With clutches, so much comes down to personal habits. Speaking generally, if you are getting high failure rates, I'd look first at one's driving style and clutch use, unless numerous others are reporting similar failures at similar mileages, and even that is hard to quantify in a statistically meaningful fashion, as it is impossible to apply a statistical control.
I have only 45,000km on a stock 2005 clutch, one that lots of people grizzle about or try to get changed, but I have no issues with mine, and I don't drive like a granny as some of you will know. But I don't give it heaps off the line and I don't ride it like so many people seem to do.
I just wonder about how some people drive. I sold a Maserati Ghibli to a good mate who'd been pestering me for years to sell it to him. Maseratis have the strongest crankshafts in creation, but within two days of getting the papers for the car he managed to break the crank! Was that impeccable timing on my part and bad luck on his, or was it his driving style, which most people who experienced it would suggest was most likely?
BTW, good clamping force alone has nothing to do with smoothness of engagement. Smooth engagement of gears depends more on selector fork settings and synchro. Smooth engagment of clutch is an entirely different matter, and depends on many factors including clutch pedal effort required, effective effort at the fork vs clutch spring pressure to be overcome (mechanical effort), throwout setting, take-up position with respect to leg and seating positions for individual drivers, and lastly, on the driver himself.
Last edited by Doug_MPS6; 17-09-2010 at 11:48 AM.
CP_e Standback & PNP; CP_e 3" SS Downpipe; Corksport FMIC with Top-mount K&N filter & OEM Ram CAI; Turbosmart BOV; Dashhawk; Prosport Boost Guage; JBR solid shift bushes; DBA 4000 Wiper-Slot front rotors; Hawk Ferro-Carbon HPS Street front brake pads (@ 69,000km); Sumitomo HTRZIII's in 225/45 x 18