AMR clutch and flywheel first impressions
Discussion
My clutch decided to stop working after running probably 150 laps at the Supercar event last month. It had around 20,000 miles on it but had been used fairly assertively both by me and the previous owner.
As can be seen from the above the clutch was very worn indeed. I'd always had in my mind that when the clutch went I'd upgrade to one of the aftermarket options available from the likes of David Appleby engineering and Bamford Rose. I had assumed that AMR would be very expensive but was pleasantly surprised at the £3.2k price for the clutch and flywheel package (fitted inc VAT). This represents a lower price than either of the aftermarket options available. Add to this that my local dealership is only 20 minutes away and the decision was made. Whether this package is 'better' than those available for slightly more money is difficult to say without having driven all of them.
The AMR components certainly look shinier.... According to the Aston Martin technician, the clutch looks similar to the V12 item although didn't say it was the same. I'll let someone more qualified than me make that definitive statement. They also said that the flywheel was different to the V12 and others they had seen.
So far I've only driven the car back from the dealership and my first impressions are that it is very light in feel. It will take some getting used to where the bite point is, but ultimately will make it easier to drive especially on longer runs and in traffic. I haven't spent enough time driving it yet in mixed conditions to make any conclusions about the flywheel, but will post back when I have done in a week or so time.
A
As can be seen from the above the clutch was very worn indeed. I'd always had in my mind that when the clutch went I'd upgrade to one of the aftermarket options available from the likes of David Appleby engineering and Bamford Rose. I had assumed that AMR would be very expensive but was pleasantly surprised at the £3.2k price for the clutch and flywheel package (fitted inc VAT). This represents a lower price than either of the aftermarket options available. Add to this that my local dealership is only 20 minutes away and the decision was made. Whether this package is 'better' than those available for slightly more money is difficult to say without having driven all of them.
The AMR components certainly look shinier.... According to the Aston Martin technician, the clutch looks similar to the V12 item although didn't say it was the same. I'll let someone more qualified than me make that definitive statement. They also said that the flywheel was different to the V12 and others they had seen.
So far I've only driven the car back from the dealership and my first impressions are that it is very light in feel. It will take some getting used to where the bite point is, but ultimately will make it easier to drive especially on longer runs and in traffic. I haven't spent enough time driving it yet in mixed conditions to make any conclusions about the flywheel, but will post back when I have done in a week or so time.
A
I've now had a few runs in the car including an extended drive to the Lake District and back on a mixture of motorway, dual carriageway and A roads.
The clutch is much lighter. I can genuinely say as easy to use as 'insert name of generic family car' clutch. This is great for around town driving and motorway queuing as it saves the left leg a great deal. This does however mean that the biting point is slightly more difficult to find as there is less mechanical feedback through the clutch when you have it. To start with this led to me nearly stalling it once or twice, but I am now used to it.
The revs of the car definitely go down quicker after releasing the accelerator which should notionally give better gear change times. It would be interesting to drive a standard car again and see what the difference is, something I may do with friends soon.
Given the fact I needed a new clutch anyway, I'd say that assuming you plan to keep the car for a while this is a worthwhile purchase. My hope is that it will not need changing again during my ownership although time will tell. If I hadn't needed a new clutch I don't think I would advise people to bother upgrading unless money is no object purely because of the price.
The clutch is much lighter. I can genuinely say as easy to use as 'insert name of generic family car' clutch. This is great for around town driving and motorway queuing as it saves the left leg a great deal. This does however mean that the biting point is slightly more difficult to find as there is less mechanical feedback through the clutch when you have it. To start with this led to me nearly stalling it once or twice, but I am now used to it.
The revs of the car definitely go down quicker after releasing the accelerator which should notionally give better gear change times. It would be interesting to drive a standard car again and see what the difference is, something I may do with friends soon.
Given the fact I needed a new clutch anyway, I'd say that assuming you plan to keep the car for a while this is a worthwhile purchase. My hope is that it will not need changing again during my ownership although time will tell. If I hadn't needed a new clutch I don't think I would advise people to bother upgrading unless money is no object purely because of the price.
911ssc said:
So of the 3 lightweight / twin plate clutch kits ( BR , DA , AMR ) you are saying they are all different ? , if so without causing a debate is one better than the others . I doubt you would have the option to drive back to back all 3 spec so what are the differences ??
Cheers
I don’t think anyone has done the comparison, but I would be happy to donate my car to a 3 way test assuming I could drive the other two too.Cheers
Gassing Station | Aston Martin | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff