I put on the Valeo clutch kit, which comes with a single mass lightweight flywheel, performance-y clutch, and throwout bearing. I haven't broken it in fully yet (only got about 40 miles on it so far), and I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for daily driving unless you really want the driving experience. The first impression is that the clutch pedal is really light, like stepping on a marshmellow. Then, you feel the resistance toward the end of the pedal travel and it feels like stepping on a slightly denser marshmallow. I threw it in gear, engaged the clutch, and boom, stalled it. Tried again, and stalled again. The clutch pedal feels light, but it feels comparable to having tight brakes on the front wheel of a bicycle, meaning that you've gotta be really gentle on the release otherwise you either stall or lurch. When driving, rev matching becomes a lot more important because you're going to look like you've never driven a stick before; of course, you should always rev match (regardless of whether you're breaking in a new clutch or not), but instead of having to be without the 700-1000 rpm of the new gear, you've gotta be within the 100 rpm range to keep from jerking. The power does feel way more responsive, but perhaps too responsive; personally I enjoy a bit more challenge but I can see casual drivers not liking it. It feels a lot like driving an older car, particularly the way old torque-y trucks do when you come off the clutch. I like it, but it's something to get used to. Single mass flywheels do vibrate more, but in this case I could hardly feel it (no torque-y truck feeling here). There is a bit of a buzz on the shifter if you hold it around 3k/4k rpm, but it's very negligible (like, not even phone-buzz noticeable). The single mass wheel does seem to kick up the idle speed, and the car does rev to life with a bit more intensity than usual (I'm guessing the starter motor's just stronger than it needs to be to crank it), which is far from a bad thing; just an observation, really. Nothing to say about the throwout bearing. My old one squealed a bit, this one doesn't. Fixed the problem. I'm glad the kit comes with it, though.
Owner reviews for clutch kit
I pulled and replaced a low mileage Sachs for a LUK. The Luk sure seemed to be a higher quality part.
A solid flywheel conversion clutch kit is popular; I have heard good things about the Valeo solution but if you want the quiet , smooth operation you are used to.... Stick with the stock setup. A friend of ours put the Valeo kit; in his 1st generation Audi TT 1.8t 5 speed and he has been happy with it.. Valeo has designed all the parts to work together and the disk, has some dampening springs built into it, in attempt to replicate a dual mass flywheel.
I just installed a Luk "rep set" clutch kit with a brand new flywheel and it has been excellent so far, Luk was the oem for VW and my original clutch/flywheel/disc/throwout bearing were ALL marked "Luk" on them. I can confidently; recommend Luk if you want to stick with the stock clutch assembly. The original clutch has the quietest and smoothest clutch feeling, original style performance.
On a well engineered kit like Sachs SRE, so far my experience is that it makes clutch engagement point a bit higher and makes disengagement feel more predictable.
I am APR stage 2 + and have had the sachs kit for about 6000 miles now. Never a problem and just as quiet as stock from day 1. A little more effort pushing the clutch in but no big deal.
I didn't do the install, but I went with the single mass clutch kit from Valeo when my slave cylinder went. I like it better than the dual, seems a little easier to press now and I haven't noticed much on vibrations
Purchased a Valeo clutch kit with a single mass flywheel to replace the problematic dual mass flywheel.
Yesterday, I purchased a replacement OEM Sachs clutch kit off of Amazon. I received it today and this is what I got. It looks nothing like the stock photo on Amazon so I'm thinking I received the wrong part?
Well I am just @ the 400 mark and with the six speed I kinda bargained out and just picked up a Valeo single mass conversion kit....I had no clue how long it would last but knock on wood it's been in for a year. I have noticed lately it's starting to do some strange things like not release every time....makes for an interesting drive when this happens.
Write your review about clutch kit
Help others - share your experience with this part.