Have a customer that called about a Monster GT. He says he can hold right onto the clutchbell and it won't move when throttled up. Ok the shoes must be worn out. Now I could have SWORN I'd seen somebody that made a alum shoe kit for the MGT but can't find it now. Will a typical set of 1/8 alum clutch shoes work with the MGT or does it need something specific (they look similar to me)? If yes, what manufactures shoes would you recommend (Ofna, HPI, other?). What kind of lifespan can you expect out of the typical alum clutch setup (shoes, clutchbell)?

Personally, I would never buy aluminum shoes. They glaze over the clutch bell and require more maintenance. The BEST clutch you can use for bashing or racing is the Fioroni Slider. The shoes are massive and the springs are protected, so they rarely break. Here's a link to a pic of one:

http://ratraceway.com/ipw-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=678&sid=b1fba8fc17a44ab00f7062696b981be3

If you don't want the "name brand" you can go with the XTM, which is nearly identical in every way, and the spring is designed for a monster truck. The XTM setup costs like $26, while the Fioroni is $70. I've used both, and they both are excellent for MT's and 1/8 buggies.

It may not even be the shoes that are wore out, I've had springs break and lock all three shoes up so they don't engage. Just have to tear it down and find out...but the slider type clutches have extremely low maintenance and great reliability.