Clutch plates Verto types, including injection.

1 December 2000

There is only one original Verto/Valeo clutch plate and is fashioned more like a ‘conventional’ clutch plate - it has a sprung centre section. Four springs around the centre section of the plate take up shock, and supposedly reduce the likelihood of judder. It was an attempt by Rover to improve the clutch take-up and engagement to make is more like a 'modern' car. Except it didn't. The engagement feels woolly at best, and judders horribly at worst. They even went as far as making two plates, one for small-bore, one for big-bore. The difference being the centre spring tensions!

From experience, judder is caused by undulating flywheel/pressure plate surfaces, or ‘breakfast cereal packet’ lined non-genuine plates. It's OK, but if any warming up of the engines output is considered, definitely go for the pre Verto plate. This will fit with the Verto set-up and is a cheaper into the bargain. The Metro Turbo had a Verto flywheel type, but the clutch had the more familiar solid centre of the pre Verto assembly. Guess that illustrates the break-point in capability quite nicely - the Turbo unit putting out 90-95 lb ft of torque.

Whilst it is entirely possible to fit any of the other up-rated/performance clutch plates to the Verto/Valeo set-up, they simply won't work because the diaphragm spring arrangement will not provide sufficient clamping pressure.

Useful part numbers:

GCP204AF	Standard per Verto plate, 180mm diameter
GCP90311AF	Standard small bore plate Verto/Valeo, 184mm diameter
GCP90832AF	Standard big bore plate Verto/Valeo, 190mm diameter