Performance Mercedes 280 clutch kits are an important thing to have if you want to add more power to your vehicle. The simple explanation of why is that your factory Mercedes 280 clutch can't 'handle' performance upgrades, and so if you plan to add more power, you also need a performance clutch to handle the power. The performance clutch itself adds no horsepower, but it enables you to handle the power and is necessary if you plan to do a lot of performance modifications to your vehicle.

A lot of performance clutch manufacturers dub their clutches with a stage number (i.e. Stage 1, Stage 2, etc). Generally, Stage 1 Mercedes 280 clutch kits are good to use if you've got basic bolt-on performance upgrades, such as an intake, header, and exhaust. The Stage 1 would be a good match for a set-up like that. It goes up the ladder, with a Stage 5 clutch generally being the highest, and being strictly for race use. You would have a hard time driving a car around town on the streets if you had a Stage 5 clutch in it.

When you install any Mercedes 280 clutch assembly, make sure the flywheel surface is extremely clean. If there is even a small amount of grease on the flywheel when you bolt the clutch assembly up to it, then you will likely have slip and need to re-install it.

Q: What does a clutch kit do? Why buy a performance clutch kit?
A: Clutch kits are used for upgrading the holding power of your factory transmission and clutch setup. If you decide to haul heavy loads or add extra horsepower to your car, you will need a high performance clutch upgrade to handle of the extra stress. You can only make a limited number of horsepower upgrades before you have to upgrade your clutch. A performance clutch gives your car the capacity to handle the increased horsepower and torque.

Q: How do you install a clutch kit?
A: We recommend you get a clutch kit installed by professionals since dropping the transmission is usually necessary in order to install a clutch kit. Once the transmission is off of the block, you remove your stock setup and slip on the new kit using the clutch alignment tool. It's always imperative to make sure that surface of the flywheel is as clean as possible when mounting it back up to the clutch, to prevent any slipping during shifts.

Q: What all does a clutch kit include?
A: Most clutch kits include the clutch itself, pressure plate, pilot bearing, throw-out bearing and the clutch alignment tool. Flywheels are sold separately on our website.