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life of a 3 shoe

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hotrodrob

hotrodrob

not hotdogbob
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RC Driving Style
  1. Bashing
So i bought a hot racing 3 shoe aluminum clutch which i used on a 3.3, I've been hearing a pinging sound at idle and whenever the truck gets moved so i pulled the motor and inspected, What I've found is melted down shoes and uneaven wear almost like my cb is tapered also aluminum from the shoes fused to the cb,so i guess the 30 dollar question is How long do they last,and is This normal for a halve gallon through it.
 
Its got a halve of a gallon at best on it including the break-in ,and some easy runnin,i still have an old composite 2 shoe thats been through a couple engines that will still work, just seems like something is wrong here ya know.
 
oh ok i read the post wrong,i thought it said a gallon

was the clutch bell shimmed properly?
improper shimming is the most common cause for premature clutch shoe failure
 
Some of the cheaper ones will glaze and slip causing overheating and pre-mature wear. I've been through this myself, and all I can say is you either buy extra shoes or scuff them after every few tanks of use.
 
Aluminum clutch shoes require maintenance, they mushroom and need to be filed down, aluminum will stick to the clutch bell and needs to be cleans out.
Like ckeast420 said, the clutch shoes need to be shimmed properly or they will stick and wear unevenly, make sure the holes on the shoes are not elongated causing the shoes to tilt.
 
Any suggestions for better clutches,also thanx for the info fellas i didnt know they aré a high maintenance upgrade,.......... How about a composite three shoe anyone know about that
 
My self and a lot of other guys on here use buku composite clutch, I have about 2 gallons on it and I can't see any wear on it and you can adjust it like you want with out having to replace any springs.
 
I have recently had a set going bad and has been taking out clutch bearings. The biggest problem i had with the composite material was them breaking around the area the pin goes through. And this last set i can't say how long they would have lasted cause my cb fell off half way and ate them up. But my first set of hot racing shoes lasted alot longer than a gallon. And what do u all mean by shimmed properly?
 
So the front of the bell doesn't rub against the front of the clutch shoes, if it does you need to ad a small shim between the bell and the flywheel nut to get that small amount of spacing.

If the face of the clutch bell does rub the front of the clutch shoes it creates extra heat in the shoes which leads to premature mushrooming of the shoes and reduced clutch shoe life and more maintinace needed.
 
Last edited:
Yeah it's tricky getting them just right, one problem is the shoes tend to creep forward, regardless of shimming. A good setup like the M2C comes with a nut that has notches for the spring to sit in. I filed notches into the stock nut for my Integy clutch and it's working quite well for me.
 
Anyone know How to load pics from a smartphone,i would like to show u all,
 
Ya i to took a dremal and made a small notch around the flywheel nut and has worked well for me to.Is there a clutch shim kit u can buy? Cause i tried to put one of the delron washers , i beleieve thats what u call them, but anyhow it made it to tight to put one on the shaft b4 the E clip.
 
Is the notch supposed to help keep the shoes from walking outward ,holding the springs in place?
 

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