clutch.....
 

looking to get a new stage 2 or 3 clutch. will the stock flywheel need to be resurfaced? and what do most people run at stage 2 or 3? thanks

Yes you have to resurface the FW. I have a Stage 2 South Bend clutch in my 2.8 and I love it. I can launch the car on dry pavement if I feel the need (although I probably should never do it again) South Bend will resurface the FW for free if you buy a clutch from them. Contact Mike@DTH for a great deal. www.dthaus.com or pm him here his user name is mike@dth

^^
he said it all right there...
unless you want to step it up a notch and get a lighter fw, instead of resurfacing the dmfw..it depends what car and what mods you have and are planning for?
what car you have? year, engine size? mods? quattro?

i just had my stock flywheel resurfaced when i put my southbend stage 3 in (bought it from mike@dth, great guys there) and it is a good stock feeling to the drive. by resurfacing it you may also shave a pound or so off so it might be slightly lighter then the 25 lb :D

If you are looking to get a South Bend clutch they do offer free resurfacing of the stock flywheel. You just pay for shipping(there/back). We have this as an option on our site when buying a South Bend clutch, it adds $15 shipping which is the cost of shipping it back along with your clutch. There is also an option for a Bolt Kit which includes all new bolts(flywheel and pressure plate).


If you have any questions about clutch kits please feel free to PM me or email me directly at Mike@DTHaus.com

I might not get back to you till Monday since I will be at Sac Raceway drag racing my A4 this weekend.

Eh, a pound is wishful thinking.

To be honest, you're not really supposed to resurface a dual mass flywheel. They are designed as throw-aways. I've replaced numerous clutches in Porsches and Audis and have never resurfaced a DMF flywheel because the dealer wouldn't let us (book says to replace it if necessary). If the flywheel isn't horribly heat-spotted or gouged, it doesn't need to be resurfaced. DMFs really only need to be replaced when the customer complains of noise or drive line shock when the return springs go bad. It was rare that we ever replaced a DMF and I've never had clutch or chatter issues after reusing an un-resurfaced DMF with a new clutch.

3rd gear syncro went bad on my '02 Jag X-Type and the trans was replaced under warranty. When they were replacing the clutch as per my request, the advisor tried to convince me I needed a new DMF. I asked to speak with the tech working on the car (I was a pain in their butt, they knew me well!), and asked him if the DMF was heat-spotted or gouged. He said no. I asked if the return springs were OK, he said yes. He explained that I could still have chatter or slippage with the new clutch, but they weren't allowed to resurface the DMF. I explained to him my own experiences with Porsche and Audi as a tech and told him to leave the old DMF in place. I never had chatter, slippage, or any problems with the new clutch and old DMF.

Then again, we also never resurfaced brake rotors in the dealer. By the book, we weren't allowed.

Anyway... call Mike at DTH. He'll give you good advice on what to buy.

Dealers dont resurface flywheels because there is no way they can put a warranty on it, plus they make way more money selling a new flywheel then putting it on a machine for 30 minutes.

haha, yeah i threw that out there as a joke :)

ive still had no problems w my resurfaced DMF though and its holding up way strong!

i just got a clutchmaster fx400 from mike.... very good guy to deal with.... just waiting for the clutch to show

Yes and no. DMFs are balanced (as are all flywheels). I realize it's usually a negligible amount removed, but there's not really a way to properly re-balance a DMF (unless there is and I've just never heard of it). Dealer is always by the book. When it comes to Porsche, Audi, VW, that's not always such a bad thing.