Maintenance, Updating & Upgrading
Racing season is winding down, and you may be a little tired and ready for a break.
You’re probably planning to roll the car into the shop corner, but this is a great time to disassemble and evaluate which areas need maintenance over the winter break.
If you want to improve your performance in 2024, this is your opportunity to lay the groundwork for the upcoming season.
Clutch maintenance is critical to consistently achieving high performance and safety in your racing program. The clutch system is a wear component that sees extreme heat and fatigue over time. These components must be inspected, repaired, and replaced regularly, as fatigue or normal wear takes its toll.
The early off-season (November and December) is a perfect time to take advantage of rebuilding service here at RAM or for any other race car components that need attention, updated, recertified, or upgraded.
We encourage people to get these parts to us early to avoid the early spring rush (you know, that friend of yours who waits until the week before the race and decides he needs to send his clutch for rebuild and needs it back yesterday!)
Purchasing a Used Clutch System
Caveat Emptor… “buyer beware.”
There are many used clutch systems units out there floating around, and some of them are very old.
Don’t just assume that because an ad states they are selling a RAM clutch in ‘new’ condition or ‘just serviced,’ it’s ‘in tip-top condition.’
Ask the seller some very specific questions, like:
- Are you the original owner of the unit?
- When did you purchase the unit?
- What is the application being used in? Is this combination similar to yours?
- Which flywheel crank pattern and balance is the unit? If you have to change the flywheel out, it might not be a good value.
- What is the condition of the clutch discs? How many runs? Overall thickness?
- When were the heat shields (inserts) last replaced?
Ask the seller for the SFI dates or certification card details of the assembly if available.
If the unit is over five years old, we recommend avoiding it regardless of the price. When you send it to us to be recertified, it will likely need significant repairs or upgrades that exceed the value of purchasing a new unit.
As technology advances, we are constantly improving all our racing clutch systems. You wouldn’t purchase a 15-year-old computer to run your business; why do that with a critical part of your racing operation?