The main feature of the 4 pad cerametallic disc is excellent heat dissipation capacity.
Under extreme conditions, such as drag racing and aggressive street driving the driver abuses the clutch excessively. This type of use tends to cause the clutch to overheat. On the 4 pad disc the increase of pad area in contact with pressure plate reduces overheating on the surface of pads. This also helps the pad life last longer than the 3 pad disc thanks to the larger contact area to the pressure plate and flywheel.
On the other hand, 4 pad discs have more weight than a 3 pad disc which creates more inertia when compared to that of 3 pad disc. Since a 4 pad disc creates more inertia shifting gears will feel slower. This is due to the slow synchronization in the transmission against engine rotation when the gear shift occurs. Note that the Exedy puck type discs still weighs less than competitor's discs due to the fact that Exedy's disc friction material is directly bonded to the drive coupling plate rather than riveted to a steel backed coupling plate on the drive plate.
Here is the comparison in inertia among the OEM, 3 pad disc and 4 pad disc. The 3 pad disc has the lowest inertia followed by 4 pad disc and then the OEM disc. Even though the 4 pad disc has more inertia than the 3 pad disc, the 4 pad disc still gives better shift feeling than the OEM disc. In addition, an EXEDY study has shown that the 4 pad disc has superior gear shift feeling when compared to the OEM Disc.
3 pad discs lower inertia by 20% compared to an OEM disc, which allows synchronization within the transmission to occur quicker than with the OEM disc. This helps driver shift gears smoothly and quickly.
If you are looking for a quicker gear shift, the 3 pad disc would be the best option. The 4 pad disc still gives you a better gear shift feeling than the OEM clutch with an excellent heat dissipation capacity which can result in longer clutch life.EXEDY Stage 2 (4-Pad Cerametallic Street/Strip Disc) Clutch Kit for
Mitsubishi 3000GT (2WD Non-Turbo) 91-99, Eclipse/Spyder Turbo 90-99, Eclipse (2.4L) 96-03 , Galant (2.0/2.4L) 90-97
Dodge Stealth (2WD Non-Turbo) 91-96, Colt Vista (2.4L) 92-94.
Eagle Talon (Turbo) 90-98, Summit (2.4L) 92-96
Plymouth Laser (Turbo)90-94
Note: Can handle up to 310ft/lbs WTQ.