Best Shelby GT500 Clutch Kits (2007-2014): McLeod Guide

A Shelby GT500 clutch upgrade is the first mod most owners make once the boost creeps up, and for good reason: the factory single-disc in a supercharged GT500 was engineered around 500–662 crank horsepower, not the 700-plus most cars make after a pulley, tune, and E85. When the OEM clutch starts slipping in third gear, a McLeod twin-disc clutch kit is the proven fix. In this buyer's guide we compare the three McLeod twin-disc kits we stock for the 2007–2014 GT500 — the RST, the RXT, and the RXT 1200 — so you can match holding capacity to your power level without overspending or over-clamping the pedal.

Why Does the Shelby GT500 Need a Clutch Upgrade?

The GT500 makes big torque from the factory, and torque — not horsepower — is what a clutch actually has to hold. The 2007–2009 cars ran a 5.4L supercharged V8 rated at 500 hp and 480 lb-ft. Ford bumped that to 540 hp / 510 lb-ft for 2010, 550 hp / 510 lb-ft for 2011–2012, and finally 662 hp / 631 lb-ft for the 2013–2014 5.8L "Trinity" cars. Every one of them routed power through a Tremec TR-6060 six-speed manual with a 1-1/8-inch, 26-spline input shaft.

The problem is headroom. A common pulley-and-tune package adds 80–120 wheel horsepower and even more torque, and E85 or a bigger blower pushes many street GT500s past 700 rwhp. At that point the stock organic single-disc simply runs out of clamp load and starts slipping under boost — usually in the higher gears where cylinder pressure peaks. Once it slips, it glazes, and a glazed clutch never comes back. Upgrading to a twin-disc restores clamping force and adds a real safety margin so you can use the power you paid for.

Single-Disc vs Twin-Disc: What Changes on a GT500?

A twin-disc clutch splits the job across two friction discs instead of one. That roughly doubles the friction surface area, so the clutch can hold far more torque without needing a brutally stiff pressure plate. The practical payoff on a GT500: you get 800–1,200 hp of holding capacity while keeping pedal effort close to stock — something a single-disc puck clutch of the same capacity cannot do. McLeod builds its Ford twin-disc kits around the factory 1-1/8-inch x 26-spline TR-6060 input, so they are a direct bolt-in with no transmission modifications.

McLeod offers the GT500 twin-disc in three clamp/friction levels. The RST is the streetable, budget-friendly kit rated to 800 hp. The RXT steps up to ceramic friction discs and a 1,000-hp rating for cars that see track and street duty. The RXT 1200 is built for extreme, high-boost combinations and holds 1,200 crank horsepower. All three include the pressure plate, discs, floater plate, and alignment tool, and our GT500 kits ship with a matching steel flywheel.

McLeod RST: Best Value Twin-Disc for Street GT500s

The McLeod RST is the smart starting point for a stock-to-lightly-modified GT500. It is an economically priced twin disc rated to 800 hp, which comfortably covers a factory-power car or a pulley-and-tune build in the 550–650 rwhp range. You get twin-disc durability and a manageable pedal for daily driving at the lowest price of the three — right around the $1,195 mark in our store.

McLeod RXT: Our Top Pick for Street and Track

The McLeod RXT is the clutch we recommend for the widest range of GT500 owners. It upgrades to ceramic friction discs and a 1,000-hp holding capacity, giving you real headroom for a built short block, a bigger blower, or repeated track and drag-strip abuse — while still driving like a street car. For a supercharged GT500 that already makes 600–750 rwhp, the RXT is the sweet spot between the value RST and the extreme RXT 1200, and it lands around the $1,495 mark.

McLeod RXT 1200: Best for High-Boost, Built GT500s

When a GT500 has a built engine, a big single or twin-turbo setup, or a serious blower on E85, torque climbs past what the standard RXT was designed for. The McLeod RXT 1200 was designed for exactly those extreme applications, with a 1,200 crank-horsepower holding capacity. It uses the same twin-disc, bolt-in architecture as the RXT but with the clamp load to keep a 900–1,000-plus rwhp GT500 hooked up without slip.

Don't Forget the Flywheel

Every McLeod GT500 clutch kit above ships with a matched steel flywheel, so you are covered on the 2007–2009 cars. If you are servicing a 2010–2014 GT500 — or want a fresh, correctly balanced flywheel on the bench — McLeod's 17.5-lb steel flywheel for the 5.4L modular GT500 is the direct-fit answer. It uses the factory 8-bolt crank pattern and 164-tooth ring gear, and steel construction gives smooth, predictable stoplight launches versus a lightweight aluminum unit.

McLeod GT500 Clutch Comparison

Here is how the three McLeod twin-disc kits for the Shelby GT500 stack up. Match the holding capacity to your peak power at the wheels, leave some margin for boost, and you will not have to open the transmission again.

Fitment, Install and What to Expect

All three McLeod kits bolt to the factory Tremec TR-6060 six-speed with its 1-1/8-inch, 26-spline input shaft, so there are no transmission modifications. Because they include the flywheel and pressure plate, plan on a full clutch job: the transmission has to come out, and it is the right time to inspect the pilot bearing, throw-out bearing, and rear main seal. Most shops budget 6–8 hours of labor for a GT500 clutch swap. Twin-disc clutches also need a proper break-in — McLeod recommends around 500 gentle street miles before hard launches so the discs seat and hold to their full rating.

Expect a slightly firmer pedal and a more mechanical feel than the OEM clutch, especially with the ceramic RXT and RXT 1200. That is normal for a twin-disc and the trade-off for holding serious torque. At our Tampa, FL shop we always match clutch capacity to a customer's dyno-verified wheel torque and future power plans — over-clamping a mild street car just makes it harder to drive, while under-clamping a built car costs you a second clutch. If you are unsure which kit fits your build, our team can help before you buy.

How to Choose the Right McLeod Clutch for Your GT500

The single most useful number when picking a clutch is your peak torque at the rear wheels, not advertised crank horsepower. Get a baseline dyno pull, add margin for boost and traction, and match a kit that comfortably exceeds it. As a rule of thumb for the Shelby GT500: a stock or bolt-on car up to about 650 rwhp is well served by the 800-hp RST; a built or bigger-blower street/track car in the 650–750 rwhp band is the RXT's home turf; and anything running a race blower, big turbo, or heavy E85 tune past 900 rwhp belongs on the 1,200-hp RXT 1200. Under-clamping costs you a second clutch and another transmission-out labor bill, while over-clamping a mild car just makes the pedal harder to live with in traffic.

Also weigh how the car is used. A weekend cruiser that occasionally hits the strip wants the smoothest twin-disc engagement it can get away with, which favors the RST or standard RXT with organic-friendly manners. A dedicated drag or road-course GT500 that launches hard and repeatedly prioritizes the ceramic RXT and RXT 1200 for their heat capacity. Whichever you choose, all three keep the factory TR-6060 spline and include the flywheel, so you are buying a complete, direct-fit package rather than piecing parts together.