Performance Clutches: Choosing the Right Clutch for Your Build
We’re pleased to announce that we are now an authorised dealer for Performance Clutches, adding a new range of performance clutch kits and flywheel solutions to our growing drivetrain range.
For modified and performance cars, the clutch is often one of the first areas to show its limitations when engine power and torque are increased. A standard clutch may work perfectly well at factory power levels, but increased torque, higher boost and harder driving can quickly push an original clutch beyond what it was designed to handle.
Performance Clutches offers a range of solutions for exactly these applications, from fast-road cars through to track and competition builds.
Performance Clutches for Fast Road, Track and Motorsport
Established in 2020 and based in Leamington Spa, Performance Clutches has developed its range around a combination of performance, quality and value.
Its clutch kits are designed for a wide variety of applications, including fast-road cars, track days, circuit racing, drifting, drag racing, time attack and rally.
The range covers different levels of performance, allowing the clutch to be selected according to the power and torque of the car, as well as how it is going to be used.
This is important because the strongest clutch isn't necessarily the best clutch for every car. A daily-driven road car needs a different balance of capacity and drivability compared with a dedicated track or competition car.
Performance Clutches Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 3
Performance Clutches offers several levels of clutch specification, making it easier to choose a setup that matches the requirements of the vehicle.
Stage 1 Organic
The Stage 1 Organic range is aimed primarily at fast-road and lightly modified cars.
Using an organic friction material, these kits provide increased torque capacity while retaining smooth and predictable engagement. They are well suited to owners looking for an upgrade over the standard clutch without introducing the more aggressive characteristics associated with higher-stage performance clutches.
For a tuned road car that still sees regular everyday use, Stage 1 Organic can provide a good balance between additional capacity and drivability.
Stage 1 Street HD
For vehicles requiring more capacity, the Stage 1 Street HD range offers a heavier-duty solution while remaining suitable for road use.
These kits are designed for performance-tuned and higher-power applications, using heat-resistant friction materials and increased clamping force.
Depending on the application, Performance Clutches also offers Street HD kits designed to work with both single-mass and dual-mass flywheels.
This makes the Stage 1 Street HD range particularly useful when the standard clutch is beginning to struggle but the car still needs to retain good road manners.
Stage 2 Sport
Moving further towards performance use, Stage 2 Sport clutch kits are designed for higher-power applications and drivers who regularly use their cars harder.
Stage 2 kits combine increased torque capacity with greater resistance to heat, making them suitable for fast-road and track-day applications.
Performance Clutches uses ductile steel pressure plates in its performance range, while selected Stage 2 applications use performance friction materials designed to provide increased grip and durability.
Certain applications are also available with lightweight 4140 steel single-mass flywheels, reducing rotational inertia for a sharper engine response.
Stage 3 Sport
At the higher end of the range, Stage 3 Sport clutch kits are designed for high-output and heavily modified vehicles.
These kits use higher clamping loads and performance-oriented friction materials to provide substantially increased torque capacity and improved resistance to demanding operating conditions.
Stage 3 is suited to applications where the clutch needs to cope with significantly increased engine output and more severe use, including track, rally, drifting, drag and other competition applications.
Selected Stage 3 kits are also designed to work with the vehicle's original dual-mass flywheel, providing a high-capacity clutch solution without necessarily requiring a single-mass conversion.
Performance Clutch Engineering
Performance Clutches places considerable emphasis on the materials and construction used throughout its clutch range.
Its performance pressure plates use ductile steel construction, providing increased strength and resistance to the temperatures experienced during demanding use.
The company also uses a triple heat-treatment process on key components including the diaphragm spring, pressure plate return straps and pull-type release bearing cage.
Friction materials are available in different specifications, including organic and ceramic options, allowing the characteristics of the clutch to be matched to the intended application.
Heat management is particularly important for performance cars. Repeated hard acceleration, track sessions and competition use can generate considerably more heat through the clutch than normal road driving, making the correct friction material and clutch specification important when choosing an upgrade.
Single-Mass Flywheel Clutch Kits
Alongside its uprated clutch range, Performance Clutches also offers single-mass flywheel clutch kits for suitable applications.
Replacing a factory dual-mass flywheel with a lightweight single-mass flywheel can reduce rotational inertia, allowing the engine to respond more quickly to throttle inputs and rev more freely.
Performance Clutches offers single-mass flywheel applications for a range of vehicles, including several popular BMW and Ford applications.
A single-mass conversion isn't necessarily the right choice for every car, however. The intended use of the vehicle, engine characteristics and required clutch specification should all be considered before choosing a flywheel setup.
Choosing the Right Performance Clutch
With several clutch specifications available, choosing the right kit isn't simply a case of selecting the highest stage.
The correct clutch depends on a number of factors, including:
- Engine power and torque
- Current and planned modifications
- How the car is used
- Road, track or competition requirements
- Existing flywheel configuration
- Desired level of drivability
- Required torque capacity
A lightly tuned road car may be perfectly suited to a Stage 1 Organic clutch, while a higher-output track car could require a Stage 2 or Stage 3 specification.
Selecting the right clutch means getting the necessary capacity without compromising the characteristics that matter for the way you actually use the car.
Why We've Added Performance Clutches to the MLR Range
Performance Clutches is a natural addition to the Matt Lewis Racing range.
We've always focused on supplying performance parts for modified, fast-road and track-focused cars, and adding performance clutch systems allows us to offer our customers another important part of the drivetrain upgrade package.
The range also gives us greater choice when helping customers put together complete performance builds.
Whether you're replacing a slipping clutch on a tuned road car, upgrading the drivetrain to cope with additional torque or building a car specifically for track or competition use, there is now a Performance Clutches solution available through MLR.
Performance Clutches Available from Matt Lewis Racing
We're now building the Performance Clutches range on the MLR website, including Stage 1 Organic, Stage 1 Street HD, Stage 2 Sport and Stage 3 Sport clutch kits, along with single-mass flywheel clutch kits and performance flywheels.
If you're unsure which specification is right for your car, get in touch with us before ordering. Providing your vehicle details, engine specifications, current modifications and intended use will allow us to help identify the most suitable clutch for your application.
Browse the Performance Clutches range at Matt Lewis Racing and find the right clutch for your build.
