Sachs SRE vs South Bend stage 3 endurance review

[Ital]

Hi All, I had the misfortune to try both clutches thus here is my review.
I have a 2016 GTI PP STAGE 2 APR and it is a daily driver. I do not track the car thus the winner for me is the Sachs SRE

That said the South Bend STAGE 3 endurance did just about everything better. If I used the car for track, the South bend would be the clear winner.
Chatter is about the same with both clutches so that is not a reason not to get the South Bend

#1 reason for me is - shuddering

With the Sachs I can release the clutch slowly and it is very smooth in traffic and daily driving, it is just a better daily driver all around.
It seems to hold power well, either way I bought the kit from fcp euro and they have life time free replacement, and I am ok with that, however I am hopping with proper brake in it should hold the power fine. I've put about 800 miles on the new clutch, and just started to do some pulls with it and it feels very similar to stock

Pros for South Bend:
Hard take offs it just grabs harder
Changing Gears a bit smoother
Grabs very low which makes for fast gear engagement and shifting

Cons for South Bend
shuddering
gear noise at low RPM
always have to rev to at least 1500 rpm for better take off
Reversing is almost impossible to achieve without shuddering

Pros for Sachs SRE
No shuddering
easy take offs and smooth revers
Much better in traffic
quieter, no gear noises, a bit less chatter
shifting better than stock clutch, but not better the SB

Cons for Sachs SRE
Hard take offs are a bit softer, meaning with the SB between when you feel engagement and the car fully grabbing you need like 1/3 on an inch with Sachs is about 1 inch
you have to install a clutch stop with this one as it grabs high so it makes a bit more difficult to switch between gears quickly.

I wanted to get the SACHS SRE 4 years ago, but back then there was very little dealer support for it, thus the reason I went for the south bend was because I thought it would be a one time deal and it is true for the most part. I was just unlucky that the inner disk with the springs broke, it was not due to wear as the disk still was in great conditions

I hope my experience helps others to make an educated decision. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[snowmon]

I know it's been 2 years already but which one would you choose now as a long term owner? Long story short, my goal is to get EQT tune stage 2 with full E85 and it's recommended that I get an aftermarket clutch. So these two are my choice as of now and I do most of my driving on 17 miles freeway and 13 miles back road total of 60 miles commute to work and back home, about 2 hours total. Do you still recommend SB? Also how is the performance difference? Every reviewers online only talks about noise and chatter but they NEVER talk about the performance difference which I think is the most important, appreciate any feedback thanks!

 

[Daks]

I know it's been 2 years already but which one would you choose now as a long term owner? Long story short, my goal is to get EQT tune stage 2 with full E85 and it's recommended that I get an aftermarket clutch. So these two are my choice as of now and I do most of my driving on 17 miles freeway and 13 miles back road total of 60 miles commute to work and back home, about 2 hours total. Do you still recommend SB? Also how is the performance difference? Every reviewers online only talks about noise and chatter but they NEVER talk about the performance difference which I think is the most important, appreciate any feedback thanks!

Don't get the endurance, get the SB 3 Daily.

 

[Nineeightyone]

I know it's been 2 years already but which one would you choose now as a long term owner? Long story short, my goal is to get EQT tune stage 2 with full E85 and it's recommended that I get an aftermarket clutch. So these two are my choice as of now and I do most of my driving on 17 miles freeway and 13 miles back road total of 60 miles commute to work and back home, about 2 hours total. Do you still recommend SB? Also how is the performance difference? Every reviewers online only talks about noise and chatter but they NEVER talk about the performance difference which I think is the most important, appreciate any feedback thanks!

I went a little less aggressive with upgrades but also on SB 3 Daily and now that I've had it for ~2000mi, it's amazing. It grabs nicely, isn't SUPER stiff (initial break-in was very stiff compared to what I'm used to, now it's barely stiffer than OEM) but holds the power well. Shifts are smooth and I feel there's a bit of reduction in rev hang, I also have some gear noise but not awful, going to do BFI mounts this spring to hopefully tighten things up further but it's all-around been a delightful experience thusfar.

 

[snowmon]

I went a little less aggressive with upgrades but also on SB 3 Daily and now that I've had it for ~2000mi, it's amazing. It grabs nicely, isn't SUPER stiff (initial break-in was very stiff compared to what I'm used to, now it's barely stiffer than OEM) but holds the power well. Shifts are smooth and I feel there's a bit of reduction in rev hang, I also have some gear noise but not awful, going to do BFI mounts this spring to hopefully tighten things up further but it's all-around been a delightful experience thusfar.

Does the turbo spool up faster as well compared to factory clutch?

 

[snowmon]

Don't get the endurance, get the SB 3 Daily.

Do you have experiences with both? I saw on forum Endurance is louder but less stiff, Daily is quieter but more stiff

 

[Daks]

Do you have experiences with both? I saw on forum Endurance is louder but less stiff, Daily is quieter but more stiff

It's not that stiff, I have been driving with it for two years now, I don't notice a difference. If you're not tracking your car, get the daily, it will last longer.

 

[Subliminal]

I know it's been 2 years already but which one would you choose now as a long term owner? Long story short, my goal is to get EQT tune stage 2 with full E85 and it's recommended that I get an aftermarket clutch. So these two are my choice as of now and I do most of my driving on 17 miles freeway and 13 miles back road total of 60 miles commute to work and back home, about 2 hours total. Do you still recommend SB? Also how is the performance difference? Every reviewers online only talks about noise and chatter but they NEVER talk about the performance difference which I think is the most important, appreciate any feedback thanks!

If you're thinking about going with SB check out the ACT Street clutch too

 

[snowmon]

If you're thinking about going with SB check out the ACT Street clutch too

All sold out on their website and Googling didn't return with any for MK7.5 GTI facelift version. Do you have a link?

 

[Subliminal]

All sold out on their website and Googling didn't return with any for MK7.5 GTI facelift version. Do you have a link?

Looks like these guys still have it in stock, although it says 15-17 Golf R but will work for a 7.5 GTI too https://throtl.com/products/act-hd-...DJSI4l_cYkxH5J_FGiUlbvVwDhERfW1RoCujoQAvD_BwE

I bought mine from MAPerformance, they're sold out but have a better item description imo - https://www.maperformance.com/products/act-street-clutch-kit-2015-2017-vw-gti-golf-r-mk7-vw9-hdss

edit: nevermind, that first link looks like it's available but i just noticed it said doesnt ship until april 19th - sorry

 

[Nineeightyone]

Does the turbo spool up faster as well compared to factory clutch?

Honestly, I don't have the means to answer that at the moment -- I have my EQT stage 1 logs pre-clutch, but I didn't log afterwards and have since made some other changes that could potentially impact results. All I can offer is subjective input, but I'm very pleased with the SB3D.

 

[Ital]

If you are going South Bend I have the single mass flywheel from the south ben stage 3 endurance in great shape, like new.
I ended up getting the sachs performance clutch which has less chatter and better for stop and go traffic. I can just roll off the clutch without giving it gas with this set up.

 

[Subliminal]

I don't think SMFW affects spool speed but going stage 2, as well as upgrading catback and intake will make the turbo spool faster/harder

 

[ITGUY]

SB Stage 3 shutters except when driving or with the clutch pushed in.. But it sure does grab and make driving a whole lot nicer.. just keep the volume up and you'll be ok.. lol

 

[Jose_Gti]

I have the Sachs Hibryd (before I had the regular -non hybrid Sachs- and I can say it’s 20% harder than OEM but 0 chatter, it’s the closer to OEM experience that you could have and mine is rated to 500pd of torque.