It just allows your engine to be producing more torque before it's pulled down by the drive train. I don't know if it wears more or less.
Regarding engagement, the thicker spring causes the shoes to engage at a higher RPM (due to the centrifugal force being applied). The same principle holds true for the alloy shoes, Because they are lighter than stock they will also engage at a higher RPM. Thus stock with 1.0 spring would engage earlier than alloy with same springs/ You probably know this but just in case...
Tuning your clutch can be easy when you consider the two factors that are used to determine
when to engage. These factors being the engine power and the available traction. Power is obvious. as the same clutch will engage at different stages within its powerband. "Good or bad" engagement is defined based on how the shoes interact with the bell. The traction is defined obviously by how the tires interact with the surface,
Have you ever run your truck on the street and then notice how it sounds different on grass or dirt? This is because the setup is favoring one of those surfaces based on the traction it can get. So it's absorbing/using more power on one surface (or losing/wasting more on the other surface---depending if you are a half full or half empty person). Some find it easier to think in terms of waster power (half empty) as it's easier to identify.
If the engagement period is is
too late in the RPM, you'll notice the tires inability to grip its surface. The tires RPMs will be too much causing slippage, ballooning tires and you'll hear the engine lag at high RPM. So you can either spring down, use heavier shoes, better tires for the surface, use a heavier flywheel, or a weaker engine, or even change the angle of the clutch spring tail. All properties that effect it.
On the other end of the spectrum if your springs are too thin and you
engage early in the power band, you can draw too much load from the engine due to the shoes "too early". Meaning there is little power in the lower RPM range and if you have good traction the clutch is essentially 'further ahead' than the engine. Usually you can hear this when the engine goes monotone early its the power-band. So you can either reduce traction or spring up, or use a less powerful engine, etc.
So, the idea is for the clutch to
balance this and avoid slippage (engine lag) or too much draw on the engine by enraging too early.
All this---assuming that your shoes and bell are in good condition (the shoes aren't slipping on the bell)
Ironically the stock shoes are heavy, the engine relatively weak for the vehicle weight and the springs are ..9mm. This pretty as early engagement as you can get...it's good for mud and thick dirt, but not pavement.
Finally, the spring tension (engagement rpm) does not affect the shoe lifespan (that wold be noticeable anyway) Obviously shoe types are the determine factor, (alloy wears down faster than composite vs carbon, etc. I have quite of the Max Life they are decent shoes....the name is just a marketing gimmick they don't seem to last any longer than Mugen, LST, OFNA, Werks, or any other aftermarket alloy in my experience (regardless of spring tension)
Remember though this is just "engagement". How the shoes interact with the bell
after it's fully engage is what's really noticeable based on shoe types, It;s hard to tell shoe type based on engagement level.
Definitely more info than you probably wanted, but perhaps others can draw some intel from here to help with whatever issues they might be encountering.
