bluedevil

Ok, I just want to know from the group on what they think. I saw a post on original clutches and some people were in the 100K mark. My question is how long should one expect a normal clutch to last during normal usage?

I always thought that a clutch should last between 30 and 50K miles but maybe that is to low or the people that told me drive to hard.

Thanks,

Mike C.

Any well designed clutch should last 100K miles or more. The rubber center in these original clutches is the wild card. Rubber does not have an infinite shelf life. It degrades with time and loses strength generally faster than the clutch lining wears out. A conventional clutch disk use steel springs in the center hub which are more likely to be trouble free.

genikz

+1 on 100k or more.

The rubber center is the worry. The friction surface should last for 100k or more if the driver(s) know how to engage a clutch properly and limit the downshifts.

I yanked my GTI friction disk out at 60k and it looked nearly new. It was a shame to toss it, but I bought a larger one. And that was a car with 19 lbs of boost and driven very hard (including one track day).

FRporscheman

It really depends on how you drive/shift. The way I drive, there is shift shock but hardly any clutch feathering so I get at least 100k. My uncle feathers it a lot for a smoother ride but I don't think he'll be getting 100k out of his clutch.

hacker-pschorr

I beat the snot out of mine, the rubber center gave away around 90k.

schwank

The factory rubber center on my car went out at 145K. There was still plenty of friction surface left.

The rubber is the weak point. With a new spring centered clutch, I don't imagine I will really ever need a new one.

LeMans71

Sounds like you've already checked out BlackOps' current thread "Anyone still on the original clutch?" - there's no rhyme or reason, and a WIDE variety of results out there. Probably a 95% chance the rubber center will go before the friction material is used up, though. Never fear - the "limp home" tabs are pretty robust (speaking from experience), and unless you're thousands of miles from home when it gives out, you should be able to make it back to the barn. Just my $0.02, but unless you've got some other major maintenance scheduled, I'd say don't worry too much about it - just drive it and get all the life out of the original that you can. But you might want to start a "clutch fund" for when it does go. . .

jstand22

the original clutch on my car quit on the P.O. at 120k

Bill Lucas

The original clutch went on my car at about 106,000.

BTW, if you go through a clutch at 30-50k miles then you REALLY need some lessons on how to properly shift your car.

yellowline

My clutch lasted 150k, at which point I replaced it when removing the engine for other reasons. There was plenty of friction material, and the rubber center was fine. The throwout bearing would make a whirring noise as you used the pedal, though.

bluedevil

Great, I will watch on this next clutch how long and I hope I get the 90K or more as posted above. Thanks