Clutch shudder a while back, now clutch slip. DBW: Upgraded DMF an option?

2001 Jetta GLS. 5-speed. 32000 miles.
Upsolute. No snow screen. Stealth EGR reduction.

I got UPped last fall, and immediately had the clutch shudder that seemed to indicate that the DMF was slipping. But after a month or so, my power seemed to dial back (adaptive ECU??) and the shudder went away.

Last week, I de-screened my intake, and thought I noted an increase in power. A couple of days later, I noted an unmistakable clutch slip in 3-4-5 gear. Example: in 5th gear, punch it at 2200 RPM, and the engine mushes quickly to 2500 RPM; let off, and the RPM go to 2300 RPM.

So, (having sold my unused G60/VR6 combo that was sitting in the garage, and not really liking the clatter of the G60/VR6 setup anyway) is there a NON-G60/VR6 upgraded clutch option for me? A while back, Drivebywire was working on an upgraded DMF clutch; has anything come of that?

Who in DC/Northern VA/MD area would you use to install the clutch?

Thanks in advance.

Ken

Originally posted by InDiesel Exposure:
...A while back, Drivebywire was working on an upgraded DMF clutch; has anything come of that?...

Ken

Click to expand...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Hi Ken, I was one of the testers of the DMF upgrade. We used my original parts to see if the upgrade would work w/o replacing the disk and pressure plate. Although mine held well for some time, my slip has now returned.

I do think that the upgrade would work if using new parts, but for roughly the same cost in parts, I'll be switching to the G60-VR6 setup for the mere facts that it's tried-and-true, and I can't afford to purchase two clutch setups when I know one will do.

I know that there's a few other DMF testers out there, but I haven't heard a recent update on their experiences. Keep in mind that my clutch had been slipping for 26k miles prior to the upgrade, the other testers used new parts. All you should take from my findings is that you should NOT reuse your old components if doing the upgrade.

Hope that helps you some... Drop Pete a line for more info.

Thanks John.

Still a little cryptic to me, as to what the mod was to the DMF/stock clutch.

I heard Rich's VR6/G60 clutch at idle, and it sounds a lot noisier than I am used to. Frankly , I like the fairly refined aspect of the stock car, and am not looking to increase the interior noise level.

So I was hoping that there might be a way to tighten up the clutch action without increasing the noise in the car.

Ken

Originally posted by InDiesel Exposure:
Thanks John.

Still a little cryptic to me, as to what the mod was to the DMF/stock clutch...

Ken

Click to expand...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Ken, I wish I were at liberty to explain what the modifications involve, but I'm sworn to secrecy.

What I can tell you is: There is a very good chance that by doing the modification with *new* clutch components, you could run happily along w/o running into slippage any faster than you would with a G60-VR6 clutch.

I personally would prefer to retain my DMF *if* I knew that the upgrade was bulletproof. Considering that there is far less data to prove the longevity of the DMF upgrade vs. the G60/VR6 clutch, I need to (financially) choose the most tried-and-true setup myself. I'm honestly still at odds about giving up on the DMF upgrade. My position about 'jumping ship' is quite simply influenced by the lack of $$$ and Risk I can afford to take to continue with the DMF test.

I again encourage you to drop an email to Pete. I'm sure that his data on this topic is better than what I'm able to share with you.

Hope that helps you some....