Hi,

I've contacted Darkside Developments and CG Motorsports with regards to changing my DMF and clutch but I'm getting conflicting and confusing information. Darkside say a stock DMF and Clutch kit for £385 is sufficient unless running more than 200bhp where they would then recommend an upgraded kit for £625. They would only recommend an SMF if running 230bhp or more. CG on the other hand gave me a price for an SMF and Kevlar Clutch kit for £625 and said their DMF kits are £875.

What I want is the reliability and endurance of an SMF and the refinement of a DMF but is there a kit out there that can do this at a sensible price. I don't see the point in putting the same DMF and Clutch kit back in when they are likely to go wrong again, it's false economy!

The car is a 2005/55 2.0 tdi PD 140 remapped to 185bhp.

All suggestions and experiences welcome,

Matt.

Here's a link to another post I started on a similar topic but hasn't really gone anywhere:

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/270455-clutch-and-flywheel-change/#entry3202154

There's are SMF conversion kits on ebay but I have no idea if they are any good, has anyone on here done a 2.0 tdi SMF conversion?

Edited 7 April, 201313 yr by billywhiz040480

I fitted a SMF conversion kit to my 1.9 CDTi 150 Astra and it was hideous.

You have to remember that a DMF is a lot heavier than the SMF equivalents and if no balancer shaft is fitted onto the crank then the noise and vibrations through the car will be horrendous!

I only ended up doing it after reading all the VAG diesels that had success with SMF conversions.. however it seems as thou the engines they were completed on (e.g. 1.9 PD130 engines) must have a balancer shaft on the crank due to the engine being old tech... I very much doubt the 2.0 TDi would have this, but would be worth doing some research into..

Ye I've heard the SMF conversion works well for the vag 1.9 tdi but I don't know anyone that has done it on a 2.0 tdi, I guess an uprated dmf and clutch is the way to go.

I have an smf on my pd170. It's ok. Chatters quite badly at idle most of the time but you can silence it by dipping the clutch and letting it back out. For your remapped pd140 I'd just get a standard dmf kit.

I have an smf on my pd170. It's ok. Chatters quite badly at idle most of the time but you can silence it by dipping the clutch and letting it back out. For your remapped pd140 I'd just get a standard dmf kit.

So no matter what SMF kit I buy ill get a vibration in neutral even though I'm hearing that with springs now in the clutch plate as apposed to being on the DMF itself can provide the same refinement with an SMF as a DMF but with added strength, endurance and peace of mind it won't go wrong again? Does that make any sense coz I've confuzzled myself lol?!

You'll never match the damping effect of DMF springs with springs in the clutch plate.

After all, the springs in the clutch plate are quite small and only allow a small amount of movement.........If you search google for a dismantled DMF, you'll see the springs in it are massive and encircle the entire inner part of the flywheel....if the engine damping has been designed around a DMF, you're always going to struggle to get similar refinement with a SMF.......I think this is the case with the 2.0 TDI PD engine.

You'll never match the damping effect of DMF springs with springs in the clutch plate.

After all, the springs in the clutch plate are quite small and only allow a small amount of movement.........If you search google for a dismantled DMF, you'll see the springs in it are massive and encircle the entire inner part of the flywheel....if the engine damping has been designed around a DMF, you're always going to struggle to get similar refinement with a SMF.......I think this is the case with the 2.0 TDI PD engine.

Well on that information it seems like an SMF on a 2.0 tdi is not really a sensible option if you want to retain refinement. Would you say it's financially viable to go for an upgraded DMF over an OEM stock kit and does it really make that much difference? I've been quoted £385 for OEM and £625 for upgraded DMF kits with Darkside Developments, is it worth the difference in price?

I've been quoted £385 for OEM and £625 for upgraded DMF kits with Darkside Developments, is it worth the difference in price?

A very good question. How long is a standard DMF likely to last on a PD140 mapped to 185 BHP?.......I suppose it depends how you drive it.

A friend of mine had a Mk5 Golf 140PD mapped to 170 bhp and he put a standard clutch and DMF in it after the old one failed. He got 30,000 miles out of the standard DMF before it started giving trouble.

On that basis, considering the labour costs to replace the DMF/Clutch, perhaps it would be wise to pay for the uprated DMF.......the extra cost may be well worth it if you have to fork out for another standard DMF in a year or two. But how long do you plan on keeping the car?....that is another factor to consider.

Its a 2005/55 reg with 65k on the clock and still in very good condition, I only use it for work and running around so don't ssee the need to get rid coz its a great car. Ill have to have a little think and weight up the two options, my only reserve is whether the upgrade kit is likely to last or are these companies saying they are more durable just to make a quick buck?!

my only reserve is whether the upgrade kit is likely to last or are these companies saying they are more durable just to make a quick buck?!

True.....If you knew the upgraded DMF would last 100,000 miles, you wouldn't hesitate......but it's an unknown quantity. You really need to hear from someone who has fitted the uprated DMF.....might be worth searching around Mk5 Golf and Audi A3 forums to see if anyone there has.......both these cars share the Octavia's engine/drivetrain.

Fair enough I can't comment about the 2.0, but what you've said certainly doesn't ring true with the 1.9PD. Both my 1.9 Octavias are SMF converted, and neither has suffered at all from the conversion.

Yes.....a lot of success with 1.9 conversions.....I would do it myself to my 1.9 TDI Fabia when the time comes.

As for why there has not been the same success with the 2.0 TDI.....I'm not sure. The DMF on the 2.0 seems to have a central role in dampening vibration compared to the 1.9.......I've read elsewhere this is because the 2.0 has a light weight crank compared to the 1.9?

Either way, hardly any 2.0 TDI owners take the SMF plunge, and those that do report mediocre results.

More torque means more vibration.

Yep, I can only conclude that it's the engine's higher power and torque outputs that are playing a part here. Although I can't think why this would come into play when the engine's ticking over, in neutral!

I was pessimistic about SMF conversions, especially seeing (and experiencing) some in the Mk1 Fabia vRS - vibration, chatter et al. But the SMF conversions Mike has on his 1.9 PD105s are remarkable and if I ran that engine I'd have absolutely no hesitation in making the swap.

Personally, for my 'PD140' I've had no problems. I replaced the clutch and release bearing when I remapped and the DMF is still operating just fine, currently at 95k miles. Does absolutely depend how you use it, and how you drive though. Probably more so than any other component on the car. I've seen ruined DMFs at less than 30k before and that can really only be down to driver operation. Not withstanding mechanical failure of course, but I've never seen that proven in the knackered low mileage ones I've been aware of.

In summary, I think you're getting conflicting advice and information, as well as different components and costs being suggested, because it's not a common path to take on the 2.0 TDI VAG engine.