McLeod RXT Twin Disc 1000HP Organic Clutch Kit; 26-Spline (Late 01-10 Mustang GT; 99-04 Mustang Cobra, Mach 1)

Video Review & Installation

Hey, guys. I'm Justin with americanmuscle.com and welcome to my detailed breakdown of the McLeod RXT Twin Disk Clutch, available for your late 2001 to 2010 Mustang GT and your 2003 and 2004 Cobra and Mach 1. In this detailed breakdown, I'm gonna cover why you might wanna check out a twin disc clutch like the RXT from McLeod, how much power this thing is gonna hold, and how it will be able to hold it, and then finally, we'll cover some of the bigger points of the installation. And on the surface, obviously, the trans will need to be dropped. We're gonna pump this one up to a full three out of three wrenches on the difficulty meter, with some more detail coming up later on.The McLeod RXT is gonna be for the GT, Mach 1, and Cobra owners out there already pumping out big power or plan on making big power, and therefore, need a clutch to help put that power down to the ground, but at the same time wanna maintain a very streetable [SP] pedal feel. And for all those reasons, the RXT will be one of your best options on the site. In the world of aftermarket clutches and flywheels, McLeod is no doubt gonna be on your top or premium options in the category, and they produce stuff for light bolt-on, the stock cars, all the way down the spectrum to the thousand-plus horsepower monsters for both the street and strip application. Now, the RXT is their top of the shelf offering in their lineup, it's the clutch that we have with me here today, and it's not gonna be for the stock or light bolt-on cars out there. This will be a waste of your money. Instead, this is gonna be for the guys out there already making big power through forced induction and nitrous in their street strip or weekend warrior ride. So, how is the RXT able to hold so much power? Well, a lot of it just boils down to the twin disc design, but there are a few other factors at play. Now, a clutch being able to hold power boils down to three basic principles: clamp load, coefficient of friction, and surface area. In the old days, if you wanted a clutch that was gonna hold all that power, you had to have a gnarly pressure plate that would really just kill your left leg and use that in conjunction with a clutch disc that typically had a very aggressive material, making the car just miserable to drive anywhere but the track. So, how does this apply to the twin disc clutches of today? Well, again, let's get back to those three basic principles: clamp load, surface area, coefficient of friction. A twin disc is going to be a wonderful thing because, again, you have two clutch discs here, doubling your surface area, essentially doubling the amount of power this thing can hold. And on top of that, you're still maintaining a really nice pedal feel because you don't have to use those crazy pressure plates that you had to use back in the day. The only drawback to the twin disc is that they usually cost a good bit more than your single disc options, and that certainly is the case here when looking at the McLeod RXT. You're dropping right around 1,000 bucks for this guy here, putting it in line with the Ram twin disc option. But keep in mind, guys, the Ram does include a flywheel, McLeod does not, but the McLeod can hold a little bit more power. Now, one thing to point out, McLeod actually says that you can use their RXT clutch here with just about any stock or aftermarket flywheel, which will help you save some money in the long run. However, when you're dropping this kind of money and you're making this kind of power, it's just a smart move to upgrade your flywheel at the same time. Typically I've had the best luck when sticking with the same manufacturers for both the clutch and flywheel, but maybe you have a different experience. So we've talked about the benefits of a twin disc clutch, we've talked about how they are able to hold so much power, but let's talk specifically about the RXT since we've got a kind of blown up on the table here. Now, the star of the clutch, of course, are the twin discs. With the RXT you're gonna find ceramic material here for the friction material, which again, is able to hold all of that power. Now, the RXT, the step below this clutch here, still a great clutch, still a twin disc, won't hold as much power as the RXT because you're looking at an organic material with the friction material with that particular clutch, will make the clutch engagement a little smoother overall. But again, it won't hold as much power as the RXT here. So the twin ceramic discs here with the RXT, the floater plate, and then last but not least, you have the pressure plate. Now, it's not uncommon to pick up a little added noise with a twin disc clutch and including the floater plate, and, in fact, some of our customers do point it out in the review section. Just be aware of that before buying. A couple things to check out or maybe add to the shopping list before you install your brand new clutch, if you have a cable-operated transmission, McLeod recommends checking out their adjustable fork ball stud in addition to a brand new throw out bearing, always a great choice, of course. Or, if you have a hydraulic trans, add a braided stainless steel clutch line, please. Get rid of that cheap plastic factory line, you'll thank me later. And again, these are all things you can grab here on the site and add to your shopping list for your brand new clutch installation. And speaking of the installation, again, I'm gonna go full three out of three wrenches on the difficulty scale here, guys, depending on your setup. Now, if you don't have a lift, this one's gonna suck. Doing a trans on your back is never fun, we've all been there. But if you do have access to a lift, I'll knock that down to a two out of three wrenches on the difficulty scale. And either way, maybe a half a day in the shop or garage to get knocked out. You do need to drop your drive shaft along with the exhaust before knocking that transmission out, be mindful of that. If this sounds like a little too much work for you, give your local shop a call, I'm sure they'd appreciate the business. Last but not least, guys, and this is very important, trust me. Follow McLeod's detailed break-in instructions with this particular clutch because, believe me, there's nothing worse than pissing away $1,000 on a clutch only to have it fry on you because you don't break it in properly. So, if you're looking for a proven clutch with high horsepower applications and one that will maintain a great pedal feel, check out the RXT, you really can't go wrong here, guys, and you can find one right here at americanmuscle.com.