Exedy Mach 500 Stage 3 Clutch (86-Mid 01 GT; 93-98 Cobra)

Hey I’m Justin with AmericanMuscle.com and I’m going to be breaking down 4 different clutches, all from Exedy, they’re stages 1 through 4, for the 2005-2012 Mustang GT. Exedy is one of the leading manufacturers of both OE and aftermarket clutches, all of their products have been designed and built from the ground up, unlike other companies, who basically take a factory clutch, beef up some of the components, and rebrand it as a performance clutch. So I have 4 different clutches ranging from the Mach 350 which is basically their OE replacement or a light bolt on clutch, all the way down to the big boy, the Mach 600, which is rated almost 800 ft/lbs torque at the frame. In a second we’re going to take a closer look at what makes each clutch a little different but first, I’d just like to point out something that I noticed with every single clutch. As you can see, every clutch utilizes a sprung hub design, even the big boy here, the Mach 600. That’s awesome, because if you’ve ever driven an unsprung 4 or 6 clutch, you’ll know they’re not fun to drive, especially if your car sees any street duty whatsoever. Not only that, an unsprung clutch can be a little harsher on your drivetrain as well. With that out of the way, let’s take a closer look at each one of these clutches. First up is Exedy’s Mach 350 or basically their stage 1 clutch. This is a perfect OE replacement or for a car which has light bolt ons. The pedal feel is going to be slightly firmer than stock, and the clutch disc itself is made from an organic compound which will hold roughly 430 ft/lbs of torque at the crank, which is good enough to handle most bolt ons and then some. Next up is the Mach 400 or Exedy stage 2 clutch. This clutch utilizes that same organic compound but with slightly more bite, this time holding 510 ft/lbs of torque at the crank. This is still a very suitable clutch that can easily handle full bolt ons, and maybe even a small shot of nitrous, yet still maintain that stock pedal feel, with a slightly firmer engagement. Third in the line up is Exedy’s Mach 500 or their stage 3 offering. This clutch utilizes the same disc found in their stage 2 but with a high clamp load pressure plate, giving it the ability to hold 600+ ft/lbs of torque. Since this clutch still utilizes that organic disc material, you’ll still be able to slip the clutch a little bit and it’s still going to offer that smooth engagement, but it’s not going to wear out your leg and it’s still going to hold a ton of power. Finally we have the big boy, the Exedy Mach 600 which is their stage 4 offering. This clutch, as you might have guessed, is ready to handle just about anything you can throw at it, and is rated at almost 800 ft/lbs of torque at the crank. Since this disc utilizes a cerametallic material and not that organic compound, the engagement is going to be very quick, yet still maintain the pedal feel from that stage 3. It’s going to be slightly trickier on the street, but I wouldn’t hesitate to throw it in any street car, especially when compared to those unsprung 4 or 6 options. Installing any clutch is definitely not a job for first time wrenchers out there, it should take you about 4 hours from start to finish depending on your lift situation. All of these clutches from Exedy require a very strict break in period of about 500 miles of city type driving before you really start beating on the car. That means no hard launches, no aggressive driving, and if at all possible, try to shift below 4000 RPM. Doing all this is only going to prolong the life of your clutch. So that wraps it up with these Exedy clutches, as you can see it basically boils down to how much power you’re making, and what clutch would be best suited for your ride, and as always you can check them out right here at AmericanMuscle.com.... HIDE