Raybestos Red Clutches are available

[SemperTim]

So, Raybestos has actually done a run of the Clutches for the 6F55. Available at PATC:

6F55 Friction Clutch Pack

6F55 Stage-1 Red Friction Clutch Pack, 2013-On, RCPS-56. Shop On Our Website For More Raybestos Powertrain Products Today! Or Call Toll Free 1-888-877-1008!

transmissioncenter.net

And yes, they shipped and arrived at my house last week and are in a box for that "rainy day". This is after the last 2 years of having 4 orders be put on backorder and subsequently cancelled.

Now to figure out the differences as my 4 hours of research into the 6F50/55/6T70/whatever other version crossover with different steel thicknesses and issues.

 

[yaycandy]

Nice, they sent me an email not to long ago saying they we’re finally available. I forgot all about till now. Time to pull the 6f55 out soon, maybe over winter

 

[Ecoboost_xsport]

WTF?!

All that work we did to get this brought to market, it dies on the vine, then suddenly pops up again? Lol. I'm not complaining at all but my contact at Raybestos during all this never told me, lol. I never got any email either and have been on the waiting list forever, lol.

Check out these threads for the background story on these:

https://shoforum.com/threads/help-me-try-to-get-a-performance-part-made-for-our-platform.142595/

Raybestos...update and Call to Action, Let's Do This Again...

Spread the word... Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I have some concerns about the release of the friction clutches we had all been hoping for. So much so, that I think this demanded it's own thread instead of updating the previous one, which can be found here...

shoforum.com

 

[Shoplus80]

Since I have never done much transmission work what would you rate the difficulty of replacing the clutch’s?


Andrew J Szynaka
2012 SHO PP

 

[yaycandy]

Since I have never done much transmission work what would you rate the difficulty of replacing the clutch’s?


Andrew J Szynaka
2012 SHO PP

Have a shop do it. I dont want to say its hard but there are lots of things to be careful about and other things that can be changed out at the same time like the valve body which is surprisingly cheap and easy to do and you can swap in the traction concepts limited slip while the transmission is out

 

[Shoplus80]

Well in the future I will have to take that up as well as the LSD since that would be so cool to have. Thanks for the info.


Andrew J Szynaka
2012 SHO PP

 

[yaycandy]

Well in the future I will have to take that up as well as the LSD since that would be so cool to have. Thanks for the info.


Andrew J Szynaka
2012 SHO PP

May be better to buy a new or used 6f55 and have the work done and just swap them. While still keeping the original transmission stock.

 

[Shoplus80]

There a reason for that?


Andrew J Szynaka
2012 SHO PP

 

[yaycandy]

There a reason for that?


Andrew J Szynaka
2012 SHO PP

Its quicker to just replace the transmission. With shops these days you may be without a car for awhile if they need to remove it and do the work and reinstall it. Where you can save on transmission install cost if you have the internal work professionally done and then swap the transmission yourself. Many of us on here have taken the transmission out way more times than needed that we have good write ups on it

 

[Shoplus80]

That is something I will have to think about purchasing, what does a used trans usually go for?


Andrew J Szynaka
2012 SHO PP

 

[yaycandy]

That is something I will have to think about purchasing, what does a used trans usually go for?


Andrew J Szynaka
2012 SHO PP

3300$ new plus 1000$ core. So 4300$ plus whatever shipping is. Probably close to 5k$ new. They used to be 2k$ new

 

[802SHO]

I think it’s great they are finally making something. I wonder what materials are used and what does stage 1 even mean, what power are they rated for? By not disclosing that, does anyone know what they are buying other than the Raybestos name?

Helix AutoSport has been working on a set, for a fraction of the time, disclosed the materials and power the new materials are rated for, have been completely transparent throughout the whole process, working with 1-2 ppl not an entire group, not taking money orders and making ppl wait for nothing and so for me there’s no comparison to be made. It’s Helix AutoSport for me all the way.

I’m eager to learn how Stage 1 Raybestos fare for ppl. See you at the finish line.

 

[Ecoboost_xsport]

I think it’s great they are finally making something. I wonder what materials are used and what does stage 1 even mean, what power are they rated for? By not disclosing that, does anyone know what they are buying other than the Raybestos name?

Helix AutoSport has been working on a set, for a fraction of the time, disclosed the materials and power the new materials are rated for, have been completely transparent throughout the whole process, working with 1-2 ppl not an entire group, not taking money orders and making ppl wait for nothing and so for me there’s no comparison to be made. It’s Helix AutoSport for me all the way.

I’m eager to learn how Stage 1 Raybestos fare for ppl. See you at the finish line.

Hard to argue against your points. Very cool that Helix has stepped up and there's no denying their transparency. They will definitely be the "top shelf" product.

Though Raybestos doesn't seem to disclose what material they use, the Stage-1 is their entry level performance line. One step up from OEM. They do offer a GPZ line, the next level and then their "ultimate" Gen2 Blue Plate line (neither being offered for the 6F55).

Automatic Transmission Friction Clutch Plate Supplier | Raybestos Pt

Superior shift feel and performance and improved clutch life are just a few advantages of our friction clutch plates. Learn more about our OE replacement, enhanced performance, and performance racing premium friction technology.

www.raybestospowertrain.com

I think I've seen most street-performance vehicles use their GPZ line. Since Raybestos is only giving our platform the baby step, I will agree that the Helix plates will likely hold more. Sounds like they went straight to the top (probably equivalent to the Blue Plate-level Raybestos offers) instead of the Raybestos approach, giving us the baby step.

Unfortunately, were I am in my life, I'm afraid the Helix product may be out of my budget. I'm going to give the Raybestos plates a try and see how it goes, I can always upgrade later.

If you think about it, it's still pretty cool that a company as large as Raybestos (despite some peoples opinions about them) did eventually get a product to market based solely off the grass roots efforts of a few of us getting together and asking them to.

I can't argue that Helix won't be the superior product, but now it seems we have options, which is a win for everyone, especially with this niche platform. At least I believe that.

 

[802SHO]

Hard to argue against your points. Very cool that Helix has stepped up and there's no denying their transparency. They will definitely be the "top shelf" product.

Though Raybestos doesn't seem to disclose what material they use, the Stage-1 is their entry level performance line. One step up from OEM. They do offer a GPZ line, the next level and then their "ultimate" Gen2 Blue Plate line (neither being offered for the 6F55).

Automatic Transmission Friction Clutch Plate Supplier | Raybestos Pt

Superior shift feel and performance and improved clutch life are just a few advantages of our friction clutch plates. Learn more about our OE replacement, enhanced performance, and performance racing premium friction technology.

www.raybestospowertrain.com

I think I've seen most performance vehicles use their GPZ line. Since Raybestos is only giving our platform the baby step, I will agree that the Helix plates will likely hold more. Sounds like they went straight to the top (probably equivalent to the Blue Plate-level Raybestos offerd) instead of the Raybestos approach, giving us the baby step.

Unfortunately, were I am in my life, I'm afraid the Helix product may be out of my budget. I'm going to give the Raybestos plates a try and see how it goes, I can always upgrade later.

If you think about it, it's still pretty cool that a company as large as Raybestos (despite some peoples opinions about them) did eventually get a product to market based solely off the grass roots efforts of a few of us getting together and asking them to.

I can't argue that Helix won't be the superior product, but now it seems we have options, which is a win for everyone, especially with this niche platform. At least I believe that.

I’d bet Raybestos Friction Red are much better than OEM. And I know Raybestos clutches are your baby that you worked hard to help bring to market. I get it. Raybestos is cheaper too.

Same scenario for me just with Helix, I’ll see it through to the end.

Win win, 2 products to choose from

 

[802SHO]

Hard to argue against your points. Very cool that Helix has stepped up and there's no denying their transparency. They will definitely be the "top shelf" product.

Though Raybestos doesn't seem to disclose what material they use, the Stage-1 is their entry level performance line. One step up from OEM. They do offer a GPZ line, the next level and then their "ultimate" Gen2 Blue Plate line (neither being offered for the 6F55).

Automatic Transmission Friction Clutch Plate Supplier | Raybestos Pt

Superior shift feel and performance and improved clutch life are just a few advantages of our friction clutch plates. Learn more about our OE replacement, enhanced performance, and performance racing premium friction technology.

www.raybestospowertrain.com

I think I've seen most performance vehicles use their GPZ line. Since Raybestos is only giving our platform the baby step, I will agree that the Helix plates will likely hold more. Sounds like they went straight to the top (probably equivalent to the Blue Plate-level Raybestos offerd) instead of the Raybestos approach, giving us the baby step.

Unfortunately, were I am in my life, I'm afraid the Helix product may be out of my budget. I'm going to give the Raybestos plates a try and see how it goes, I can always upgrade later.

If you think about it, it's still pretty cool that a company as large as Raybestos (despite some peoples opinions about them) did eventually get a product to market based solely off the grass roots efforts of a few of us getting together and asking them to.

I can't argue that Helix won't be the superior product, but now it seems we have options, which is a win for everyone, especially with this niche platform. At least I believe that.

Who tested them I wonder or are they just so good bc they’re Raybestos, no testing needed? For me they are a day late and dollar short. Shift better, last longer, take out word for it, not any actual data. It’s kind of a joke, at least to me

 

[Ecoboost_xsport]

Who tested them I wonder or are they just so good bc they’re Raybestos, no testing needed? For me they are a day late and dollar short. Shift better, last longer, take out word for it, not any actual data. It’s kind of a joke, at least to me

How is it a joke? The 6F55 application hasn't been tested specifically, I'm sure. But I'm 100% certain they don't test every single transmission they offer a friction material in. I'm sure they test the materials itself in various applications that exceed what we will probably ever put down. They infer that it will work across other platforms as well in their research process. This is pretty standard practice for many products and companies, not just Raybestos. There's no way a company can test every single variation out there. Could there be issues when someone finally gets it into the 6F55? Sure...I guess that's always possible. I'm not advocating Raybestos over Helix, I'm just saying that keeping an open mind is prudent. It's just more options.

As for it being my baby, it really wasn't. It was all of us, yourself included, that got together and tried to get a big company to do something for us...and it worked. We should ALL be patting ourselves on the back. Let's do this for other products! I know Helix is your baby as well, and pretty much single-handedly. I give credit where it's due. Just like the flex plate @bpd1151 got to market. Being able to do that by yourself is pretty awesome. And again, I'm not arguing Helix won't likely be the superior product. The legacy of the Raybestos plates remains to be seen. They could very well turn out to be crap, in which case...I'll eat humble pie and accept your "I told you so", LOL.

 

[802SHO]

It is funny in terms of marketing a product untested, not validated in any way shape or form, just merely an extension of the promises associated with those red friction materials, from how **** everyone is about data, it is kind of funny that no such data is required bc it’s coming from Raybestos. I mean is it not? And it’s risky as it’s not rated for any certain amount of power, if and when it fails…how could they bare any responsibility when it’s not stated what they’re rated for? It reminds of all the times no one accepted its better, bc I said so. But thats where we’re at with these clutches right? Or maybe I got it wrong.

I’m just a guy like you, objectively it’s great man, that Raybestos is finally making good on old promises. I don’t know if one is better than the other. It’s not very surprising either that they’re now coming out with something. In the end everyone wins. Best of luck to anyone that uses their products.

 

[TJ SHOnuff]

I’m not a transmission guy. Were the clutches the weak link? I’d heard that the other hard parts (gears, etc.) were the issue?

 

[Ecoboost_xsport]

I’m not a transmission guy. Were the clutches the weak link? I’d heard that the other hard parts (gears, etc.) were the issue?

Clutches are the current weak link.

 

[TJ SHOnuff]

Clutches are the current weak link.

So when my tuner speaks to the transmission not being able to “SAFELY” handle more than 500whp (20+psi), he’s referring to the clutches? How much boost/whp can I make with my SHO? Stock clutches? Upgraded clutches? Thanks!