I'm among those who like this clutch. Here's my take. More input is welcome, of course.

I purchased mine from www.subaruparts.com for $379.96 and had it installed by Exeter Subaru for ~$280. I can't say enough good things about how helpful Exeter was during this process. They rule.

The clutch itself engages much quicker than the stock unit and requires a lot more force to depress. This takes a little getting used to, but IMO is far from undriveable in heavy traffic. The friction disc is the same as the OEM Exedy part and therefore has similar slippage properties, only with the ACT pressure plate, the range where the clutch slips is much smaller and requires more left leg strength to properly modulate.

All in all, it's a very good clutch for a car that's going to be making much more power than stock and a totally liveable replacement for the stock unit. It is harder to depress than stock, but rumors of it's ON/OFF switch properties are greatly exaggerated. If you want OEM, _do_not_buy_this_clutch_. If you're willing to work a little harder (after a couple traffic jams, I really didn't even notice the clutch pedal being difficult to push) it is a good replacement with all the benefits of stock slippage properties. I'm not a burly guy in any sense either. WaC also has this clutch and feels the same way about it and he's about as un-burly as they come :D

Anyway, just my 2cents.

I am soooooo glad to hear a good review on this clutch. I am still torn between a clutchmasters stage 1 and ACT. What I am worried about is with the stock gears, could they break if the heavier clamping force of the ACT is not managed properly (under hard driving). Are you worried about this? Have you heard of such problems?:) :confused:

The ACT pressure plate does bite harder, but it really all depends on your driving style. If you abuse your transmission, I'm sure you could make it fail with the stock clutch. I wouldn't say that you'd need to excerise extreme care when shifting with the ACT -- just be reasonable and allow for a smooth engagement. It's not hard to drive it well.

If you're wondering how it will handle abusive driving, it will do exactly what its supposed to: transfer power from the flywheel to the transmission... and pretty quickly. Bottom line is: the clutch won't break your transmission -- you will.

im just wondering
but doesnt that seem like alot of money for a clutch install to anyone?

No, clutch installs take altot of time. I actually expected an install to cost more than that.:cool:

When installing a new clutch, is this a good time to install a lightened flywheel? As in reducing overall install costs?

Anyone have recommendations on a lightened flywheel compatible with the ACT clutch?

I don't know, I was thinking of getting a jun flywheel and an ACT clutch. I dont know how well that will work though.:confused:

If you can, and have the money.....replace the Flywheel with a lighter one when you have this install done. Might as well since everything is opened up anyways...wish I would have.

I will be doing this exact mmd sometime in the near future. My ACT clutch is on the way from SubaruParts and I have a lightweight flywheel from iSR that I bought a few months ago. All that's left is to get the clutch and get an install.

But like you said, do them all at once while you're in there.

I love mine, Its definetly abrupt, until you get used to it. I love the sloid pedal feel, lack of chatter and NO slipping. Cant wait to put my Turbo on next spring, this clutch will be perfect

Must remember to take it easy on second now though, I can see how this clutch could kill your drivetrain.

After 30K the clutch started slipping......ooops....i tried the ACT stage II clutch, Street Strip. Feels good on the pedal and smooth engagement. However, when i tried to launch hard there is this funky sweet smell, not the typical scent i get from the old clutch. I think that it is the kevlar material they used. the only complaint i have is that while the clutch pedal is disengaged there is a small squeeking noise and kinda vibration from the pedal. Is this normal. I am thinking that it will "break"in but still nothing has changed. the nosie and that slight vibration i am used to and the performance is greeat. Beside the slight noise i am very happy with this clutch. i got over 60k on the odo now and still no slipping.....yummy

I've got an ACT clutch, it was on my car when I bought it, and it was the first car I owned with a manual tranny, so now I'm used to it and every other car I drive feels weird. I barely notice my stiff clutch in traffic, and I drive in traffic a lot. I only wish my seat were more comfy

Sometimes I wonder if my clutch line or fluid is up to the task of putting enough oomph to the presure plate. Sometimes it feels like it doesn't want to get out of gear when I'm trying to shift. I'm thinking about getting the STi-wannabe braided clutch line from Z-1 Performance, and some good synthetic brake fluid so there will be less flex in the lines.

I wish my car's transmission felt more like my bike's. I think my standards are too high.

-scott-

Originally posted by scotty305
I've got an ACT clutch, it was on my car when I bought it, and it was the first car I owned with a manual tranny, so now I'm used to it and every other car I drive feels weird. I barely notice my stiff clutch in traffic, and I drive in traffic a lot. I only wish my seat were more comfy

Sometimes I wonder if my clutch line or fluid is up to the task of putting enough oomph to the presure plate. Sometimes it feels like it doesn't want to get out of gear when I'm trying to shift. I'm thinking about getting the STi-wannabe braided clutch line from Z-1 Performance, and some good synthetic brake fluid so there will be less flex in the lines.

I wish my car's transmission felt more like my bike's. I think my standards are too high.

-scott-

LOL! I know exactly what you mean. I borrowed my friend's car that has an ACT clutch w/ extreme pressure plate. It was weird at first, but when I went back 2 my car, it felt as if my clutch was a lil piece of paper. :p The pedal stiffness isn't as bad as some people say. It's very easy to get used to. I've heard nothing but good things w/ this combo so far. We'll just see if it stands the test of time. ;)

bump for more reviews

I have the ACT stage 1 clutch and resurfaced flywheel and I love it. Got use to the stiff pedal feel after some city driving and a trip to south carolina. Brake in period is crazy felling, taking it easy as if it was a new car for a little under 500 miles and once the clutch pedal is half way released you can feel this bad boy wanting to grab hard, kind of a scary feeling as if you dont want to drop the pedal out to fast, afraid of braking the 02 trans lol. Fix the clutch shudder of my stock 02 clutch also.

I have this clutch along with the ACT streetlite flywheel and I love it!!! I was slightly confused when I first got it in, expecting more stiffness in the pedal from all the people ranting about the stiffness!! The pedal feel is not bad at all. People on here either exagerate too much or are just plain sissy's!! I think its a great clutch....

Oh yeah, I got that SS line from Z1 when I got my clutch. The line doesnt fit all that well and has since then been removed cause there were signs of leaking under the clear plastic sleeve on the SS braiding. It didnt seem to make that big of a difference either!!

I drove my friend's '01 with a stage 2 ACT clutch and street (or lighter!) fly. Granted, I only drove for 2 occasions 20 minutes each. But, it felt great. Not too stiff at all for an enthusiast. And, some how it still managed to make the WRX and STI clutch seem sissy. Hard to explain.

I can see a minor draw back in heavy traffic, but... For it being someone else's car, which I rarely get to drive, I was concentrating on shifting as SMOOTH AS POSSIBLE. This should take a lot of energy. To be honest, I really enjoyed it and my leg was not tired. I would not be affraid to do this to my daily driven WRX. If you like driving you should like this clutch.

whoops... old post. I'll admitt it. I was bored.

I have heard that the 02/03 wrx have a weaker transmission and are not meant to use an upgraded clutch. can anyone prove or disprove this?

^I have the exact same question as him. I'm looking at an ACT WRX Heavy Duty Street Disk Clutch for my 02 wrx. It has a torque capacity of 411 ft/lbs(more than i need right now) but I am looking at much further upgrades so i figured why not get it ahead of time. My stock clutch is currently slipping so time for a new one. I got 80K good miles out of it though, i was very happy. I was also wondering about about the life of the ACT clutch.

i'm running the act street disc w/ heavy duty press. plate.i had horrible slippage w/ the stocker.when my buddy & i dropped the trans. the clutch was pretty beat up.
as far as the act goes pedal feel is a little firmer than the stock.but after a few drives isn't very noticable.the only thing i wish i did was install a act streetlite flywheel when i did my clutch.
i am gonna get this clutch again when the times comes.

I have read that the gears in the 03 and 02's are not as strong and more prone to breaking.

On another note,
I destroyed my clutch doing rallyx like 5 months. Replaced it with the act street and streetlite flywheel. I have been completely happy with it the entire time. Engages alot quicker, not as stiff as I think everyone makes it out to be, but it is stiffer than stock. Beware though, I live in California and traffic happens everyday out here. You will want to kill yourself after being stuck in traffic for more than an hour with this clutch.

-Albert