Clutch and flywheel, help me.

[Brent328i]

hey. I have a '98 328i. my clutch is about to go out in, i'd say, about a month. I.m looking for a stage 2 clutch for it. I was wondering what recommendations anyone has in what clutch/flywheel is the best to get, and maybe some websites to get some prices. If you can help me out, let me know please.

[overeasy]

uuc for packages maybe, forenza makes a cheap flywheel, the sachs clutch is good.mine is getting done this weekend with a sprung hub single mass flywheel kit.

[sidewayz328is]

uuc for packages maybe, forenza makes a cheap flywheel, the sachs clutch is good.mine is getting done this weekend with a sprung hub single mass flywheel kit.

I think you mean "fidanza" flywheel, they also manufacture the flywheels for UUC

I was reluctant to share this because I was thinking about bidding but check out ebay item #170304786956

[Rob Levinson]

What do you mean by "Stage 2" and why do you think you need whatever that is?

As an important consideration, I find it problematical when aftermarket companies use "stages" to refer to clutches.

Clutches are not built in "stages"*. They are designed for specific uses, just as snow tires are different from performance street tires, and are different from race tires. Is one "better" than the other or a higher "stage"? Of course not... it's a question of right part for the job, what is your intended use. Clutches sold as "stages" do not communicate this at all, and make customers think that "Stage 3 must be better than Stage 2, which is better than Stage 1, right?".

So, to help you pick the right clutch material for your intended use, please review:

http://www.uucmotorwerks.com/CLUTCH/

How many miles on your 328i? If over 50K miles, get a new flywheel. BMW OE flywheels are dual mass design, meaning it's not just a disk, but is a mechanism... and that mechanism wears out. Service life for BMW flywheels should not be expected beyond 70K-100K miles. A failed dual mass flywheel will at the very least make bad noises, usually destroy the clutch, and sometimes take out a transmission when failure is catastrophic. No, they cannot be repaired and should never be resurfaced.

When replacing the flywheel in the 328, get the M3 flywheel or aftermarket replacement (and a lightweight flywheel can yield impressive performance gains, see: http://www.uucmotorwerks.com/flywheel/index.htm )

Hope that helps!



* The observant folks will then ask, "Hey Rob, why are your flywheels sold as 'stage 1' and 'stage 2'? Huh, what's with that?" Good question; with our flywheels, driveability is the same for each material regardless of which flywheel, but "stage 2" does everything that "stage 1" does, but better - more torque capacity, longer service life, etc. They are on parity as far as material characteristics, but one is better than the other in terms of those other factors.

[mipktb]

UUC LTW with M5 clutch.

[overeasy]

UUC LTW with M5 clutch.

stupid for a stock engine

[mipktb]

stupid for a stock engine

Yes, but I assumed because his initial post was about a stage 2 clutch he probably wasn't stock.

But then again, assumptions are never good. OP?

[jarozila]

I recently had a UUC Stage 2 Clutch and flywheel fitted. I have been extreemly happy with it all and would do it again in a heart beat. The car is sooo much more fun to drive.

[jmo69]

My 98 328's clutch was replaced at 109k with a Sachs replacement and kept the original flywheel. It still works fine at 118k, do the CDV delete.

[FLYINV]

My stock clutch is still great but I've gotta change it within the month because of a rear mainseal oil leak... I'm gonna go with the Sachs OEM clutch and keep the flywheel even though it has 167,000 km's on it. Chances are since the current clutch doesn't slip the flywheel won't be damaged right?

[elhombre]

hey. I have a '98 328i. my clutch is about to go out in, i'd say, about a month. I.m looking for a stage 2 clutch for it. I was wondering what recommendations anyone has in what clutch/flywheel is the best to get, and maybe some websites to get some prices. If you can help me out, let me know please.
I just put a Sachs (oem) in my sons '99 328is. I had the flywheel resurfaced for 65 bucks and I'm pleased with the results. Barring any "Holeshots",or "6 grand slams" I'm confident the flywheel will last another 100,000, if it "detonates" prior to that, I'll post it here. Sounds like there are some good, experienced, resources here for performance parts - if you go that route. I'm just spouting from my perspective as a daily driver with budget considerations. Have fun with it!

[sidewayz328is]

I had the flywheel that came on my S50B32 euro engine resurfaced and I installed a OEM clutch with it when I did my swap. There is no reason why these flywheels "should never be resurfaced" if it is done properly.