Dirtyd0g said:
It just so happens I am very good friends with the owner of factory tech transmissions. They stopped using alto clutches for a reason maybe you should look into it a little better. Alto clutches are relined with cheap red paper. They are total crap. Would you alike a picture of one with 3000 miles on it that is half peeled I can help you there. The "kolene" steels you are talking about I am very familiar with. They aren't too bad I just don't like that they are so thin. The best frictions you can buy are dynax 850 lining. That is the black (high carbon,graphite) material. Do some reading on it and you will see what I am talking about.
Alan
well i guess it depends upon who you ask. every tranny builder in this town has a different opinion. many trans shops from here to jacksonville fla buy parts from a large trans parts supplier here in valdosta. they buy both of these brands along with others. here is some info straight off the alto site
Clutches fail in Hi-Performance applications due to excessive heat. Our specially designed original Red Eagle® clutches withstand higher temperatures than any other clutch available. Friction paper is saturated in a phenolic resin and cured.
Red Eagle® clutches are not only saturated in a phenolic resin but have a second saturation in a silicate. The silicate imparts high heat resistance to the friction paper.Red Eagle® clutches are designed with a softer, more resilient base paper.
Red Eagle® clutches assure less wear against opposing steel plates.
Red Eagle® clutches reduce the incidence of steel plates burning and warping.
The "slipping" of the friction plate against the steel plate causes a great amount of heat to be generated. Our original Red Eagle® material is designed to limit the amount of "slip" by providing a shorter lock-up time, generating less heat.
Original Red Eagle® clutches are designed to dissipate oil without the necessity of an oil groove. The original Red Eagle® clutches increased surface area provides:
Increased surface area for increased holding
Increased surface area for increased heat absorption
Increased surface area for shorter lock-up time - decreasing "slippage"
here is info on the kolene steels
® is a salt bath nitriding process. In generic terms, it is a thermochemical diffusion process, whereby ferrous parts are processed in molten salt with a specific nitrogen potential. In plain English, it provides a surface treatment that enhances wear and fatigue resistance from 200% to 500%.
Kolene Steel Plates
Kolene® plates are higher heat resistant and offer increased lubricity.
Kolene® is a registered trademark of Kolene Corporation.
they work pretty good for this guy
i also yahoo'd dynax america, which is a small subsidiary of dynax japan with 240 employees in roanoke va. that being their only office in the US. they dont post any website or any other way to get clear info on their clutch material. i will keep searching though.
martins transmissions, right here in valdosta 229 244 0675. i urge anyone to give greg or craig a call. they build 1000's of transmissions yearly and are cool guys who are willing to help anyone out. good advice. greg built every AOD i ever had the pleasure of destroying. out of 7 trannies. i tried raybestos clutches on my first, they lasted 2 oil changes. never had trouble with the alto's or the kolene's. never had the money for fancy shafts, so i mostly broke those....and exploded a drum....and fried a couple cheap 10" converters...and cracked a case...none of which were ever gregs fault.
id like to also profess that i am not a tranny builder. i only know what i do from my limited personal experience and hanging out at martins, which is right down the road from the house
also athe trans parts house here in valdosta is daytona trans warehouse -229 242 9338 gary is the owner
EDIT found a little info on dynax america
EXEDY (SHANGHAI)
FRICTION MATERIAL CO.LTD.
Block M6, Shanghai Comprehensive Industrial Zone, Shanghai, China 201400
TEL:86-21-5743-4136 FAX:86-21-5743-4257
i did find out after a a little research that dynax also makes OEM frictions for the allison chevy auto's only as far as gm goes, and ford buys a lot of OEM clutches from dynax america. must be good stuff
im not sure who factory tech is. i couldnt find them on the ATRA members list nor could i find them on the transmission part directory
http://www.transonline.com/TOBuyersGuide/LocationInfo.cfm?LocationID=3160, so i couldnt agree or disagree with what they say or dont say
HEY just found factory tech. they dont have any power ratings other than "well as long as you dont hook it up to a jet engine, its pretty indestructable" they sell what looks to be the smae converters, billet plate, rollerized, triple clutch converters for about 400 more than PATC. not saying they arent better, but they have no real specs on the site
if you do know greg, tell him to post up some specs man!
here are some links for those who may be curious
http://www.transmissioncenter.net/aod.htm
http://www.transmissioncenter.net/aode.htm
http://www.factorytechtransmissions.com/
http://www.transonline.com/TOBuyersGuide/CompaniesByCategory.cfm?CategoryListID=5&Category=Clutches
http://www.altousa.com/
http://www.atra-gears.com/