# Review: TT-RS Sachs organic clutch kit



## Marty (Jul 14, 2000)

(First, thanks to the guys @ 034 for doing a great job on the install!)

I just got my car back after having a Sachs organic clutch kit installed (and an APR Stage 3, but that's for another thread…) and I've put a few hundred miles on it over the past few days. I re-used the stock dual-mass flywheel per the shop's recommendation (it had ~27k miles on it and was in great shape). I ordered the disc + pressure plate kit for ~$800 directly from Sachs in Germany, including ~3-day shipping. There was ~$25 in import duties due on arrival. 










*Pedal Feel*
The pedal is stiffer than with the stock LUK unit. If I had to guess, I'd say 30-40% stiffer. It's not difficult to operate, but it is noticeably stiffer. This gives me a sense that the Sachs pressure plate is applying more force to the clutch disc and should hold more torque.

*Engagement*
The Sachs unit engages right at the last bit of pedal travel when lifting off the clutch. It also engages over a very narrow range of pedal travel. This took some getting used to to drive it smoothly, as the stock clutch engaged sooner and over a longer range of pedal travel. The upside is that the clutch can be disengaged more quickly and it just takes a quick press of the clutch with a minimal amount of travel to shift. Once I got used to the new engagement point, stop-and-go driving was no problem. 

As suspected with an organic disc, there is no chatter during feathered engagement. This was my main reason for not going with the 4-puck metallic Sachs clutch kit that APR recommends. I know the 4-puck clutch would hold more torque, but it would chatter during engagement and have a reduced lifetime as the reduced friction material wears more quickly.

*Torque Holding*
After some initial break-in, the clutch held the APR Stage 3 91-octane torque without issue (484 ft-lbs of crank torque according to APR). I then put some higher octane fuel in and gave the 93-octane tune a whirl, and there appeared to be a few instances of clutch slippage in higher gears. But after those initial few instances, the 93-octane torque seemed to hold without issue (526 ft-lbs of crank torque according to APR). I suspect the initial slippage may have been due to the clutch to pressure plate and clutch to flywheels surfaces not being fully mated and worn-in yet due to the low mileage on the new clutch.

For those running Stage 2, the APR Stage 2 is listed at 476 ft-lbs of crank torque on 93-octane, so it's just shy of the Stage 3 on 91-octane (Stage 3 91-octane never slipped for me so far, knock on wood).

*Conclusion*
So far, it's hard to say for sure if the Sachs organic clutch kit reliably holds more torque than the stock LUK clutch kit, simply because I went from stock to APR Stage 3 w/ the Sachs organic clutch at the same time. I've also heard of instances of UK folks running the APR Stage 3 on the stock clutch on 93-octane equivalent and having it hold. Similarly, many folks seem to run Stage 2 on a stock clutch (which has similar peak torque to the Stage 3 91-octane) without issues, while some seem to report slipping. 

I'll have a better idea of the 93-octane torque holding reliability after the Thunderhill track event in mid January. I'll start with the 91-octane tune and work up to the 93-octane if everything goes smoothly.

Only time will tell if the clutch continues to hold well as the friction surfaces wear. The Sachs unit is not auto-adjusting like the LUK, so I suspect it will have a reduced lifetime. That being said, for a daily driving clutch that likely holds more than stock, the Sachs organic still appears to be the best option available.


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## Williamttrs (Mar 29, 2013)

Do you mind giving a ball park on what you spent on moving from stage 2 to stage 3? I will very interested to hear how things go for you over the next couple of months. Hopfully flawlessly. 27K seems to be a really good point to do stage 3. I have about 11K right now and it is hard to throw out a lot of almost new parts.


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## Marty (Jul 14, 2000)

Williamttrs said:


> Do you mind giving a ball park on what you spent on moving from stage 2 to stage 3? I will very interested to hear how things go for you over the next couple of months. Hopfully flawlessly. 27K seems to be a really good point to do stage 3. I have about 11K right now and it is hard to throw out a lot of almost new parts.


Let's save that discussion for the Stage 3 review thread.  But as a spoiler, total install labor was 34 hours (24 for the stage 3 and 10 additional for the clutch). Add that to the kit, HPFP, intercooler, and clutch, and it adds up fast. Gotta pay to play!  I skipped stage 1 / stage 2 and went right to stage 3, so no parts went to waste (other than stock).


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## R5T (Apr 7, 2010)

What is the torque rate for this clutch. ?


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## Marty (Jul 14, 2000)

R5T said:


> What is the torque rate for this clutch. ?


According to Sachs, this kit holds "550+ N*m", or "406+ lbf-ft". The "+" is the ambiguous part, and I can only assume that is a crank torque rating at the disc. Plus there is no equivalent rating for the stock clutch for comparison.


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## R5T (Apr 7, 2010)

marty said:


> according to sachs, this kit holds "550+ n*m", or "406+ lbf-ft". The "+" is the ambiguous part, and i can only assume that is a crank torque rating at the disc. Plus there is no equivalent rating for the stock clutch for comparison.


ok thx.


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## steelcurtain (Mar 26, 2008)

Thanks for the review Marty. I hope it holds up for ya and congrats on going stage 3!


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## Optimus812 (May 5, 2012)

Thanks for the review, I will probably go this route when my clutch goes with my stage II. I look forward to your stage III review and congrats!


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## OldKenzo (Aug 14, 2012)

Marty said:


> *Torque Holding*
> For those running Stage 2, the APR Stage 2 is listed at 476 ft-lbs of crank torque on 93-octane, so it's just shy of the Stage 3 on 91-octane (Stage 3 91-octane never slipped for me so far, knock on wood).


For what it's worth I've emptied three tanks of 100 octane on the APR stage 2 100 map so far and not noticed any slippage on my stock clutch and flywheel (15k miles). It is quite an enjoyable tune though


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## Marty (Jul 14, 2000)

OldKenzo said:


> For what it's worth I've emptied three tanks of 100 octane on the APR stage 2 100 map so far and not noticed any slippage on my stock clutch and flywheel (15k miles). It is quite an enjoyable tune though


Awesome! Luck of the draw, it appears. I was very tempted to just leave the stock clutch in there, or even put a new stock clutch in, given some Stage 2 and even Stage 3 owners were holding the torque. But with all the stage 2 owners that complain about slippage, plus the Sachs option existing, it was hard to go that route. Plus, APR assured me that the stock clutch would NOT hold, since they were getting slippage of the clutch on some Stage 2 testing.


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