Is a clutch upgrade required if a custom dyno tune is carried out? Short answer: NO, not for most vehicles, but for some it’s a strong YES!
A clutch is a consumable item that isn’t going to last forever. Much like brake pads do, it will wear down over time & require replacing or upgrading. In the normal (standard car) world, there are several problems that revolve around clutches, including clutch shudder, gear engagement issues & clutch slip etc. Most of these issues are caused by just normal wear & tear, or abuse such as riding the clutch pedal or simply resting your foot on the clutch pedal when the engine is running.
However, the more torque your engine produces; the harder it is for the clutch plate to grasp hold of the flywheel. For some vehicles only (not all of them – namely the 70 Series Landcruisers; the N70 & N80 Hiluxes & the RG Colorados), once we carry out a custom dyno tune, then 99% of the time the factory OEM clutch is not able to handle extra torque that we achieve & we will experience clutch slip on our dyno, during our tuning procedure.
Due to this, we consider it mandatory that we upgrade your clutch at the time of your booking for a custom dyno tune (or, it’s upgraded beforehand) – only for the vehicles mentioned above though. There are several aftermarket clutches available on the market for each model, however, proper selection of a suitable clutch with increased clamp load that will properly handle the high levels of torque that we will achieve, is paramount, otherwise if a substandard clutch is chosen, then it still will not be able to handle the extra torque & you will be back at square one again.
The heavy pedal feel of a heavy-duty clutch is somewhat a thing of the past too. With modern technology & the latest designs in heavy-duty clutches that we use & recommend here at UDT, the pedal will feel like stock or even better. Although with a lot more clamping strength, it will not only drive better, but it will last longer too!
For further information on this topic, please give us a call on 1800 034 373 or click on the “REQUEST QUOTE” button to the right of this screen & fill out the quoting form