Torque Capacity Ratings

Let’s just get this misconception out there and clear the air. In our professional, and very experienced opinion, THE biggest mistake people often make when selecting a clutch is to only look at the “torque rating”. What most are neglecting to also consider when choosing the correct clutch are what we think are 2 other major factors that take priority over estimated torque capacity. So in total, the 3 main factors include: driving style, the car's purpose (street or track car), and lastly, power output. Below is a flow chart that we have come up with to assist in breaking down and selecting the appropriate clutch for your needs, not thinking about torque capacity but more so thinking about how the car is driven and its purpose.

 

Driving Style: How you drive the car is arguably the most important factor when choosing a clutch kit. A high horsepower vehicle that will rarely see abuse does not require a highly rated clutch kit since the car does not live in its peak torque power range. Vice Vera, a low horsepower vehicle that will be heavily abused will require a more durable clutch since it will spend significantly more time making peak torque and therefore generating more heat for the friction material to have to handle for extended periods of time.

Purpose: The purpose / intentional use of the car is an important factor as well. Using a “race intended clutch kit” on a street car will not only wear out quickly but will be unpleasant to drive. Vice Vera, a smooth street friendly clutch on a track car will not hold nor last very long.

Power Output: The power output of the car eventually does need to to be considered along with driving style and purpose, however it should not be used as the sole factor to your clutch selection.

Even with all of the information we strive to provide to help with selecting the right clutch, the most common questions we get regarding our clutch kits and their different stages is what their capabilities are regarding their torque holding capacities. And in all honesty, this is one of the hardest questions for us to answer, because when you break it down, there are an incredible amount of variables that can affect a clutch kit's torque holding capacity. We do our best to give an estimated torque rating for all of our clutch kits and our goal with that number is to get you in the ballpark of choosing the right clutch for the power your vehicle will be making.

Hopefully this provided some insight on why all of our torque ratings are just estimated ballpark figures to help point you in the right direction. We provide no guarantees around these numbers because of the variables involved. We are of course here to answer any other questions you might have when it comes to choosing the correct clutch for your application. 

So, hopefully this provided some insight on why all of our torque ratings are just estimated ballpark figures to help point you in the right direction. We provide no guarantees around these numbers because of the variables involved. For more technical information about our clutch kits and flywheels, our ABOUT US page has some good technical info breaking down what makes our clutches special vs. our competitors.

We are of course here to answer any other questions you might have when it comes to choosing the correct clutch for your application.