Acura has consistently fared well in quality and satisfaction surveys done by a global marketing information firm, which conducts independent and unbiased surveys of customer satisfaction and product quality. The Japanese-bred luxury carmaker's good showing in the automotive market can be attributed to Acura's reputation of producing cars with impressive levels of luxury, features, and performance. The latter one is guided by a slew of premium Acura parts. One of these parts is the Acura pressure plate.
An Acura pressure plate's main function is to apply pressure on the clutch disc for the transfer of torque to the transmission. When coupled with the clutch disc and flywheel,the pressure plate delivers the power from the engine to the transmission. There are two primary improvements that high-performance clutches deliver. These are increased holding power and the ability to deal with increased heat.
There are basically three major types of pressure plates currently offered in the market, namely the long style, the Borg & Beck, and the diaphragm. Each of these types offer different kinds of performance. The long pressure plate is identified by the three thin fingers that engage the release bearing. Under the pressure plate cover is a series of nine coil springs. This design is mainly used for drag race applications where the static load can be adjusted separately from centrifugal load. The Borg & Beck style has a huge similarity with the Long style. It is often considered as the street version of the Long style pressure plate and can be identified by the wider three fingers that release plate pressure by compressing the coil springs found under the pressure plate “hat.” The diaphragm pressure plate, on the other hand, uses a single, large Bellville-style spring to load the pressure plate. It loads the pressure plate evenly since the pressure is equally applied to the entire plate assembly. As a result, holding the clutch pedal is much easier.
Pressure plate problems may cause different problems to the other car parts. Clutch clutter, for example, may be due to damaged pressure plate release levers. Clutch slippage, meanwhile, may be caused by damaged pressure plate-clutch drag. Because of these risks, Acura's pressure plate must be maintained regularly.
Tags: customer satisfaction, three fingers, global marketing, marketing information, automotive market, luxury features