Why are the aftermarket friction disks (Spoon, Mugen - ~$400) so much more expensive than the Honda OEM friction disk ($75)? It
is my understanding the Mugen friction disk is intended mainly for racing applications and that the Mugen PP works fine with the
OEM friction disk (thanks to hecash for this info). I am trying to find out if the Spoon PP is compatible with the OEM disk.

Is price difference due to durability - do the aftermarket disks last 4 times longer?
Is it feel - do the aftermarket disks feel 4 times better?
Is it application - can you beat the aftermarket disks 4 times harder before they reach their limit?

The reason I am asking is that if the OEM friction disk is a reasonable choice, that saves enough money to get over halfway to the
cost of a new flywheel

 

Hey Rock, no doubling up
see:
Under the Hood

 

I'm feelin ya here. Good info to know w/ my SC as well. I know the clutch dance is approaching as well.

 

Sorry, RT. When I didn't get some quick responses, I was afraid I should have put the thread here for more exposure. I think only a small subset of members regularly peruse "under the hood", but of course they would be the ones that count I tried to delete it from the "under the hood" forum, but it seems like we can't do that anymore (or I just couldn't figure it out). Thanks for posting comments.

I always get suspicious when confronted with an issue like this - huge disparity in price between two similar items. I figure there is some information that I am missing that would justify such a price difference or the higher priced item is just ripping people off.

What I suspect is that the Spoon and Mugen disks are intended mainly for racing and are priced based on construction, weight, materials, etc. In other words, overkill for street applications. The PP, however, is applicable for hard street use and can be paired with the much cheaper OEM disk. It would be good to hear the reason from someone that knows for sure.