Stage 1 or heavy duty clutch

Hello all! Lurked herefor many years and have gained valuable knowledge on tinkering with my toy! I am now seeking some tribal knowledge and/or opinions on clutch replacment options for my truck.

So, the truck is a 02 V6 4x4 5spd, 230k miles one the dash. My clutch is finally giving me the signal of needing replacment (intermittent burnt smells, occasional TB chirp).
I'm babying it and trying to source a replacment asap!

This truck is my daily, almost never offloaded other then logging roads. I commute only 10 minutes in stop and go city traffic currently.
I occasionally am hauling 1-2 dirtbikes plus gear and/or camping supplies. I also tow boats across town for my shop, although they are typically the smaller ones.

In the NEAR FUTURE, I am planning on picking up a small single axle trailer to tow (jet skis, dirtbikes, camping ect), as well as adding a rooftop tent or micro camper.

With all this in mind, would it be wise to go with say a heavier duty (stage 2) clutch kit like Marlins 1200lb, or stay with a 'stage 1' oem equivalent like aisin/luk/excedy. I've only known the feel for this clutch, so cant say I'd prefer anything different, but I've got strong legs so a stiffer pedal isn't a fear hah!

I will be doing all the labor (full shop, all the tools and lifts available) so trying to work within a sub $400 budget for parts.

For a few dollars more, Would it also be a good idea to go with a new flywheel? If so what brands are out there besides luk? I've heard OEM flywheel in these trucks are great, and to look into getting it resurfaced.. part of me wants to have a new FW and get the old one re surfaced for the next clutch down the road.

Any and all advice is appreciated! This forum is great and you guys definitely have a trove of good ideas!
-Ron

 

Yes

Yes

I put a luk in mine and have no complaints.

 

Welcome aboard new member

 

My stuff has pretty new clutches but if i needed a new one it would most likely be a Marlin Crawler kit

being these are hydraulic clutches pedal effort never changes .The pedal feel can change due to things effecting the hydraulics

It comes down more to clutch use or abuse then what make.
granted the high performance type handle the heat better

 

That’s interesting, I bought the marlin 1200pb kit for my swap and have been driving the stock clutch in the donor and have been waiting to see how the clutch pedal would feel after. I was expecting it to be slightly harder to depress.

Also to the OP, I would suggest getting Aisin for clutch and pressure plate. Which marlin included in their kit. As for a flywheel, marlin sells them for like $100 but I opted for LCE engineering heavier 30lb flywheel. I don’t think you would need the heavier flywheel unless you are towing a lot or Offroad a lot. But just for DD the extra weight wouldn’t really add much of a advantage.

 

A hydraulic clutch is not powered, it just transfers the energy more smoothly and with less friction than cable clutch linkage. A heavier clutch will have a stiffer pedal feel. It takes more energy, and your foot is the only thing providing the energy. You might not notice the difference, but that doesn't mean there isn't a difference.

 

I stand corrected to me they all feel the same compared to the mechanical linkage clutches I was used to