It comes time to replace the clutch in my 4Runner, and since it is the first clutch i've replaced i am just curious what kind of clutches you guys are running.

Should I stay with a OEM clutch, or are aftermarket clutches like centerforce that much better?

Its a '88 runner, V6, SAS, 5.29s and 37s.

The stock one seemed to do the job but i've never used a fancy aftermarket to compare to. What do you guys think?

Thanks.

 

IMO stick with an OEM style, there is no need for high performance clutches in stock HP rigs

 

Their supose to have a high thresh hold before they slip. I can't say if its worth it. I did but really didn't wheel the stock one that much. The OEM is 900ft/lb of pressure I put a 1200ft/lb pressure plate in mine. I think thats what centerforce calls a stage 1, though mine is built by Seco (Japan), they make the OEM stuff. The heavy duty crap is supose to last longer.

Marlin sales it.

 

i cant say how higher end clutches are but i sure know cheap clutches dont work. when i rebuilt my engine i went with a cheap $80 shucks clutch and it sucks. balls. just because it says it meets OEM specs doesnt mean it is as good as OEM.

 

The Toyota remanufactured units are the best choice for a replacement. Looking at your gears and tires, maybe a heavier flywheel and aggressive disk would be a good upgrade. Take a look at the Downey clutches, otherwise stick with the Toyota units.

 

Ditto I didn't go 80 buck but I went with one close.

"OEM style"

original equipment 189,000

Cheap clutch 8.000 and acts like the old clutch with 186,000

I'm going to try the marlin HD clutch next just to see.

 

When I had my engine swapped about 20k ago I had them change out the clutch too as they said they would do it for the cost of parts alone. I'm sure they went to the store and bought the cheapest clutch they could get their hands on and I'm proud to say that if I hook up really well I can make it slip like hell. With the tires I'm running and the rear locker I can overcome the clutch just about anytime I want to. And forget trying to pull someone out that gets stuck...

It's on my list to upgrade to a heavy duty clutch...

 

i have just installed the OEM. (from the dealer) with my new(er) 88 v6

the one i replaced, didnt need to be, (found out when i was doing the job) but compared to the oem one, it did not look halfway as good.
smaller springs, and not as many.
the flywheel was good too. *but i replaced it all*


the springs and quality of my oem looks (and feels) much better.
cannot go wrong w/any clutch that can ride for over 200k and still hold up.

but, i also cannot say anything about mc (which have a great rep.)
so, do some homework, and maybe even drive a few other trucks around that have other style trucks.

 

I put an autozone brand clutch in my truck....... $250 or so...



I like it. I guess. I mean, it works.

 

i run marlins HD clutch. i hooks up well when i tow a trailer, and has a better feel than OEM. i don't know how much, if any better than the auto parts house brand, but i guess it is peace of mind knowing i have a good clutch. i don't like pulling the trans, t-case very often.

 

Stay away from OEM style - autozone, that sort of thing.
You don't need a high clamping force clutch, don't buy one.
However - doing the clutch is a labor intensive job, you only want to do it once. Surface the flywheel, replace the thrust bearing, replace the throw out bearing. I'd use a nice organic clutch from Marlin. I've used the Centerforce I with reasonable success also...

 

I put a Centerforce Dual Friction in my old Mustang and it only slightly improved the feel and it was twice the price of OEM, my .02

 

It always makes me wonder why some guys ask what a good clutch is when their OEM stock clutch just went 150,000+ miles with no issues.

Stick with OEM or Aisin clutches as replacements.

 

For the same reason that people ask what a good tire is when they are looking to replace their worn out BFG all-terrains that lasted them 50000 miles....because we are always wondering if we can get even better value and performance for our money.

I think it's a great question and one that I was also curious as to what people thought. BTW, my two cents is OEM replacement unless you are running big tires with big power. Considering your rig I'd say an upgraded clutch might not be a bad investment (depending on how much of a lead foot you have and what terrain you off-road in).

 

So you got 150,000+ miiles out of an OEM clutch as an example. What is going to go more than that? How many guys are going to chime in and say "well my OEM clutch went 150,000 miles, but I switched to xxx brand clutch and it went 200,000 miles, so it's better." You're probably not going to find too many people with that story. More likely is you're going to find guys who went 150,000+ miles with a clutch, switched to something other than OEM or Aisin, and got 50,000 or 100,000, or maybe it performed just as well potentially? What do people expect? It's a clutch, it is designed to wear to do it's job. It's the quality of the clutch that determines it's life and useability. The stock clutches are quite user friendly and heavy duty for what they are. I like improvements too but you aren't going to improve over a stock clutch for most appliations - EVEN with bigger tires.

 

i'm less concerned with the milage i'll get out of it, but rather the performance of it, when i'm stopped on a steep hill and need it to hook up good, or when i need to feather it over some rocks.

thanks for the opinions/ideas guys

 

Hey, only 150k. I got nearly 220k on my ORIGINAL clutch in my '94 3vze 4Runner. Guess what? It wasn't the disk that wore out!! One of the forks on the pressure plate finally fatigued and broke. Infact the disk still had enough material left on it.

Today I just pulled a 6x10 FULLY loaded trailer 200 miles at freeway speeds between 4th and 5th gear, some 3rd. I would never worry about my Toyota rebuilt unit. It didn't even sweet getting off the line, not to mention with my 33" tires. On top of that, I wheel hard and stress the clutch crawling. Genuine Toyota parts can't be beat and go 22re powa

 

Go with the Marlin HD clutch. Great value, Great quality. made for crawling and the tourqe it involves.

 

I love my marlin! Oem feel with tons more force!! I love that it has the stock pedal feel. I will defantly do with this kit again when I eventually wear my current one out.

 

i got the cheapest i could get at the local napa. clutch kit and new flywheel for $130 total. seems to work great. no slippage yet. a couple times i was stuck in the snow and mud. locked front and back. full throttle, dump the clutch to get some traction and get out, the clutch held and i was finally able to get unstuck.
for crawling, i have 4.7's so i dont have to slip the clutch when taking off.