aftermarket clutch vs. oem

[Blue99Si]

hey everyone, i have a 1999 honda civic si, with the original b16a2 engine and transmission. the car has 98,xxx miles on it. its somewhat modified. it has aftermarket header, catback, cai, 70mm tb, intake manifold (port matched), and fuel rail. the reason for this post is i guess my master cylinder went out on me the other morning, it was completely random. and now my clutch is shot. i cant even get it to go into gear. so i was wondering if y'all could tell me what i should do. im sure its gonna be a pretty expensive fix. but would it be worth it to go with an aftermarket clutch over oem? ive heard the aftermarkets dont last nearly as long and can be annoying. this car is my dd. but i also plan on doing some other proformance mods down the road such as cams and cam gears. what would the benifits or going aftermarket be, what would be the risks? what brands/stages do y'all suggest?
Thanks so much in advance guys. i appreciate the info and advice.

 

[Blue99Si]

also, would i need to replace the flywheel? what benifits would i get with replacing it with a lightweight/aftermarket?
thanks again!

 

[lethal6]

Resurface your flywheel, get an excedy clutch kit, and call it a day.

 

[JeffBel]

Lightweight flywheels are nice and all, for racing, but daily driving it annoys me.

 

[Blue99Si]

thanks guys..im going to order that clutch today. hopefully it doesnt cost me an arm and a leg to have it installed.
would a stage 2 be too much for me? i dont want it to be annoying to drive. but i dont want to have to replace it again in 5-6k miles. how long do the excedy clutches normally last?

 

[JeffBel]

If you have to replace a clutch every 5-6k miles then you have a problem.

 

[hondamaster719]

Are you driving it right? Burning out a lot and kicking the clutch on launch?

sent from my EVO eater

 

[Blue99Si]

no no no. i baby my car! haha. this is the first ive had to replace the clutch.
i was just told by someone that if i put an aftermarket clutch in my car it wont last but 5-6k miles vs. a oem replacement which would supposidly get me another 100k
but im just afraid if i go oem im gonna be over working it with all the aftermarket parts on my car.

 

[JeffBel]

Slap that person. Aftermarket clutches will last just as long as an oem. Until you get into stage 3-5? Then the stronger they get the less mileage you'll get.

 

[203CT]

no no no. i baby my car! haha. this is the first ive had to replace the clutch.
i was just told by someone that if i put an aftermarket clutch in my car it wont last but 5-6k miles vs. a oem replacement which would supposidly get me another 100k
but im just afraid if i go oem im gonna be over working it with all the aftermarket parts on my car.

If you are adding power to your car I would get a stronger clutch. stage 2 sprung clutch should be more then enough and not to bad for DD. If you are staying all motor get a 12lbs flywheel. If boost keep the stock 17lbs flywheel. heavier flys are better for boost.

 

[Blue99Si]

thanks guys. you've helped out a lot!

 

[emerican]

glad that you got some help
it is true though you wont have to worry about replacing it like your friend said and i agree with stage 2

 

[Blue99Si]

what are the main differences between the stage 1 and stage 2 clutches?
and my car has been burning oil pretty bad as of about a month ago. no idea why or whats causing it. but ive been told im blowing a lot of blue smoke out the exhaust, mostly when i downshift or am in vtec, and have had to add a quart of oil to my car every 1000 miles or so.
could this just be the rings are bad? or is this normal around 100,000 miles? is there something that could be causing this?
i just dont understand why so much bad stuff is happening to my car all of a sudden, ive always used mobil1 full synthetic every 4k miles, no ethonal gas, 93 octane rating or better. i mean this car is my baby.
i feel like its just becoming a money pit!
thanks again guys.

 

[Blue99Si]

and the only thing that scares me about buying an aftermarket clutch is, if i buy it, take it to my local shop, and they get it all apart to replace/fix it, are they gonna run into issues with needing additional parts or anything to make it fit work right that arent gonna be included? i dont wanna pay for them to take it all apart get half way through the install, to find out i dont have everything to get the job done, and then be out all that money and still not have my car fixed.

 

[RealRabbit]

and the only thing that scares me about buying an aftermarket clutch is, if i buy it, take it to my local shop, and they get it all apart to replace/fix it, are they gonna run into issues with needing additional parts or anything to make it fit work right that arent gonna be included? i dont wanna pay for them to take it all apart get half way through the install, to find out i dont have everything to get the job done, and then be out all that money and still not have my car fixed.

Aftermarket or OEM will be the same on install. As long as you get a clutch kit and the correct one.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

 

[JeffBel]

And for smoking, it could be a lot of things. Our vtec motors smoke, it's a given, no way around it, it's just going to smoke a bit. Now a little is ok, like a small puff when you crack vtec. Anything more is something to handle, it's most likely your valve stem seals, could be your guides. But, seals is usually the issue. How much smoke does it throw?

 

[Blue99Si]

quite a bit. it definitely doesnt seem to be a normal amount. but its not horrible. like i said its really only when i downshift and when im in vtec. when im driving normal it seems to be fine. but i am having to add a considerable amount of oil to my car every month or so. but thanks for the info!

 

[Blue99Si]

Alright guys, so i ordered the exedy stage 2 clutch today. pretty excited, cant wait to get my baby back on the road!
Just wanted to say thanks again to everyone who helped me out with this. made things a lot easier for me!

 

[emerican]

No problem man glad we could be of help