Buying guide - Exedy Clutch kit

Which clutch should I choose?

Read this guide to gain more insight into Exedy's range of clutches

Exedy is a clutch manufacturer that has been around since 1923. Back then they went under the Daikin Clutch brand whose aim was to provide the world with quality parts. Today, Exedy is one of the world's largest manufacturers of clutches and their products are installed in many cars from the factory. This means that regardless of which clutch you choose, you know that you are getting a clutch of the best quality with many hours of R&D behind it.

Exedy has a wide selection of clutches for most models on the market. In the assortment you will find everything from replacement clutches that correspond to the original to multi-disc carbon fiber clutches with the highest series in racing as an area of use! In this guide you will be able to read more about the different variants so you can form an opinion yourself about which clutch you should choose for your car in order to get the most out of it!

In this guide we will use numbers on a 10 -graded scale that shows measures corresponding to 5 different criteria. This list comes at the end of the explanation of the clutches so that you can easily see how the clutch is to drive with. Below is a list of these criteria and what the number after means:

• Torque resistance: 1 corresponds to Low and 10 corresponds to High
• Response when revving: 1 corresponds to Slow and 10 corresponds to Fast
• Response when Shifting: 1 corresponds to Poor and 10 corresponds to Good
• Engagement: 1 corresponds to Hard and Sharp and 10 corresponds to Light like original
• Pedal Feel: 1 corresponds to Heavy and 10 corresponds to Easy like original

Single Series

We start with the clutch that is most similar to the original of Exedys Racing clutches. It is Stage 1 Organic, it is part of a series of 4 clutches that are intended to be run together with original or a lightened flywheel. These kits do not include flywheels unless otherwise stated.

Stage 1 is the clutch that sells the most. It is a perfect upgrade for those who have started tuning the engine lightly but still want a clutch that is easy to drive in all modes. Here, an organic slat is used, which gives an easy-to-drive feel and a smooth transition when you're about to set off. The feel is very similar to an original clutch but with a slightly heavier (Read "little") pedal due to the slightly harder pressure plate. This is so that the torque resistance should be approx. 30% better than an original clutch.

This clutch is best suited for street driving and lighter track days on slightly tuned cars.

• Torque resistance: 6
• Response when revving: 5
• Response when shifting: 5
• Engagement: 9
• Pedal feel: 8

Disc material: Organic
Spring disc: Yes
Noise when disengaged: No

Step 2 Sport is the clutch for those of you who drive your car a little harder. It has a Cerametallic disc that increases torsional resistance by about 40% compared to the original. This plate makes it slightly more choppy in engagement when compared to the Stage 1. However, it's still a fairly easy-to-drive clutch that has a slightly heavier feel in the pedal than the Stage 1 in terms of inertia. As this clutch is approx. 10% lighter than an original clutch, you get a slightly more responsive engine and the gears feel more distinct as the engine starts up quickly again.

This clutch is well suited for Track, Drifting, Drag and Rally

• Torque resistance: 7
• Response when revving: 5
• Response when shifting: 6
• Engagement: 7
• Pedal feel: 6

Disc material: Cerametallic
Spring disc: Yes
Noise when disengaged: No

Steg 2 Racing uses the same pressure plate as Steg 2 Sport. Here, however, they have developed a disc that is much thinner, which makes it much lighter. A lighter clutch lowers the rotating mass in the engine, which makes it more responsive and adapts faster to what you put it through. This means that the gears will sit better and the feeling will be more precise. The disadvantage of that is that it becomes more difficult to drive off with because it becomes choppy and you have to be prepared with the gas to drive away. But when driving on the track, full throttle applies immediately, which makes this clutch perfect for the purpose!

This clutch is well suited for Trackday and Racing on the track

• Torque resistance: 7
• Response when revving: 5
• Response when shifting: 7
• Engagement: 6
• Pedal feel: 6

Disc material: Cerametallic
Spring disc: Yes
Noise when disengaged: No

This clutch is, just as it sounds, intended for action in the woods. Specifically developed to fit the typical Group-N car that is driven hard in the woods with an engine that has a lot of torque. It is tested to have a long life so that you have a reliable car where it matters the most, in any situation.

This clutch is well suited to Rally (Group-N)

• Torque resistance: 8
• Response when revving: 5
• Response when shifting: 6
• Engagement: 7
• Pedal feel: 6

Disc material: Cerametallic
Spring disc: Yes
Noise when disengaged: No

Hyper Series

The Hyper Series is a series of clutches with the highest possible performance. These are complete clutches with flywheels and where the pressure plates are made of aluminium. The advantage of an aluminum pressure plate is that you don't get any flex in it. This gives a distinct feel and what you do with the pedal is felt directly on the clutch. Another advantage is of course the weight, reduced weight makes the engine more responsive!

Hyper Series is available in both single-disc and multi-disc variants. Below are the different types.

Hyper Single is developed to give tuned cars, which are not quite up to the effects that require a multi-disc clutch, a light and very responsive clutch. Just like on the multi-disc options, an aluminum pressure plate is used which gives a really distinct feeling in the pedal as no flex can occur. The disc is sprung, 6-notched and with friction surfaces made of cerametallic material, which provides a good grip and torsional resistance against the light flywheel, which is made of Cr-Mo.

As the kits are sold complete, the clutch and flywheel are carefully checked to ensure that they match each other perfectly. This is so that you can easily mount the kit on your car and get an optimal feeling.

The weight of these kits is approx. 20-30% lower than the original, which means that you will notice a big difference in response. This also makes it a little more difficult to drive off with, which makes it best suited for various activities on the track. However, we have several customers who run this clutch on the street with good results as well.

This clutch is well suited for Track, Drifting and Drag

• Torque resistance: 8
• Response when revving: 7
• Response when shifting: 7
• Engagement: 7
• Pedal feel: 7

Disc material: Cerametallic
Spring disc: Yes
Noise when disengaged: No

The Hyper Single VF is a newly developed clutch by Exedy that really shows their creativity and knowledge in the field. Here, they have developed a clutch that can withstand a lot of torque but still be very easy to drive. This has been achieved by making a disc with both organic and cerametallic friction surfaces. There by "VF" - Various Friction! The organic parts sit on their patented "cushion" which is a springy part of the disc. This means that this part starts to grip the pressure plate first to give a smooth transition before the metallic surfaces kick in. Once you fully release the clutch, it has the torque resistance of a metallic disc. Simply the best of both worlds!

This clutch is great for Street and Trackdays

• Torque resistance: 8
• Response when revving: 7
• Response when shifting: 6
• Engagement: 10
• Pedal feel: 9

Disc material: Cerametallic / Organic
Spring disc: Yes
Noise when disengaged: No

Hyper Multi are clutches designed to withstand extreme effects. This clutch is available in 2 different variants, either 2 (Twin) or 3 (Triple) discs. Both of these are real torque monsters that can handle a lot of power. Twin is slightly lighter and more responsive while Triple is slightly heavier but can handle more power. Twin is also a bit kinder to the drivetrain with its sprung discs, while Triple is slightly more aggressive with solid discs.

When you get to clutches with more discs, you can count on some noise when disengaged. The reason for this is that the slats are lying and rattle a little but quieten down when you put them back on. Exedy has solved it with self-centering intermediate discs that reduce this noise somewhat compared to competitors. The advantage of a multi-disc clutch is that you get a fairly easy-to-maneuver pedal, it is not as heavy as single clutches that have to take a lot of power. On the other hand, they can be a bit sensitive when it comes to engaging, but is usually something you learn quickly.

Twin:

This clutch is great for Street, Track, Drifting and Drag.

• Torque resistance: 9
• Response when revving: 8
• Response when shifting: 6
• Engagement: 7
• Pedal feel: 8

Disc material: Cerametallic
Spring disc: Yes
Noise when disengaged: Yes

Triple:

This clutch is great for Street, Track, Drifting and Drag.

• Torque resistance: 10
• Response when revving: 7
• Response when shifting: 4
• Engagement: 5
• Pedal feel: 8

Disc material: Cerametallic
Spring disc: No
Noise when disengaged: Yes

Compe-R and Compe-D are real Racing clutches. Nothing has been left to chance here, but everything has been done to get the lightest clutch possible that can withstand great stress during long driving periods. Because the clutch is so light, you get a very good engine response and above all when shifting. Here there are no delays, everything happens exactly when you want!

The difference between Compe-R and Compe-D is the disc centers, "R" stands for Rigid (unsprung) and "D" stands for Dampened (sprung). The Compe-R, which has solid discs, thus becomes an even more responsive clutch but is a little more difficult to drive off with, and the Compe-D becomes a little smoother when driving off and protects the drivetrain a little more from shocks and vibrations from the engine.

Compe-R

This clutch is well suited for Track and Racing

• Torque resistance: 9
• Response when revving: 10
• Response when shifting: 8
• Engagement: 6
• Pedal feel: 7

Disc material: Cerametallic
Spring disc: No
Noise when disengaged: Yes

Compe-D

This clutch is great for Drifting, Track and Gymkhana

• Torque resistance: 9
• Response when revving: 10
• Response when shifting: 7
• Engagement: 6
• Pedal feel: 7

Disc material: Cerametallic
Spring disc: Yes
Noise when disengaged: Yes

In 1995, Exedy was Ferrari's supplier of clutches in motorsport's highest series, Formula 1! During this period, a clutch with a carbon fiber disc was developed to get the best possible properties out of the clutch. This type of clutch is now available to the public through Exedys Carbon-D as well as Carbon-R. There are many advantages to carbon fiber as a material in the disc. Many people immediately think of the weight, and that is of course one of the advantages. A carbon fiber disc weighs about 1/3 of what an equivalent metallic disc would. This makes for a very responsive clutch with minimal overall weight. Another advantage is the durability, namely it does not wear out as quickly and therefore lasts approximately twice the life of a metallic disc. Last but not least, they are baked at approx. 2000°C, which means that they can withstand extremely high heat. This means that the material only expands 1/20th of what a metallic disc does and therefore you notice no difference at all in the feel of the clutch regardless of temperature!

Carbon-D is available in two different versions. Either as a single disc or as a Twin. Below are the advantages of each clutch:

Single:

This clutch fits well with Street and Track

• Torque resistance: 6
• Response when revving: 7
• Response when shifting: 9
• Engagement: 10
• Pedal feel: 9

Disc material: Carbon
Spring disc: Yes
Noise when disengaged: No

Twin:

This clutch fits well with Street and Track

• Torque resistance: 9
• Response when revving: 7
• Response when shifting: 8
• Engagement: 10
• Pedal feel: 9

Disc material: Carbon
Spring disc: Yes
Noise when disengaged: Yes

Carbon-R is the same type of clutch as Carbon-D, but here you have a fixed center on the disc, which makes for a very distinct clutch! Here we have the ultimate clutch that can withstand being used both on the track and in extreme conditions on the track. As previously mentioned, the advantages are many more than just the weight. However, the weight is something to brag about, if you compare a Nissan R32 clutch, the Carbon-R Triple weighs only half of what the original clutch does. This allows you to imagine the difference when revving the engine!

Carbon-R is available in 3 different variants, Single, Twin and Triple

Single:

This clutch fits well with Street and Track

• Torque resistance: 6
• Response when revving: 8
• Response when shifting: 10
• Engagement: 9
• Pedal feel: 7

Disc material: Carbon
Spring disc: No
Noise when disengaged: No

Twin:

This clutch fits well with Street and Track

• Torque resistance: 8
• Response when revving: 10
• Response when shifting: 10
• Engagement: 9
• Pedal feel: 7

Disc material: Carbon
Spring disc: No
Noise when disengaged: Yes

Triple:

This clutch fits well with Street and Track

• Torque resistance: 10
• Response when revving: 9
• Response when shifting: 9
• Engagement: 9
• Pedal feel: 7

Disc material: Carbon
Spring disc: No
Noise when disengaged: Yes