paha koira

Hi all,
I've got an AP2 which I'm getting ready to replace the clutch. Looking at some aftermarket options and kind of interested in the Science of Speed clutch kit with the 11lbs flywheel. Anybody have any experience with these products? Thanks!

B serious

SOS makes good stuff. It should work fine depending on why you want an aftermarket clutch.

paha koira

Thanks! I am looking for a clutch that has a bit better clamping force than oem, while keeping good drivability. (And, yes, the CDV has been removed) Looking at the SOS Sport 325 version with the 11lbs flywheel and this seems to be the ticket.

B serious

Well...yes, most performance clutches have higher clamp loads.

what I meant was..

Do you want a heavier clamp load due to a power increase? Forced induction? Or...

paha koira

Oh, right. No mods as of yet. Maybe some forced induction down the road. The stock clutch has always slipped at high rpm shifts. Granted, I am the second owner, got the car with about 35k miles and it is possible the first owner didn't know how to drive a manual well. And maybe I'm going too far and an oem clutch with a light flywheel would be perfect, but that's where I am at the moment. I am open to advice for sure, and thank you for your time.

Slowcrash_101

Act pressure plate, OEM everything else. Even the flywheel is debatable. Some aftermarket flywheels tend to snap pressure plate bolts upon removal, which means you end up buying a new flywheel.

Oem clutch and a good driver, means the clutch will easily last 10 years 120k miles.

If you're on a budget, replacing the release and pilot bearings, release sleeve and clutch disk would be the cheapest option.

B serious

I tend to lean towards just keeping it as stock as possible...which is why I asked for your goals.

If your goal was like...500whp, obviously it would need a substantial clutch and you'd have to live with all the pitfalls.

Honda chose the factory clutch setup because its the best one for a stock S2000. So they used it for every single S2000 ever made, based on their factory research and data availability that no aftermarket can match.

If you're familiar with web charts, think of the OEM part as casting the largest web. It does everything well.

If you're targeting some specific leg of the web, you find an aftermarket part that improves that specific item. But it will virtually always pull away from another leg of the web. The overall web will also virtually always be smaller.

SoS makes good stuff. But a heavier pressure plate will inherently come with drawbacks.

If you want a heavier pressure plate because you're gonna add some moderate power and torque later...then...yeah, I agree that the factory bearings, disc, and bearing guide, paired with an ACT pressure plate is the most simple setup. I think this is good to like 250wtq?

You still want to buy a clutch interlock bypass and you will need to pay attention to how you Drive. You never want to spend more time with the clutch pushed down than absolutely necessary. Push to shift only. Never hold the pedal down at lights.

Choose a quality lightened flywheel if you want one. I suggest buying a steel one. ACT is a good choice.

paha koira

Thanks again. I've already done the clutch interlock, and yeah the clutch gets pressed as little as possible. I'm no stranger to shifting without the clutch, it is really quite easy in the S. I appreciate the advice and am now leaning toward going oem with a lighter flywheel.

azn akira

I have OEM everything with a Toda flywheel, its great. Drivability wasn't affected and the throttle is way more responsive, handles track duty just fine too.

B serious

lol well....no sorry...to be clear, I'm not advocating clutchless shifting.

But good that you alreafyalready practiced good habits.