X-Clutch Reviews

BrotherMatt · Feb 5, 2022

There are more than a few threads here and on other Volvo forums about the limitations of the stock clutch and the risks of running the factory DMF on high horsepower builds. There are comments about SPEC, Kalmar Union, and others but I'm curious about the XClutch kits. Can those who are running these kits comment on the feel, performance, engagement, noise/vibration, etc.? Please also say which kit you're running. Sprung or unsprung? Organic or ceramic? Twin disc or single disc?

If you know someone that has this kit on their R, please ask them to share their experience. It's pretty subjective but it's still helpful.

Stage 1, Sprung, Organic Disc

Stage 2, Sprung, Ceramic, 6-paddle Disc

Unsprung, Ceramic, Twin Disc

Unsprung, Organic, Twin Disc

Sprung, Organic, Twin Disc

*Viva

Turbo the World · Feb 6, 2022

BrotherMatt said:
There are more than a few threads here and on other Volvo forums about the limitations of the stock clutch and the risks of running the factory DMF on high horsepower builds. There are comments about SPEC, Kalmar Union, and others but I'm curious about the XClutch kits. Can those who are running these kits comment on the feel, performance, engagement, noise/vibration, etc.? Please also say which kit you're running. Sprung or unsprung? Organic or ceramic? Twin disc or single disc?

If you know someone that has this kit on their R, please ask them to share their experience. It's pretty subjective but it's still helpful.

Stage 1, Sprung, Organic Disc
View attachment 146018

Stage 2, Sprung, Ceramic, 6-paddle Disc
View attachment 146019

Unsprung, Ceramic, Twin Disc
View attachment 146020

Unsprung, Organic, Twin Disc
View attachment 146021

Sprung, Organic, Twin Disc
View attachment 146017
*Viva

I believe that @Red_Devil has is or running one of these on his 800 hp R

Sent from my Phone 2 using Tapatalk

BrotherMatt · Feb 6, 2022

@Turbo the World He is. I PM'ed him but he is not very active on the forum these days so I did not get a response.

Laguna1 · Feb 6, 2022

The question is what is the task facing the clutch. Do I need lunch control, shiftkat, what power, etc. Most will have enough clutch with a basket from Audi

Turbo the World · Feb 6, 2022

BrotherMatt said:
@Turbo the World He is. I PM'ed him but he is not very active on the forum these days so I did not get a response.

Yeah, I mean makes sense, he's running one of the if not the most powerful R's, I probably wouldn't be super duper active either, just enjoy the ride. And op could look through his build series. I think he ran some weird euro clutch before going to this, but idk been a minute. I'm personally planning on going with X-clutch, idk what model, kinda depends on how much power I finally decide on.

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Das60rlion · Feb 8, 2022

Currently using the xclutch spring organic twin disc clutch kit rated for 750ft lbs of torque (if you get a clutch job it’s a no brainer to replace the rear main and then use a oem slave cylinder rather than the one that comes with the xclutch kit)

I definitely reccomend xclutch over any other aftermarket option For the clutch itself I have driven on a bum slave cylinder for a while which hindered driving a lot. I was also able to drive an R with a blown clutch as well as a pretty new clutch and I have to name it spec clutch. The first initial thoughts of the xclutch the twin disc sound doesn’t bother me at all I can’t hear it that much since my exhaust but if I’m at idle with the window down I can hear it a little. For the clutch pedal feel overall it’s a little stiffer than stock engages really nice (feels way better than my original thought about a twin disc) after breaking it in the experience was awesome shifting was smooth thanks to both the xclutch and amsoil 75w-90 severe gear. I could drop the clutch/shift hard with no problems the clutch grabs hard and is always ready for boost and the next gear.

Any questions? I would be happy to answer!!

martynunya · Feb 8, 2022

I'm running twin disc organic unsprung (885 lbft) on 2 different cars. The clutch performs great and isn't as heavy on the clutch pedal as the spec 3+. As far as noise goes they are pretty similar to spec although there's a clutch noise when it is engaged. On my first install I thought something was screwed up and there wasn't any data on it. Subsequent installs revealed this to be normal. If you watch this video you can hear the noise when engaged. I do have different engagement points on both of them, not really sure why.

Sent from my ECU

Laguna1 · Feb 8, 2022

With your power and manual transmission M66, a single-plate organic clutch with a basket with 2 petals does an excellent job. Pressing force 2000 kg. 100-200 6.2 sec. Very tough starts with lunch control non-stop.
You don't need a Volvo dual disc clutch.

martynunya · Feb 9, 2022

Laguna1 said:
With your power and manual transmission M66, a single-plate organic clutch with a basket with 2 petals does an excellent job. Pressing force 2000 kg. 100-200 6.2 sec. Very tough starts with lunch control non-stop.
You don't need a Volvo dual disc clutch.

I guess I had assumed that BrotherMatt was going with a big turbo build. Just as a datapoint I was making over 500whp and using the spec 3+ which worked well.

As far as Travis goes he is using the KFD23648-2E which is rated goes about 1000lbft.

Sent from my ECU

Enraged · Feb 9, 2022

X-clutch says the XKFD23638-2G works with the V70R. Viva sells it for around $1275. At that price point, why bother going with a stock type clutch? Assuming you are changing to a single mass flywheel of course.

BrotherMatt · Feb 10, 2022

@Das60rlion and @martynunya Thank you! I really wanted to get feedback on the experience so that I would not be completely taken by surprise. This helps a lot.
@Laguna1 Along with cams, sleeves, and upgraded internals, I am going with a bigger custom turbo setup that will likely produce ~600HP at the crank with a relatively low boost threshold. I will post a a build thread this spring once I am further along.

For now, I have the Xclutch twin-disc organic kit here waiting for its time to shine.

BrotherMatt · Feb 10, 2022

martynunya said:
I guess I had assumed that BrotherMatt was going with a big turbo build. Just as a datapoint I was making over 500whp and using the spec 3+ which worked well.

As far as Travis goes he is using the KFD23648-2E which is rated goes about 1000lbft.

Sent from my ECU

I will be upgrading my turbo but nothing approaching Travis's build.
That unsprung-ceramic kit is a combination that really suits his purposes. I imagine that the bite and engagement are something else.

Red_Devil · Feb 11, 2022

What's up fellas. I am actually running the twin 6 puck ceramic its aggressive and seems to work good and hold the power but I blew my trans last year so lol. Not sure what my future plan is my tune isn't done maybe 80-90% and I have not been able to get a hold of Gustav for over 6 months so maybe sell or part out. I love the car but am almost over it. I recently added a S8 to me garage and at thing is a rocket.
XKFD23648-2E

Laguna1 · Feb 11, 2022

BrotherMatt

My build had 670-680 HP and the dual paddle single plate clutch did a great job. The price at that time was $900. We are a poor country, so we have to save money).

Laguna1 · Feb 11, 2022

Красный дьявол
It seems like a Tesla Plaid replacement with a power of 1600HP is being prepared. All our projects will become irrelevant)

BrotherMatt · Feb 11, 2022

Laguna1 said:
BrotherMatt

My build had 670-680 HP and the dual paddle single plate clutch did a great job. The price at that time was $900. We are a poor country, so we have to save money).

I chose this particular setup for a few reasons that had to do with clutch feel and engagement and not killing the daily driving experience. For example, these are some of the things I wanted:
1) sprung friction discs
2) organic friction discs
3) single mass flywheel
4) components designed and tested as a complete package, by the manufacturer, for the intended application;
5) manufacturer specification that exceeds my projected hp/torque numbers but gives me room to grow;
6) will hold power if I decide to do the half mile air strip races;

I'd still like to hear about your setup. Do you have the manufacturer and part number for the clutch disc, pressure plate, and flywheel that you are using? I may be helping with another build and that info would be useful.

*On some level, I can relate Aleh. My mother and father migrated from a poor country... where most of my family still resides, where I visit when circumstances permit. The first(and only) brand new car that my father and mother ever purchased was a 1989 740 GL non-turbo... almost 20 years after arriving in this country. I guess it's no wonder that I also wound up in a Volvo 😆

BrotherMatt · Feb 11, 2022

Red_Devil said:
What's up fellas. I am actually running the twin 6 puck ceramic its aggressive and seems to work good and hold the power but I blew my trans last year so lol. Not sure what my future plan is my tune isn't done maybe 80-90% and I have not been able to get a hold of Gustav for over 6 months so maybe sell or part out. I love the car but am almost over it. I recently added a S8 to me garage and at thing is a rocket.
XKFD23648-2E

I figured and martynunya mentioned that you were running the twin disc ceramic kit. At that power level it makes sense. I'm not happy to hear that your transmission blew up but selfishly, it's good to know that the clutch kit didn't give up first. By the way, Ganzeboom has a lot of the M66 perishable internals and a master rebuild kit. I personally don't plan on opening up my gearbox until I am 100% certain that there is no way for us to get a 1-2 synchromesh kit.

I know that Gustav has a baby daughter so he's probably struggling to keep up. It seems inevitable for us. Talented tuners come around, do solid work and even custom applications, then eventually increased demand and life in general make it harder for them to offer the same level of attention.

martynunya · Feb 12, 2022

Red_Devil said:
What's up fellas. I am actually running the twin 6 puck ceramic its aggressive and seems to work good and hold the power but I blew my trans last year so lol. Not sure what my future plan is my tune isn't done maybe 80-90% and I have not been able to get a hold of Gustav for over 6 months so maybe sell or part out. I love the car but am almost over it. I recently added a S8 to me garage and at thing is a rocket.
XKFD23648-2E

A new S8 to pair with the RS3? Nice combo for sure.

Sent from my ECU

Laguna1 · Feb 12, 2022

БратМэтт

I don't know the part numbers, local tuners do it for specific tasks and machines. They can also choose the material of the clutch disc lining. A single disc clutch is quieter than a double disc clutch, but everyone has their own way).
For Volvo to go fast 1/4 or other disciplines, you need a different transmission. And so on the forum only stories about power, about seconds, everyone is silent.

Red_Devil · Feb 14, 2022

martynunya said:
A new S8 to pair with the RS3? Nice combo for sure.

Sent from my ECU

Yes sir I have a fleet now

X-Clutch Reviews

BrotherMatt

Turbo the World

BrotherMatt

Laguna1

Turbo the World

Das60rlion

martynunya

Laguna1

martynunya

Enraged

BrotherMatt

BrotherMatt

Red_Devil

Laguna1

Laguna1

BrotherMatt

BrotherMatt

martynunya

Laguna1

Red_Devil

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