At 225,000 miles, the clutch on my '01 B5 is almost due. I've been eyeing some aftermarket kits for the replacement with the intention of upgrading to something a little more grippy for increased power levels in the near future.

ECS appears to have some very straightforward "stage"-type kits. I appreciate the simplicity of their selections. On the other hand, 034 Motorsport has a vast selection of upgrades. But almost all of them claim "smooth, streetable engagement", which is confusing... how can they all be as smooth if they all have different grip characteristics?

I'm leaning towards the ECS stage II clutch kit, but I also kinda like the 034 Motorsport steel flywheel for its slightly heavier weight.

Anyone have any experiences to share with either seller's clutch products?

 

I haven't had to clutch shop but of those who have, many have been very happy with Mike Hood and Ringer Racing and their array and service. You could do far worse than going through them.

 

I will be doing my clutch soon and I will most likely be getting the ECS tuning RA4 conversion kit

You get a very nice lightweight flywheel with the added bonus of being 240mm, the clutch and pressure plate are the standard s4 parts which will give you a slight upgrade. The beauty is that if you want to go bigger later on you already have a 240mm flywheel.

If not there is also this kit which is the cheapest oem replacement kit that I could find.

 

...uh oh, now I have more questions than answers.

What's the ideal flywheel weight for my needs? (spirited daily driving, no racing, occasionally driven by my wife who is very conservative and not very good with a manual)

What are the benefits/drawbacks of a dual-disc clutch over a single-disc clutch?

Which material type is more "streetable"?

How much holding power do I need? (hoping for 250-300 lb.ft of torque at relatively low RPM in the near future)

I won't pretend that "price is no object", but when it comes to something as important as the clutch, I'm willing to spend the necessary money to get it right for the long term.

 

Call Mike and discuss it with him. He's forgotten more about that stuff than most of us know.

 

I have a clutch masters fx300 240mm with about 500 miles on it that i picked up from Mike, and I couldn't be happier with it. Seriously give him a call. If nothing else he'll be able to help you figure out what you need.