I have my engine out for the water pipe fix and am replacing many parts while in there and figure it is prudent to replace the clutch as well.

It is a 2003 with 62,000 miles on it and I just added a softronics tune.

The current clutch still grabs perfectly but after measured should be replaced.

Is it reasonable to replace just the clutch disc and throw out bearing?

If so, what disc should I use?

Are they specific to the pressure plate or is there an upgraded disc I can use?

Thank you for the advice!

 

Depends on how far you want to go with mods.

If you're done you could do a gt2 disc that I believe is rated a bit more.

If you're going more, there are options.

I just had my trans out and did the gt2 slave conversion. I'd recommend that no matter what. Drill and tap the case.

 

If the disc is worn to the point the disc should be replaced: new friction disc thickness is 1.7mm; worn it is 0.3mm; the release bearing, the pressure plate should be replaced too. Generally these come as a set.

If any of the mechanical linkage is worn it should be renewed as well.

With the Turbo the clutch control shaft needle bearings and any seals associated with these need to be replaced too, regardless.

The couple of times my 03 Turbo has had its tranny out the tech has replaced these items even though the rest of the clutch hardware was just fine. In fact, the last time the transmission was out to fix the RMS at 120K miles the disc had zero measurable wear.

There are I'm sure upgraded clutch kits. In fact the sky's limit though you want to avoid over-clutching the car. There is nothing worse that driving a car with too much clutch. The car is very hard to drive and after a while becomes a nightmare. It all feels very cool in the shop but spend some time on the road in traffic and that takes all the joy out of the new clutch.

(Reminds me of the time I encountered a woman driving her I guess husband's car fitted with a very heavy clutch. She was "stuck" able to only hold clutch down but unable to release it smoothly enough to get the car moving without it rolling back and she was afraid of rolling back into my car. Behind her I observed something amiss and got out of the car and managed to talk her calm -- she was in tears -- and let her roll the car back until it contacted my car's front bumper and then she calmed down enough to get the car moving. No doubt she drove straight home and gave her husband heck for the clutch he had installed.)

How much clutch you put in the car depends upon how much power the engine is generating. The tune documentation should give you some indication of the HP/torque bump over stock and from this you can consult with noted clutch kit makers for the best clutch for your application.

If the tune is not that brutal the stock clutch is probably going to be your best choice unless you have plans for the engine to receive more mods later or you have some kind of usage envisioned that the stock clutch just won't be up to.

 

Going to go with the gt2 disc with new pressure plate.

What other parts should I replace?

 

I did it all. Needle bearings, caps, shift pivot shaft, fork guid tune on trans etc.

I had a bad squeak, so I figured I'd replace it all.

 

Drill and tap the case for the GT2 conversion while it's apart.

If you want get a little crazy put in an LSD while the trans is out but that's a bit more money.

 

With the tranny out of the car this is not the time to try to cut corners. One doesn't or shouldn't throw wheelbarrows of money at the car but with clutch hardware any wear item has to be able to withstand close inspection and if it shows any wear it gets replaced. If there is any doubt, it should be replaced. One doesn't want to "do" a clutch job twice if he can avoid it.

For other cars when I did a clutch job the minimum was disc, pressure plate, release (throw-out) bearing, oh and the pilot bearing in the end of the crankshaft. The flywheel got resurfaced, too.

All the other hardware got inspected and if any signs of wear was spotted the worn part and its mating part got replaced.

This was particularly important if the clutch was manifesting any issues beside say slippage issues or symptoms like a noisy clutch action/operation, or a hard to operate clutch, a grabbing engagement and so on.

However, this inspection doesn't apply to some hardware. That is I would not even bother to inspect the release bearing and clutch control shaft needle bearings and any associated/related dust caps/seals. These should get replaced regardless of how they look.

 

Makes sense.

I am replacing the clutch, pressure plate, throw out bearing, resurfacing the flywheel, and all of the other parts mentioned plus much more.

I went to the pelican parts catalog and ordered everything they had listed. It wasn't cheap but I plan on keeping the vehicle for a while so it should pay off...

Thanks to everyone for the advice!!!