Abstract. Multinucleon transfer probabilities and excitation energy distributions have been measured in 16,18 O, 19 F + 208 Pb at energies between 90% -100% of the Coulomb barrier. A strong 2p2n enhancement is observed for all reactions, though most spectacularly in the 18 O induced reaction. Results are interpreted in terms of the Semiclassical model, which seems to suggest α-cluster transfer in all studied systems. The relation to cluster-states in the projectile is discussed, with the experimental results consistent with previous structure studies. Dissipation of energy in the collisions of 18 O is compared between different reaction modes, with cluster transfer associated with dissipation over a large number of internal states. Cluster transfer is shown to be a long range dissipation mechanism, which will inform the development of future models to treat these dynamic processes in reactions.