David Appleby twin plate clutch and lightened flywheel :-)

[Jalfonse]

As you might remember I posted before Xmas that my clutch had gone and so I had a look around for replacement options and contacted quite a few people on here through PM to get feedback. I decided against replacing with a standard clutch and got in touch with BR and David Appleby about an uprated item. I checked out Appleby engineering and met David and James who gave me a full tour of their new facilities and a test drive of a vantage with the twin plate sintered clutch and lightened flywheel, and well, I was sold! I've had the chance to do a few hundred miles now and the difference is unbelievable, so light that you think there is no clutch connected and it does feel more responsive to throttle input and spins up much faster. I was a bit concerned that the sintered material version might be too aggressive to modulate but it really isn't and is very easy to control, the sintered version should last for years and as David says that he has used these for multiple seasons per clutch in the GT4 racing, should last many times longer than a standard item therefore.

While the car was there I had all the disks replaced as they were shot and James kept me up to date on whatsapp at each stage which was great, he also replaced various clips and wear sensors that had been 'left off' during previous services, free of charge!

Overall very happy with the work and the customer service and would highly recommend, enjoy the pics!

[Jalfonse]

You're welcome, it's good to share experiences good and bad, have a look at their setup it's impressive. I travelled around Europe, Africa and Middle East regions for 5 years reviewing engine dealer workshops and assessing dealer staff, facilities and overall capabilities, I know a good operation when I see one and was particularly impressed with the Appleby engine dyno, these things aren't cheap to install and maintain.


I should have got a pic of the control room with it's associated hardware and electronics.

[Jalfonse]

hanny1973 said:

I have also enquired. My question was is it worth the significant price difference?

It depends really, if you're not planning to keep the car I would get a clutch plate only, DA are the only people that offer this and it's a really inexpensive way of replacing a clutch, even my clutch which was badly worn could have been serviced this way. If like me you plan to keep the car I would say the improved drive ability and durability is worth paying for the twin plate, I think this is an AM OEM part btw, it had their logo all over it as you can see in one of the pics.

[Jalfonse]

burntout said:

I can only say good things too..... Great place.. great service and for performance upgrades, you really cant get better than from a company that build and develop "actual" race cars... They will know what works...

And the workshops are amazing... Some nice interesting cars when I was there, they were rebuilding the Lemans Aston... That was a real treat to see.....

You mean this beast?

[Jalfonse]

8Tech said:

As a clutch and flywheel manufacturer myself, those parts look fantastic and the throttle response far better as noted by the OP.

If the discs were original parts, I think I would have used some VHT paint on them to help reduce that corrosion around the bells and the edges as seen on the old discs. It also highlights the braking system visually too when painted black.



Clips and sensors left off previously!!!!!! Don't think I would be using them again then. Indie or Main Dealer?

Not sure who had left the bits and bobs off as this was prior to my ownership, not very good though I agree.
Those wheels and brakes in your pic look great what car is it and are those standard?

[Jalfonse]

AMDBSNick said:

Not uncommon it seems. Hence Bamford Rose will always service my car in the future

I would hope it would be very uncommon! Apart from being lazy and unprofessional it can be dangerous, I've used lots of indies and main dealers and never experienced this personally. This type of thing is more associated with amateur owner DIY.

Edited by Jalfonse on Thursday 9th January 20:30

[Jalfonse]

Oh dear, and when you think how much they charge an hour as well, shocking. To be honest I always search for good indies because they can't rely on people that go to main dealers 'automatically' and they must provide good quality work to generate positive feedback and future business. Just my personal view of course :-)

Edited by Jalfonse on Thursday 9th January 21:14

[Jalfonse]

8Tech said:

The discs are cross drilled standard discs and the wheels are aftermarket. Car is DB9 Volante.

They look great, have you any pics
That show the whole car, pop a couple up! :-)

[Jalfonse]

8Tech said:

Looks really good, beautiful car with very well chosen and tasteful mods!

[Jalfonse]

Welcome to the forum (as a contributor) you picked a nice easy topic for your first posting! timing is brilliant also, ahem, joking aside glad your happy with the work and everyone agrees the twin plater is a must have mod whichever supplier you ultimately choose.