Competition Clutch Kit, 90-91 Civic CRX

Competition Clutch Kit, 90-91 Civic CRX

If the clutch in your 90-91 Civic or CRX is slipping every time you dump it into second, or you've got an EF 1.5 or 1.6 that's been driven harder than a stock disc can take, the Competition Clutch kit for the 1990-1991 Honda Civic and CRX (part family 8012) is the cable-clutch fix. You're on an EF-chassis 1.5L or 1.6L, not a 92-up hydraulic Civic (that's 8022), and you pick Stock (8012-STOCK), Stage 1.5 (8012-1500), Stage 2 (8012-2100), or Stage 3 (8012-2600) based on how you actually drive.

What It Is and Why It Works

Stock (8012-STOCK) is Competition Clutch's OE-style organic full-face kit. It matches original torque capacity and factory pedal feel, per manufacturer, so it's the daily replacement when the clutch is worn and the motor is still stock or running basic bolt-ons. Stage 1.5 (8012-1500) keeps that full-face organic disc and a stock-like pedal, but Competition Clutch rates it at about 30 to 40 percent more torque than stock. Don't run Stage 1.5 with a turbo, supercharger, or nitrous. That's the street step up when you want more hold without going ceramic.

Stage 2 (8012-2100) is the street-to-occasional-track step. The spec table lists an organic full-face disc. The product body says about 40 to 50 percent more torque and a slightly firmer pedal. The Stage 2 tab on that same page says Brass Plus with alloy backing and up to 80 percent. Both claims are on the manufacturer page, so we're not picking a winner. It's still a single-disc street kit, not a ceramic paddle. Stage 3 (8012-2600) is the 2600 Series street/strip kit: a segmented ceramic disc on a performance pressure plate, rated at up to a 150 percent increase over stock per manufacturer. Ceramic holds more heat, so it won't glaze the way an organic disc does on repeated launches, but you'll feel a narrower bite and some chatter.

Each kit includes the pressure plate, one disc, an alignment tool, a pilot bushing, and a throwout bearing. A flywheel is not included. Generic Stage 3 copy that mentions a billet flywheel is boilerplate. Trust the spec table.

Specs

Available Options

Fitment

This kit is for 90-91 EF Civic and CRX 1.5L and 1.6L cable cars only. It doesn't fit a 1992-2005 Civic (that's the hydraulic 8022 family). It doesn't fit a later CRX or a del Sol. If your Civic is a 92-up car, stop. 8012 will not bolt to that transmission.

What to Know Before You Buy

Be honest about how you drive before you jump to Stage 3. Ceramic engagement is grabby. There's a narrow slip zone, the pedal is heavier than stock, and you'll get some low-speed chatter, especially in reverse. If the car is stock or mildly bolted on and you daily it, Stock or Stage 1.5 is the kit you'll actually like. Stage 2 is the middle: more hold than 1.5, still a full-face street disc per the table. Stage 3 is for an EF that's making heat at the strip or seeing boost.

Take the 500-mile break-in seriously. Shift often, stay out of launches, and let the disc bed into the flywheel and pressure plate. Skip it and you'll glaze the material and blame the clutch. The flywheel isn't in the box, so resurface yours or replace it while the transmission is out.

While you're in there, inspect the clutch cable, the rear main seal, and the throwout arm. On an EF those parts are usually original, and a stretched cable makes any of these kits feel worse than they are. If a turbo kit is in the plan, buy Stage 3 for the car you're building, not Stage 1.5 for the car you have today.