Wondering what kind of clutch life you fine folks are getting on REPLACEMENT clutches.

The factory clutch in an n/a 240 seems to be good for at least 200K miles, even if you abuse the hell out of it. I always figured this was because the clutch is oversized relative to the output of the engine.

But, I am starting to think there is a little more to it than that.

Now, my understanding is that the OEM clutch was made by Sachs. Sachs still sells clutch kits for all years of 240 production, and the last one that I bought was, indeed, stamped with "Made in W. Germany" right on the clutch plate.

Buuuuutt.....the last two Sachs clutches that I installed in my 240's were toast after between 75K-100K miles. Noisy t/o bearings prompted their replacement, and the friction material was maybe 80% used up.

Which leads me to postulate that perhaps the original, mid 70s-early 90s Sachs clutches used cancer^^^^asbestos in their friction material, whereas the replacement parts one can buy 30 years on are made from something else that is not as hardy.

Thoughts?