Review: ACT-HD with 11.8lb Flywheel
 

So finally got around to installing the ACT HD clutch and flywheel combo, took a buddy and I around 8 hours on our backs in the driveway to get it all good and adjusted. Install was pretty straightforward, besides a couple of gummed up dowel pins that made taking the trans off take way harder than it should've been it all went smooth. I documented the whole install with pictures so if anyone wants a DIY guide let me know.

*** DISCLAIMER ***
I have had many aftermarket performance clutches and lightweight flywheels, because of this the difficulty and learning curve I experienced may differ slightly from others experiences.

Now onto the fun part, the first drive ( First 100 or so miles )...

First impression, it drives almost exactly like the stock clutch ( at least until it broke in ). Besides being slightly more temperamental and a little harder to recover stalls it's pretty comparable. Slightly more rev happy and wayyyyy easier to heel-toe/ rev match downshift/ and granny downshift. You can even still slip the clutch to move it slowly without any input on the gas. All of this while being able to hold more than double the stock clutches torque is a good deal to me.

The break-in begins ( 100 - 500 miles in )

This is when the clutch is a little strange, the first half of a trip will feel like a firm stock clutch. Then you'll be sitting at a traffic light and go to move and BAM, car won't even react to dropping the clutch with anything less than 1.5k. This is when the clutch chatter also starts. The more you heat cycle the setup ( heavy stop and go but don't overheat it ) the better both of these will get. The clutch will start to change less violent in its engagement until it starts to just even out. This stage the engagement varies from 1.5k to 3k rpm.

The near end of an era... of break-in ( 500 - 1000 miles )

It is around this time that the setup will start to feel a little bit more grounded and consistent. Shifting you will notice requires a slightly slower release than stock as the setup is pretty grippy. You might still notice the occasional shuddering when taking off from a stop when you haven't engaged first in a while ( going from sitting in 6th on the highway for an hour to stop and go will be a bit rough for the first few engagements ). The more you drive it the more and more it seems to refine itself as it wears in. At this stage the rpm required to get the car moving smoothly is 2k hot - 2.5k when cold.

The new age... of being able to drive above 4k again ( 1000 miles plus )
Congratulations! If you've made it this far reward yourself by allowing yourself to break free of the break-in periods recommended 4k rpm max and let that FA20 sing! If it still feels a little rough at this point head back out to a local neighborhood and put some more stop and go on it to smooth out the rough edges.

Biggest differences between stock and this setup:

1. ( + ) Much more grippy and linear engagement

2. ( + ) Much easier rev matching, even just granny shifting the car feels like you're rev matching it. The lower flywheel weight makes the engine more forgiving if you are a couple hundred rpm above or below what it wanted.

3. ( + ) Heel-toe is more responsive, makes you feel like O'Conner himself banging through gears backward while you stomp the brakes.

4. ( + ) Car feels more responsive to throttle inputs, what little torque we have stock is presented much quicker. The engine feels more willing to be pushed.

5. ( + ) Intake sounds cooler because it can suck air in faster

6. ( + ) The car is now faster due to less rotational mass

7. ( - ) Car is much harder to recover from a stall.

8. ( - ) Using the AC will usually make the flywheel chatter

9. ( - ) You will have to consciously be aware when driving that the car has a lightweight flywheel. This means you cannot just release the clutch to start moving and then give it gas accordingly ( and have a smooth start at least ).

10. ( -/+ ) If you're in the wrong gear ( below 2k trying to plant the petal ), the flywheel sounds like a foghorn letting everyone know you forgot how to drive for a second.

11. ( +/- ) You can hear more transmission noise as the new flywheel has no dampening.


Overall recommendation:
Heck yea I would recommend this clutch and flywheel combo. Although there is a slight learning curve, the benefits in my mind far outweigh the consequences. Give it a week or so of driving once its broken in and you'll feel as confident if not more than you did with the stocker.

I have the same clutch/flywheel and it feels nothing like the stock clutch lol. The act clutch is much heavier and it does respond faster. I know this because my gf drives a brz too and shes all stock. From driving her car back to mine. The difference is day and night. The stock clutch is very light where the act clutch is stiff.

Thanks for the review. How much was it?

"car is now faster"
...ok...

You can eliminate the AC chatter with an higher idle on your tune. Also, you have the prolite flywheel. The Streetlite (still lighter than stock) doesn't chatter on a stock idle with all accessories on.

Like i said in the disclaimer I've had a lot of race clutches so my impressions might be a bit different haha. That or my leg game could just be really on point.

No problem man, and i got it from FT86 speed factory for 596.00 during a sale they had.

Im not the best at math but..

Less weight = more acceleration when power/gearing is constant.

Not saying this will finally make our cars faster than a 1999 Honda odyssey loaded with a family of 5 and 3 dogs but it's something.

Good to know, I'll have to keep that in mind when I get my ecutek licensing. Luckily it doesnt bother me much as of now.

Not to mention it’s rotational mass which is much more valuable than spring weight. Sure it isn’t going to be night and day faster but technically faster. I’ve done LW flywheels on all my cars not for acceleration but for faster transients.

Cool review! Wanted to note the break in period recommended by ACT is 300-500 miles for a full face disk (like yours), and a few hard slips for a puck clutch.

https://www.advancedclutch.com/faq

Thanks man, and yea I noted that as well. However those miles are supposed to all be "medium engagement". Heres a quote from ACT's website right below the mileage. "300-500 miles with mild engagement, such as stop-and-go city driving", because of this I kept mine breaking in until about 1k just because I could still feel the engagement changing. My mileage is split about 50/50 hwy city so I still did 500 city for break in, just in my case I also had an equal amount of highway miles. Probably should've noted that in the review haha.

Got it. The extra break in mileage can only do good anyway. I hope you enjoy the clutch for years to come. I tried five different clutches and brands on the car and ACT was the best one that lasted and behaved.

That's my thoughts on it too, extra break in for me just helps ensure longevity. Thanks tho man, I do too. I come from mostly exedy clutches but a lot of my S chassis buddies got me on the bandwagon for act recently. We'll have to see how this brand compares to our oe manufacturer.