Leanders Clutch issues kinks?

Thoughts on leanders clutch issues kinks shortcuts surface difference between floaters regrind vs new floater ? Looking for some insight and to have an informative convo going

 

Also not sure what you mean by kinks.. As far as issues go, maybe elaborate a little on what your own concerns are. There were some issues in the earliest incarnations as far as consistent wear patterns on the pressure plate, but many of those issues also stemmed from the way people run their individual clutch programs. And the Leanders Bros. listen to concerns of racers and do their best to help and correct any issues.

It's hard to be 100% objective when it comes to clutches because everyone runs things a little differently from car to car. It seems like a magic bullet in some cases because it falls in place perfectly with the way that particular car is being tuned. There have been people running 4.10/11(and sometimes even less) rear gears in TAFC's for quite some time before Leanders came out with their clutch, and they figured out a way to make it work with what was available. Now TAFC's seem able to tow a 36" tire pretty well too and run some amazing speeds and ET's.

Granted, it isn't all clutch, major power advances have been made in recent years as well as valvetrain stability, but you still need the clutch to get to it the tires to make the most of it. But motors are making big power and able to consistently rev higher and stay alive. The higher you rev, the more plate load you create with a given counterweight. True of almost every clutch as long as it doesn't deflect. Historically, revving up has created nightmares for rear mains and typically due to clutch package instability and deflection at very high engine speeds. Deflection occurs because of the overall strength of the structural parts of the clutch(cover, pressure plate, flywheel, studs/stands). As it spins, the studs/stands want to bend outward from the middle, which will change the shape of the flywheel and cover as it spins, bending the outer edges of the flywheel toward the motor plate and bending the cover towards the transmission. What causes the apparent imbalance issue that takes out the rear main is that this deflection doesn't occur consistently throughout the clutch assembly. The weight hasn't necessarily changed, but the geometry has, so the weight has shifted locations, even fractions of an inch. Imagine having a flat plane crankshaft with even weight distribution. Now, without adding or subtracting weight, extend the stroke on only 2 of the rod journals on the same side of the crank by 1/8". There's probably going to be a nasty vibration. That's really where the Leanders shines is that monster clutch is incredibly strong and stable.

That all being said, do you need the latest and greatest of everything to run 5.50's in a TAFC? It might help make it a little easier, but probably not necessary. Last time I checked Manzo and a couple others could pull off low-mid 5.40's @ 268 mph with a Crower style clutch.. But that's also in the days of 3 or 4 cars capable of running those ET's even once in minshaft conditions. These days it seems like you almost have to run in the 40's to get top half of the field at a national event and 260-265mph is just common anymore, mineshaft no longer required. So that being said, what's the issue? lol.

 

i am the west coast factory rep for the leanders clutch company if you would like give me a call maybe i can answer your questions call 562-547-3183 as for bob