How much would you be prepared to pay for a 250lb ft clutch for your mini?
Turbo Mini Forums

I'm trying to figure out if I can make this for the money that I think it's going to cost including overheads and that annoying thing called profit (or rather - is it worth my effort).




So here is a breif of what the design is currently looking like after testing, analysis and designing thus far:


It'll need YOU to source a Verto flywheel centre.

It'll need YOU to assemble the centre to the flywheel and assemble the remaining clutch components.

It'll need to be balanced as a complete assembley - just as with the current flywheel assemblies.

It will have an inerta somewhere between the 'lightweight' steel flywheel / 270s backplate assembly and the super-light flywheel / 270s backplate assembly.

It will use stock AP friction plates in organic or metallic form.

Pedal force will probably be the same as a grey diaphram - or possibly lighter with an optimised setup and a slightly increased pedal travel.

Axial force at crank thrust washers will be less than half that of a grey diaphram - ie your thrusts will live - unless they've already been compromised by years of running a Grey / Double Grey.

The torque capacity of 250lb ft is a conservative estimate when the plate is worn. When new - it'll likely be a greater torque.




So, Lets do the maths.
A Double-Grey diaphram is £55 ish
A Steel flywheel is £105 ish
A steel backplate is £85 ish
All the bolts, straps fixings - say £15

so that's £260

Let me have your opinion on what you'd pay for an indestructable clutch. the reason I'm asking, is that this is starting to get expensive. And I'm wondering if it's actually worth me continuing to develop it with an aim of ultimately marketing it, especially bearing in mind the testing and validation I need to complete before even thinking of selling any...



Thanks all....

Edited by turbodave16v on 11th Apr, 2006.

If it saves me changing thrusts every 5mins then i reckon in the region of £300-£350?

Then again i'd probably pay more!

Where do i send the cheque dave, my cars about ready to rock and roll and if you want another validated i dont mind paying for all the bits/time.

Will be doing drag/track and road work this year.

If it works then I'd pay 300, maybe a bit more.

What slave cylinder and arm will it use? I assume the verto 'short' arm setup.

Wil

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

i pay £600 for a double paddle clutch for the 1.4 8v corsa's
So i guess around the £400 would be a reasonable figure if it works?

Morspeed----
The choice of champions!
Ask yourself? why do most championship winning minis use morspeed?

When it is proved to work then you will have the only one on the market so you can more or less name your price. Just look at the money people spend on their cars. People will, and have, paid 10k for a complete engine/box so £600 for a clutch to hold it all together is a small price.

http://www.twin-turbo.co.uk
http://www.hillclimbandsprint.co.uk/default.asp

A man without a project is like a like a woman without a shopping list.

Judging by the response of my newly built engine to pressing the clutch pedal with a double grey fitted, I for one would be happy to pay proper money for a setup that won't lunch thrust washers all day long.

as tom said

as I've got the my back against a wall, I need this, so I would be willing to pay up to £850, but would be happier paying less obviously

Team Racing

Definatley above £300, in 6 months when I've seen my thrusts after a few thousand miles, I'll probably say more

300-350 I would expect people to pay...

I would personally pay more but then again I understand that these things cost money! Most mini folks think 300 quid for a gearbox rebuild is FAR TOO MUCH lol.

Alex

AlexF

£300-400 i think would see you many many customers

as above what the chaps say

place me down for one dave.

Ahh I've been waiting to see where this would go!

I expect to need the extra capability of this clutch, as I'm currently looking into supercharging my 7 port, I would be happy to pay 3-400 for a clutch setup that will do the job and not munch thrusts. if need be i'd go higher though.

Is this going to be a verto style flywheel or more like the ordinary style?..... or something totally different!

At the end of the day if your spending £2000 - £4000 on an engine then between 300-400 for a decent clutch it not really an issue.

if my gearbox project keeps going the way it is, i shall also be needing a very high capacity clutch. £400-£500 isnt unfeasable.

I've seen the future and tbh its Pie

Given that a lightweight Verto capable of 90 ftlb is going to cost me about £200 for my N/A 1275, I think £300-£400 is reasonable.

So how will it work? Is it a verto with a double strength diaphragm or something else?

Spill TD.

Saul Bellow - "A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep."
Stephen Hawking - "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge."

I'm not going to spill any beans. You need to understand I have already invested a lot of time and money into this, so expect details to remain 'sketchy' for some time yet...


Suffice to say the only thing that you'll recognise is a Verto centre - and the bolts that secure this to the verto flywheel.
It is a single plate as I'm not convinced by a twin-plate in a mini. Anyone who's done any kind of engineering will figure out why. I'm not saying I'll never do it - but it's wrong to just 'jump in' and stick another plate in there without considering the whole system.

Edited by turbodave16v on 11th Apr, 2006.

Dave, I am willing to stump up some funds to aid with the development of this.

Cheers Tom. Offer is appreciated.

Dave what your doing is TOP and very needed to "a few people" and he is the problem i think you might face from a commercial point of view.

After all your time and expence in doing this, are there enough people going to buy into this?

Not being neg mate just wanted to say that.

Best 1/4 mile 13.2 seconds @116 mph
First 5 port miniturbo to make over 200 bhp on a carb?
First 5 port miniturbo to make over 200 bhp on Injection?

http://www.mattwoodsphotography.com

It is indeed a niche market Matt - and that's why i can't justify doing it for £300 on a commercial basis.

But by making concessions - eg not as light as it could be - I can get closer.

It's ALSO just something I want to do. The Three bearing crank i can cope with. The siamesed head is a bind. But the pre-verto clutch is without doubt the most badly engineered part of a turbocharged mini.

I see what your saying Dave, i new you'd be on the right wave lengh any way

Best 1/4 mile 13.2 seconds @116 mph
First 5 port miniturbo to make over 200 bhp on a carb?
First 5 port miniturbo to make over 200 bhp on Injection?

http://www.mattwoodsphotography.com

DO IT

If you build it, they will sell

Alex

AlexF

Id pay 150 for it but then I'm bit of a Steptoe and Son.

LOL

Realy if I had the cash and I realy needed it then what you said Dave, that would be my vote

You really do pick peanuts outa pooh huh?