Verus Engineering Billet Clutch Fork and Pivot

[mhiscott]

I have one of these forks in my gearbox now. I was having disengagement issues and minor clutch drag at high revs which would cause the high rpm gear engagement issues from time to time. I have an FX400 clutch.

The car should be back together in the next week. I'll update this post on if the Velox fork resolves my issues.

[ichitaka05]

Originally Posted by DAEMANO

Isn't the stock clutch is also made by Exedy? The Toyobaru specification must have included concessions for very casual MT drivers.

You're correct, stock clutch is made by Exedy. It's OEM spec, so it's a bit different spec than say stage 1 or 2.

When they were building the the 86, they try to save the cost by try to use much current Subaru/Toyota components. I was surprised that, they used Subaru clutch fork instead of Toyota clutch fork. Toyota uses Aisin more than Suabru, so I was expecting they'll use more solid Toyota fork... Well, I was wrong.

If you keep OEM clutch and don't do too crazy stuff, stock clutch fork will work fine. When you upgrade to make it harder, OEM fork tend to flex, resulting cracking happens.

Trust me, I know this. I broke my clutch fork into 3 peices lol

[johan]

Originally Posted by gramicci101

Remove the clutch spring. Eric wrote up a thread on it; it's a 15 minute job and easily reversible if you end up not liking it. With no spring helping you push the pedal, the interface becomes much more direct.

I've already done that and put it back over a year ago due to a foot injury. I don't/can't do heavy clutches anymore.

[gramicci101]

Originally Posted by DAEMANO

Besides possibly having the ability to handle less torque, can you describe what you mean by "lower"?

The stage 1 has a stronger pressure plate and a different disc, and it can handle more torque.

[ichitaka05]

Hm... thinking about it more. Maybe before I buy & install into my car. Maybe I should show this product next time I see Tada-san to explain how weak is the OEM clutch fork is... so he and his team can look into it next gen.

[VerusEric]

Originally Posted by ichitaka05

Hm... thinking about it more. Maybe before I buy & install into my car. Maybe I should show this product next time I see Tada-san to explain how weak is the OEM clutch fork is... so he and his team can look into it next gen.

I could be very wrong but they likely don't care as long as it doesn't break with the OEM parts? Past that it is a customer developed issue... But again could be wrong.

Had to look up torque spec for a customer, 12 ft-lbs on the pivot install torque.

I'm slightly curious if the clutch fork could help the OEM TOB last longer. I know it's a bit of a stretch and can't be proven for a year or more but what if one of the fork ears is bending while the other isn't? This would cause a non-uniform load to be placed on the bearing and perhaps reduce life? It's something that has been going on in my head since beginning this project. Only time will tell though.

Thanks,
Eric

[johan]

Originally Posted by VeloxEric

I could be very wrong but they likely don't care as long as it doesn't break with the OEM parts? Past that it is a customer developed issue... But again could be wrong.

Had to look up torque spec for a customer, 12 ft-lbs on the pivot install torque.

I'm slightly curious if the clutch fork could help the OEM TOB last longer. I know it's a bit of a stretch and can't be proven for a year or more but what if one of the fork ears is bending while the other isn't? This would cause a non-uniform load to be placed on the bearing and perhaps reduce life? It's something that has been going on in my head since beginning this project. Only time will tell though.

Thanks,
Eric

That same non-uniform load would theoretically have a dramatic effect on clutch feel.

[JazzleSAURUS]

All this talk makes me want to get a new clutch and pressure plate and tossing these parts in. Too bad my stock clutch is fine :/

[Ashikabi]

Originally Posted by JazzleSAURUS

All this talk makes me want to get a new clutch and pressure plate and tossing these parts in. Too bad my stock clutch is fine :/

Damn shame

[ichitaka05]

Originally Posted by VeloxEric

I could be very wrong but they likely don't care as long as it doesn't break with the OEM parts? Past that it is a customer developed issue... But again could be wrong.

Had to look up torque spec for a customer, 12 ft-lbs on the pivot install torque.

I'm slightly curious if the clutch fork could help the OEM TOB last longer. I know it's a bit of a stretch and can't be proven for a year or more but what if one of the fork ears is bending while the other isn't? This would cause a non-uniform load to be placed on the bearing and perhaps reduce life? It's something that has been going on in my head since beginning this project. Only time will tell though.

Thanks,
Eric

I see your point. At the same time, it doesn't hurt the ask/tell them. Good example is updated gauges for kouki 86 and new BRZ. Tada-san received few email and message talking about how right side of gauges are waste and should be updated to something more beneficial for the owners. After few discussion and replying back messages. Tada-san and his team looked into LCD screen with extra feature.

Another example is, rear chassis flex (near the rear window). There were feedback from racing teams (in Japan) discussing about in flex happening. Tada-san and their team looked into that and have stiffen the area by 15% (iirc) to reduce the flex while keeping it not too stiff. We're talking about racing teams that uses 86 for racing with a lot of upgrades on it.

Of course there are other example that Tada-san knows, but haven't fixed... so it's all up to Tada-san and his team.

Edit:
& yes, to see the result for your fork to be effective and so on, it'll take a yr... but tbh you guys make legit parts, so I'm not worry about the quality or other issue as much.

[The Racers Line]

So a slight introduction since I don't post very much.

I own a small performance shop in the heart of the Bay Area. I can confidently say we have more 86's then anywhere else on the planet. In a any given week my little shop see's 12-15 FRS's and BRZ's, on top of the German cars I also specialize in.

Currently, I've got around 90+ FI'd cars out here and a 1/3 of them have aftermarket clutches. The clutch lockout issue has plagued a number of them. For a long time, I was under the impression the issue was flywheel related. I had narrowed it down to that after trying a few setups in one of my personal FRS's. It never occurred to me to look at the clutch fork as an issue, until this thread was started. A stronger(less flexible) fork sounded like a great idea(OS Giken thought so as well), and at the very least, would stand up to the forces of these stiffer pressure plates.

I have been happily installing lot of Velox parts lately. Nothing better for a shop to install, then quality parts with no fuss! Very recently I had a customer detonate his stock throwout bearing. With plans for big power soon he settled on a fairly aggressive clutch. Spec Stage 3 with Aluminum Flywheel. I thought it would be a great opportunity to try out the new Velox clutch fork, and the customer agreed(His stock one got eaten as well).

The fork itself was machined nicely, and the holes for the springs and clips were a perfect fit. The real surprise came after the install. I have installed a couple of these clutches before and they are NOT forgiving. To my surprise, the usual chatter and jerkiness was almost eliminated, and the vague clutch pedal feel turned into a more precise movement. The downside, the clutch pedal actually feels light. (The customer wants it stiffer even!) After the break in I will report back to see how the shifting feels and if there are any lockout issues.

I was so happy with how this clutch fork felt, that I ordered another one as fast as I could to put in a car on Friday with an ACT clutch and flywheel(and then JRSC, E85) For the price, its a no brainer, and I will continue recommending them to customers as I see fit.

Bottom line, Eric/Velox is cranking out high quality parts, and this clutch fork is just that! Also, his customer service is ridiculous, and I thought I was good

[mhiscott]

I think the idea of the stock fork not being able to distribute load evenly could be what is happening.

As I said in my earlier post, I have an FX400, which is a fairly heavy clutch. Since installing the clutch I’ve had engagement issues. Feels like a slight clutch drag when clutched in. I adjusted the master cylinder to no avail, dropped the transmission a couple of times to relubricate the TOB, and replaced the TOB more than once in an effort to fix the annoying issue.

I actually had the TOB clips break on me before as well. I made a thread about it at the time.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74366

Here’s a video from back then showing what happened to my TOB clips.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZiilzaDVWs"]Frs clutch tob - YouTube[/ame]

I have since installed a Velox fork with a new TOB.



I noticed when it was apart, that the surface the TOB rides on was pretty marr’d up. See two pics below.

Has anyone seen this before on an FRS with a heavy clutch and factory release fork? My theory is the fork was distorting, and the bearing was being actuated back and forth on a non-perpendicular angle with the input shaft snout causing these marks. You can actually see two cupped wear marks towards the front of the snout. It doesn't look like a happy camper.




From what I can gather from the diagrams online, this is the part scored up on mine:

RETAINER-BEARING
Part Number: 30099AA040

I’ll have to order a new one, and replace it when I get in there to do the Velox pivot ball.

[Kris86]

I will be purchasing this when I begin my tear down to do my build

[Capt Spaulding]

To my surprise, the usual chatter and jerkiness was almost eliminated, and the vague clutch pedal feel turned into a more precise movement.

This makes a huge amount of sense. If the stock fork is flexing (as it almost certainly is), any chatter during initial engagement would very likely feed into the springy fork and wind up being amplified. The same springy behavior would do nothing good for precision. The more rigid Velox replacement kills both of those birds and might very well lead to increased part (TOB) life because the loading is more consistent particularly if the stock fork is twisting as it's oscillating.

This is probably already discussed somewhere, but my wee brain just got wrapped around it.

All these parts the Velox folks keep coming out with at times make me wish I was harder on my car so I could need them. They are really, really sexy pieces of art.