Less than satisfied with Competition Clutch. (Lockout issue/hard shifting)
 

Im making this post to make others that may be considering an aftermarket clutch aware of what I've gone through with my competition stage 3, in which I was only able to put about 8k miles on in a matter of 10 months (installed 12/15) before it began giving me gear lock out issues, and hard shifting issues. Long story short I sent the clutch into competition for inspection. ($40 of my own money on (10/24) to ship via ups 2 day shipping as they only accept packages from ups or FedEx) after not getting a response from competition I called them on 10/31 to get some answers. I was informed that they were "just finishing up my paperwork" and was informed that the fingers on the pressure plate did not have enough lift to lift the pressure plate off the disc, in turn not allowing the clutch to disengage completely. They told me I'd be receiving a refund for the kit, they just don't know by whom. Whether it's the dealer of the kit that sold it to the shop that did it, or competition themselves. As of today, I'm still waiting on competition to get back to be with how and when I'll be receiving my refund. Last time I spoke to them was on Monday the 31st, which was when they told me I was going to be receiving a refund but they weren't sure from whom (them or the dealer the kit was purchased from), and that they'd be in touch by email or phone in the next couple of days. I've since left them 2 voice mails as they have not been answering their phones. One on Thursday the third, and one today, the 7th. I'm a little less than satisfied with the way they are handling this whole thing, hoping they make it right and give me my $650 back for the defective kit as I've already replaced the competition with a comparable ACT unit which I like MUCH more. Here are some photos of the clutch after it was removed from the vehicle.
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...psv8iiipkn.jpg
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...psy61u20ux.jpg
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...pscdzrw3fh.jpg
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...psycx0dczk.jpg
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m...pslyjvn5u9.jpg

I already saw this on FB. oh well...i know what not to buy...customer service is very important now these days...i would pay little high price with supprot/services than regular/cheap price..
anyway keep us updated

another higher stage clutch issue with lockout and shifting problems that I wonder if a strengthened clutch fork would have fixed.

I had originally thought the same thing, however competition themselves tested the unit and found the pressure plate to be defective. And my new ACT (SB7-XTSS) is shifting fine with the stock shift fork as well.

OS Giken or bust.

I've never heard of them

Troll?

No but I did look them up, looks like they have a lot of multi disc setups. I'm only putting down 230-240 wheel torque down so I don't need anything that crazy haha

**update**
Got intouch with Dennis over at competition. He apologized for the delay and informed me that he needed some more information from the shop that the kit was purchased from. So I did a 3 way call, they got the info they needed. They've set in motion the whole refund process. It's a lot more complicated than I had expected. Competition has to credit the dealer which in this case happens to be motovicity, motovicity refunds the shop, and then the shop refunds me. So it's still a process but it has been set in motion. I'll keep you all updated!!

That's garbage. There's no reason they should have to do that with the exception of covering the labor due to their failed component.

The Stage 2 Comp clutch full faced organic I had in my Forester XT lasted 75k. The OEM clutch lasted 110k. An ACT HDSS is in it now after parallel experiences with the competition clutch, I expect far better results.

Everyone needs something that works.

FK i have the same one.. and mine locks out ALLLLL DAY ,i even got another tranny... $1500 in labour later.. same shit

Competition I hope ur reading this, ur clutch locked me out of 1st on a hill. Grinded my gears multiple times, paid for another trans and had to pay labour on installation.

Edit: the volex clutch fork helps, but doesn't solve.

Get ready for lock out issues with SB7-XTSS... Had to remove mine. :(

This is a clutch fork issue in my opinion.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...104963&page=11

Specifically this post: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...&postcount=154

We've been running the SB8-XTSS (lightweight flywheel) for 6k miles now at near 400whp without any lockout issues. Car shifts great actually. But we use our stronger clutch fork. The OEM unit is known to be weak with stronger than OEM pressure plates.

Thanks,
Eric

Which is why I ordered your clutch fork and pivot a month ago. Hoping this solves the issue!

I've since gotten my money back and drove the car to and from Florida with the ACT clutch with ZERO issues. 4k+ miles of happy driving

I've got the comp clutch as well and I'm also having this problem. Weird thing is if I hold the clutch pedal down for 4 -5 seconds during a stop and it shifts fine. If there were an issue with the slave or master cylinders it should get worse when holding the pedal down. I think

For posterity -- there's so many GOOD clutches for these cars that there's no need to bother with companies like Comp, Spec, Southbin etc

I'm using an ORC 400 and it's been amazing since day 1. Dead quiet, smooth, and it will hold more power than I will ever make.

As Eric stated could be a clutch fork issue.
I also think that inconsistency on disc thickness will vary from one manufacture to the next.
Lock out also commonly happens with incorrect adjustments on clutches after install. Pushing the pedal down and the difference from OE pressure plate and disc can vary to another manufacture. If you are pressing the pedal down and the clutch is not fully disengaging the friction surface is still spinning resulting in not being able to transition the collar into the synchros of the next gear
Like @D-VO said

I have the Velox fork on mine, and I've also incrementally adjusted the clutch pedal 1/4 turns from the floor to the roof all with the same return; lock out from a stationary position only after driving for a while. I would think if it were an adjustment issue, lockout would be an issue while driving as well no?

Not necessarily, as the RPM drop from the previous gear and the car is rolling, gear selection could become easier. This is still bad on your transmission because it will overwork your synchro due to fighting the clutch drag.

Those of you who have a lockout in first, have you tried disengaging and quickly engaging clutch again while trying to go into first? Have you guys ensured that the clutch is indeed dragging?

If you're running an upgraded clutch fork, you've tried adjusting the friction point, and the clutch is still dragging, I would speak with the clutch manufacturer. Perhaps something within the clutch is going on?

I hope this helps some,
Eric

Thanks Eric. Comp is saying there's something wrong with my slave or master cylinder, but I'm pretty sure I saw another post where someone tried the same thing but that didn't help. Also, I tried disengage re-engage 1st gear, it sticks a bit while re-engaging.

After I had my clutch installed, I was having issues with going into 1st, and even 2nd sometimes. It turned out to be the reverse lockout plate. The guy who did the install put the plate back in cock eyed, so the stick was slightly hitting the plate and wouldnt allow it to slip perfectly into gear.