A cone clutch engages a conical flywheel for a stronger lockup than a flat clutch. It requires less pedal depression to shift and wears less due to the cone shape. It can be rebuilt and reused, and its strength eliminates the need for a flywheel, allowing for faster acceleration.
A cone clutch is a type of clutch that uses a conical friction surface that engages a conical flywheel, engaging in a locked position. The wedge act of the cone clutch on the cone-shaped flywheel produces a much stronger lockup than a flat clutch and flat flywheel. Used in early automobiles, this type of clutch is now found primarily in high-performance racing applications, as well as offshore racing boats.
One of the benefits of this type of clutch is that you don’t have to fully depress the clutch pedal to shift the transmission. Unlike a typical flat clutch system that requires full pedal depression to release the clutch from the flywheel, the cone clutch requires only partial depression to break the clutch friction bond and allow for easy shifting. In racing applications, this often means a speed advantage. On offshore racing boats, this can mean quicker acceleration from the plane.
A clutch provides grip through friction, and wear is a byproduct of this friction. As the clutch material is allowed to slide against the flywheel, the clutch material wears. In a cone clutch application, less material is worn due to the nature of the cone being drawn into your cone shaped flywheel. The need to depress the clutch pedal all the way down to shift means less slippage between gear selections, resulting in less wear.
One factor that makes the cone clutch system popular in racing applications is its ease of reconditioning. A cone clutch can be rebuilt and reused many times instead of replacing the clutch with a new unit. The materials used in the typical flat clutch are much lighter than those used in a cone system. Where the clutch disc in a flat system is made from very thin, lightweight steel, the cone unit is made from heavy, solid steel machined to the correct tolerances.
The strength of this type of clutch unit eliminates the need for a flywheel. By packing the entire clutch unit into a smaller rotating mass, the vehicle can accelerate much more quickly and the engine can reach its full operating power level much faster than a flat clutch system model. In a racing application, this means the vehicle can accelerate faster out of a corner and reach its fastest power output abilities much faster than competitors without a cone.
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