Southbend tends to be a bit more forgiving with replacements, so they tend to get a good reputation from this aspect.

We sell Tilton, SPEC, Southbend, and Clutchmaster. Not to mention factory replacements. Basically any clutch you could need or want.

Yep! We have Clutchmasters TD850's (aka FX850), Tilton triple disc carbon clutches, B5 RS4 hybrid clutches, stock OEM replacements...and everything in between.

[MDJ]

the sprung disc wasn't designed for the hard driving this was probably put through.

Sick spot in European Car, Ken. I effing LOVE those wheels. Gorgeous. Too bad they are more than my 605s!

[sheeyees4]

Thanks for the reference.

We are a long time South Bend dealer, but I am pushing them more and more now that a lot of us are running them here @ the shop.

If anyone is looking for a new setup, feel free to PM me for an Audizine price. Combine it with some other parts, help out even more!

hey max can you hook me up with a southbend stage 2 endurance and your shops light weight aluminum flywheel? I'd like to get one asap

[getslideways]

hey max can you hook me up with a southbend stage 2 endurance and your shops light weight aluminum flywheel? I'd like to get one asap

this thread is almost a year old

you are better off PM'ing him, although I am not sure if Max is back at work from is vacation or not.

[S4 00 2.7]

Contact Laszlo@034

X2 I think Max is still getting in trouble in Europe.

[slowrideBC]

South bend is great

Amazing customer service, thet take care of their customers and stand benind their product.

[topquarkpc]

Not sure about SB but I sure got the shaft when I called up CM...
Not gonna be returning customer for sure...

[EuroxS4]

I posted a SB clutch story in a b6 a4 forum.Also nothing but a great experience and outstanding customer service.I only recommend SB clutch kits to my clientele.

[greg@dubaudi]

Big for south bend one of the best clutches I have owned. I had a stage 3 endurance and now run the stage 4 extreme. Both are awesome for real world driving of the car.... I buy from Scotty and he was great to deal with and answered all my questions.

If anyone is looking for a great deal on a lightly used SB stage 3 endurance with SB SM flywheel send me a email [email protected]

[christianb5s4]

For you guys who run the stage 4 clutch, how did you go about breaking it in properly? Installing it with Clutch Master's steel flywheel with my build.

[Monty23]

500 miles of city driving with lots of shifting and first gear starts. No wot/boost until then.

[christianb5s4]

I'll have to just do one long ass break in drive then, thanks Monty.

[Monty23]

I'll have to just do one long ass break in drive then, thanks Monty.

took me about 2 weeks with normal trips/daily driving.

[christianb5s4]

Unfortunately my commute is 9 miles round trip to my office, albeit in some traffic. So it would take forever to do the break in period just by commuting. I'm super excited though, goal is to have everything broken in by Wuste.