I did the Sachs Race Engineering clutch kit and a new factory DMF at 25k miles when I was getting slip with Stage 1. The new clutch has zero noise and is exactly the same sound as the original, which was my goal. With the helper spring removed the pedal force is about 25% increased but still very easy to operate. Initially the pedal force was high and almost on off operation. After 500 mile it smoothed out very nicely.
Owner reviews for clutch kit
id reccomend sachs performace kit DMF version. It holds 550nm (400lb/ft) of torque and keeps the stock dual mass flywheel.
Okay - so I now have 25,000 miles on this clutch kit, with zero issues. Grabs strong, and with my bleeder block and clutch pedal spring removal the engagement point is clear and feels like it should. I don't remember what the old clutch felt like anymore, but I have been in stop/go traffic hundreds of times with this clutch kit and I think the extra grabbiness/stiffness of the pedal is the only minor downside to this kit. It's not unmanageable though!
I did some extensive research and found the Sachs stage 2 SMF kit. SMFs handle the higher RPM shifts better and holds up to 530nm. You will notice that although the pedal is stiffer, you have more feel. The lighter flywheel makes the engine rev quicker and becomes far more responsive. Of course, you are dropping a significant amount of rotating mass, so your car will accelerate slightly quicker. Yes, it is a little more expensive, and it does sound a little diesely at idle, but if you actually drive the car, it isn't even a question in my mind. I have had mine for around 30k miles, and it still grabs HARD with a stage 1+ APR tune. I ordered mine straight from Germany.
I went with the Sachs SRE Clutch kit with Sachs DMF. The clutch kit is claimed to hold 400ft/lbs of tq. It added a little stiffness over the stock clutch which is exactly what I wanted and it holds stage 2 power very well. The shifts are smooth like the stock clutch and there is no added noise with the DMF.
Ordered the LuK RS4 Clutch Kit from ECS tuning.
So after a year of having the tune, the stock clutch started giving me problems. I decided to bite the bullet and buy the Sachs SRE clutch kit for the MK7 GTI. I just got the car back today and drove it around for an hour or so after picking it up. FIRST IMPRESSIONS FEEL - Wow, the clutch pedal is like an on/off switch right now. It was SUPER stiff and springy when I first started driving it, but after driving for an hour it I am already executing perfect shifts again and the pedal has softened up a tiny tiny bit. Still a big change - and still going to make sitting in traffic a bit more cumbersome unless it softens up a bit more. PERFORMANCE - Still in the break-in period, so I haven't given it the full beans yet. But man oh man, if you want lightning fast shifts and perfect downshifts, this clutch is a willing dance partner. NOISE - Zero, zip, nada. No different than stock. If anything, my stock clutch was a little more chattery. VERY PLEASED AT THIS. VIBRATION - refer to "noise" Overall, I am very pleased so far. When I first got in the car I was a bit shocked at how fast/stiff the pedal action was - but after driving it for a while I found that I was shifting the car faster and cleaner than I did with the stock clutch.
I just had a clutch be replaced on my R53 even though it wasn't slipping - the pressure plate was bad and failing, along with the slave cylinder leaking, and I ended up just replacing the whole kit while they had it off the car. (Valeo kit for $500, then $1500 in labor.) I would be prepared to replace it soon. It's expensive but incredible peace of mind.
2018 Alltrack 6MT with 10,000 kms Had a rattle when the clutch was engaged (pedal out). When they dropped the transmission they found the "clutch spline was loose". I don't know exactly what that means but the dealership seems to think it came this way. Received a new clutch kit and release bearing under warranty.
I blame the part. I bought a Sachs 16v kit too, when I put a big spline tranny in my last diesel. Same thing happened in less than 5000 miles!!!! The rivet straight up FELL OUT!
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