PSA: ACT vs EXEDY street clutches
 

I'm going to make this short..


Avoid the ACT street clutch unless you want a non-drivable car and a frown on your face.


Replace with the EXEDY street clutch if you want to smile again.


The end.

Edited: For those not familiar with my build.. I put in an ACT clutch last year after I went FI. ACT full disc street clutch. Everything got replaced. Flywheel, disc, plate, bearing, etc. From the beginning I begin experiencing issues getting the car into gear (1st) from a stop. The clutch itself was holding the power and I was able to shift in and out of gear once I got moving. When the trans was cold, the issue masked itself. Once I reached operating temp, it came back. I tried the clutch pedal adjustment, swapping over to a SS clutch line, swapping fluids, etc to no avail. Eventually, the problem kept getting worse and worse as time progressed. I never tried to force it in gear when it wouldn't go. Instead I would either pump the clutch or try going into another gear before attempting 1st again, which would usually work. As of last month, the problem got so bad that I couldn't actually drive the car with any confidence once it reached operating temp. People honking because I'm struggling trying to get it in gear, etc. I really thought the transmission was toast (specifically 1st gear synchro).

I made the decision to have PRE drop the trans and inspect the ACT assembly a few weeks ago. Here is what they found: nothing. It was in great condition. Nothing wrong with the PP, clutch disc, flywheel, bearing. It all looked fine. I had done quite a bit of research on ACT clutches at this point and found that there was a high incidence of issues with the PP. I also got tips from others on diff platforms with similar problems on their ACT clutches. At this point, I made a decision to try the EXEDY full disc street clutch (stage 1). It also came with everything net new. After putting it in and no other variables in the equation, I can safely say that the problems are gone! The EXEDY holds the power just as well as the ACT and it shifts like butter. I also went with the Pentosin MTF2 trans fluid that I was previously running.

The next step is for me to take this up with ACT and see how well their customer service ranks. I don't have high hopes. I've been fucked so many times by various vendors in the 86 community. The Portland regulars who know me have heard some of the stories.

My recommendation is to avoid ACT. It's not worth the potential issues. EXEDY is the OE manufacturer and they build a damn good clutch. I hope to upgrade to their twin disc in the near future.

Or don't be a non-driving fuck?

Are you serious man?

Yes. My post was as informative as yours. Racecar?

Look. I don't know who you are or what your problem is. This will be the last time I respond to you.

OK by me, but what was your OP about? I thought the court said you could not talk about your spouse abuse.

What the heck just happened?

It looks like someone left the bar cranky last night.

Evan, could you possibly make your post a little more informative?

Wow,

Evan it seemed right to the point to me?

?

Avoid it if I want a non-drivable car...

Which means if I want a drivable car, I'll go with an ACT clutch. I feel like the message you were trying to convey was the opposite of what you said...:bonk:

Don't worry Richard :)

Yup. Sorry about that bud. I probably invited the trolls by being vague. Just tired last night.. I updated my OP to reflect my story.

Yup. I updated my OP.

Moral of the story is if you don't have anything nice to say don't say it or perhaps stop and think so you don't show disrespect. Other moral is the Act clutches, even though cheap, are prone to having the 1st gear not work. Exedy it is then. Do you have a link to where you purchased it Evan? I was also considering Clutchmasters but they seemed a little more expensive.

PSA: ACT vs EXEDY street clutches
 

http://ft86speedfactory.com/exedy-st...h-kit-790.html
@stockysnail.. I had PRE order mine with a 1 week turnaround. It is available from many vendors though.

Moved to where more people can see this.

6 Puck over here working fine... people tune cars thinking it's going to drive as good as stock, it never does. If you really worry about parts working together and being perfect keep it stock

My 2 cent

I have the ACT 6 puck kit with Street flywheel.

I ran into the exact same problem after about 4000 km on FI car, I already got steel braided clutch lines but I am still running OEM oil.

Was hoping it was just a simple oil change to a better oil as OEM oil got cooked but seems that I might be in need of a new cluch/flywheel kit.

Anyone else with ACT clutchs on there car have any input?

I have an act prolite street kit. Been working fine for the last 12,000 miles.

I'm not sure what meaning your post has other than implying that I have little/no tolerance for the nuances that come with modding. I can assure you that my tolerance is very high. This isn't my first time at the rodeo. I've been into this for the last 17-18 years. Owned many cars along the way.

Not being able to engage 1st gear is an unacceptable problem, modded or not. Do you not agree?

Not being able to explain why you were not able to engage 1st gear is really killing your cred. PRE took it apart and found nothing wrong at all? That tells me that more than likely there was some kind of install error if the problem was something as drastic as not being able to engage a gear but nothing seemed amiss when disassembled. Especially considering that you were having issues from the very beginning but did not bother to take it to a professional. I'd guess you messed up the install, the shop found the error but said nothing and happily installed the new part.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around how a clutch and flywheel could prevent the engagement of 1st gear. Care to explain?

Ive been running act clutches in multiple platforms for years. Zero issues, good flywheels, has always held more tq then rated and never busted a clutch disk or rivet unlike other companies ive used.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

I have the street ACT clutch and flywheel. Not too many miles on it, but it's functioning fine.

If you have trouble getting into 1st at a stop, usually, it's from something dragging (pressure plate, clutch disc, hydraulics) and not completely disengaging and spinning the gearbox, which makes it hard or impossible to get into 1st.

That is not acceptable, of course. Sounds to me like maybe you got a dud.

ACT clutches are responsible for all sorts of crank walk scenarios on multiple different engines as well. They're trash and i'd NEVER recommend an ACT clutch to anyone ever.

Exedy has always been a quality manufacturer and they make a LOT of different OEM clutches.

Or it was a faulty pressure plate, which don't show their face without testing them on a machine, or it had improper geometry which doesn't show it's face without knowing exactly oem specs and measuring against them.

Why are people so quick to blame some dude having issues. The DSM epidemic of crankwalk was mostly caused by the popularity of a very heavy pressure plate they ran very often by none other than ACT.

Simple: it's easy for people to sit behind a keyboard and talk shit.

PSA: ACT vs EXEDY street clutches
 

PRE did the install of the ACT clutch. Why would you assume that I installed it without asking? They also disassembled it but found no problem. That doesn't mean there isn't a problem. Just not something verifiable by the naked eye. Even PRE thinks the ACT clutches are problematic. ACT wants the PP to test it. That should explain enough.

PRE also installed the new EXEDY. I never waited to have a professional look at it. It was looked at from day 2 but the problem has been very sporadic only getting worse over time.

Btw: my credibility is perfectly fine. Thank you very much. :)

Well, you are the one that started with the attitude. I know how mechanical things work and when something is malfunctioning like you described, there usually is some obvious culprit. Some signs that something was amiss. The fact that you drove your car for a year while it was messed up says alot about your rodeo experience.

Your story is missing something and you are shilling for exedy now with about 0 practical experience with the product. You just switch out the clutch and have fixed a problem that was existed since day 1 with the other clutch which was probably user error. Or it could've been a faulty product but why drive around for a full year on it??? Something just doesn't make sense.

It's like people that replace worn out tires with new tires and exclaim they are the best ever after driving a few on ramps at 4/10s. :iono:

Not trying to work you up. Just giving the community information. What you do with it is up to you. I thought that's what contributions are all about. Embedding my opinion in the data is normal human behavior. Have a nice day.

Then give us good information. Find out what failed or went wrong. You should get a job with Malaysian Airlines.

"I had this part, it always worked funny then a year later my car was messed up. A shop took the part off and everything looked great! I installed another part from Brand X and my car is much more better! Conclusion, Brand X is much more better!"

Can someone link a crankwalk issue related to an act clutch. Id like to see that

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

When ACT tests the PP, you will get an answer. FYI, everybody I have talked to personally (in person) never has anything good to say about ACT. There is usually a reason for that. I don't need a job with Malaysia Airlines and to make fun of such a tragic thing is not nice.

It is NOT his place to have to pay for things just to give you a warm and fuzzy feeling inside.

At this point "x worked like shit, y worked perfectly" should suffice.

Act street light works great on my 300+hp brz, installed by azfa20
Works like a charm

I'm not the one issuing PSAs on shitty evidence.