Matt300ZXT

I've been shopping for clutches and flywheelsthat'll fit my needs for my new Mustang and have come across 3 hopefuls. The King Cobra, Spec Stage 1, and just found the Fidanza 1.0. I'm not sure what tq rating the Cobra holds, but I know the Spec holds 410 lb ft, and the Fidanza says 350 lb ft. The motor is essentially stock with mild bolt ons with only a E303 cam, some head porting on stockers, some upgraded roller rockers, and is supposely a 306, but probably just stock style pistons even if it really was rebuilt, nothing hotrodded there. It also has a Weiand intake with a 600cfm carb, also has Mac long tubes with a Mac h-pipe. Probably the only upgrades I'll ever do is some GT40 heads. I'm never going to turbo it, throw on a blower, NOS, nothing like that. Maybe a nice ignition system in the future. So it probably won't ever make past the holding capacity of any of the 3 clutches. I've read many good and bad things about the King Cobra, and about the Spec, but I assume a lot of it is from inproper installation of correct breaking in, or people trying to beat on it too hard when it wasn't designed for what they are wanting it to do. However, I haven't seen anything about the Fidanza unit,but I know they make good flywheels and short shifters.

As far as flywheels, I've found multiple ones. There's a Ford Racing iron one on Summit (non SFI approved whatever that is) for $99.95 that Ford Racing says is an exact replacement for a stock flywheel. Then there's the Spec billet steel for $215, a Fidanza forged steel for $249.99, a Fidanza nodular iron for $149.99, and that's all I've come across. Other flywheels start getting upwards of $350 plus, and I don't really need a 14 lb forged aluminum unit made with Thor's hammer or anything like that.

Once again, I'm not drag racing the car, looking to do multiple 4000 RPM launches or anything like that. I just want a Foxbody for the sound of the 5.0 and for a fun car with some power that I can use now and then for some spirited driving. I'm just looking for good setup ideas that work in the real world.

86whitepony

get a HAYS clutch, i love mine!

and if you wanna spend the money get an aluminum flywheel. HAYS also sells one as well. Mine is so strong it chirps my tires with 3.73's at about 2000 rpm on good solid quick shift. and launching is no problem at 4 k with this setup. it puts rubber on the ground in an instant and i have 9,000 miles of abusive driving on it

Matt300ZXT

Did you even read anymore more than the title of the thread? I was asking about 3 specific clutches, not one that costs much more money like the Hays unit. And as far as an aluminum flywheel, my thread said I don't want an aluminum unit because they cost $350 plus, especially the Hays flywheel.

86whitepony

im just giving you the setup that's not gonna make you rip out your tranny every 5k miles. and give a fun clutch that grabs on que and doesn't dissapoint. but that's cool dude don't take it from a guy who's got 9 k abusive miles on mine, take it from the guy who cheaps out and changes his clutch every 6 months

Matt300ZXT

Well if stock clutches hold several thousand miles with the kind of driving I intend on doing, then I would imagine any of the clutches I mentioned will last just as long while holding a bit more power than stock, I don't think I'll be under my car every 6 months. Sure, it'd be nice to have a much pricier Hays clutch, and a badass lightweight aluminum flywheel, no matter who makes it. I just don't see the need when I'm probably not making more than 20 or 30 hp more (on a good day) than a stock 302 would make to install a $300 clutch and a $450-500 flywheel. That's why I'm looking for people's take on the street upgrade clutches/flywheels. Thanks for the input though.

Scout2232

You don't have to buy a new flywheel if you don't want to. You can get it resurfaced if needed. I personally have that direct replacement one from Ford racing in mine. Holds well, no complaints.

As far as clutches go, I have the king cobra pressure plate, and its supposed to be more holding power with less pedaleffort needed. I'm not quite sure what clutch/pressure plate I had in it before (I assume it was OEM cause the car was my mom's before I got it) but it is CONSIDERABLY less pedaleffort required.

I asked the people that I bought my trans kit from (Geforce) what clutch they suggested with it, and they saidanything but SPEC and that was it. Why? I have no idea... But from what I read a lot of people seem to like/suggest SPEC.

I have heard lots of bad things about the king cobra one, butfor some reasonI don't think its a bad clutch, and I would probably try it anyway despite what everyone has said. And like you are saying you aren't putting gobs of power to the ground, so I think you could get away with pretty much whatever clutch you want.