Advice needed - new manual driver with abrupt/grabby clutch

[FDSpirit]

I use that method for every other car I've driven with a manual. I no gas a few times to get familiar with where the clutch engages, and then go about my normal launch procedure.

[RITmusic2k]

Welcome to the site, and here comes my official chastisement for the pictureless nature of this thread. Show us your beautiful car!!

Everyone here has already said the stuff I had wanted to touch on, but I'll reiterate just to encourage you - my car has a very touchy setup, and once I got used to it, I prefer it's precision to just about every other setup on every other stickshift I've driven. You'll develop more control learning on your car than most people will ever get!

[FDSpirit]

I know this is off-topic, but what exactly makes one clutch act differently from another clutch? Is it the material or a combination of other stuff I can't think of right now?

[1974Alfa5spd]

I know this is off-topic, but what exactly makes one clutch act differently from another clutch? Is it the material or a combination of other stuff I can't think of right now?

Pressure plate pressure. Higher pressure can take more torque/HP, but has the downside of being very sensetive.

[pairofdimes-shift]

I drive a mazdaspeed3 as well (love it). Try this general approach? I find that adding a bit of throttle while feeling for the friction point, then ever so slightly pushing the clutch back in and more throttle as you let out the clutch pedal yields smooth launches.

[scionkid]

I know this is off-topic, but what exactly makes one clutch act differently from another clutch? Is it the material or a combination of other stuff I can't think of right now?

http://videos.streetfire.net/video/02f3 ... fe0ac1.htm

[FDSpirit]

^thanks. Sadly I need to be to work in an hour and I need to do the morning routine . I'll definitely check it out once I get home from work.

[LHOswald]

I know this is off-topic, but what exactly makes one clutch act differently from another clutch? Is it the material or a combination of other stuff I can't think of right now?

Pressure plate pressure. Higher pressure can take more torque/HP, but has the downside of being very sensetive.

pressure plate pressure only makes a difference in how hard the clutch is and how much pressure is actually forced on the clutch disk contacting the flywheel. the material of the clutch disk is the biggest part. if its just all carbon compared to ceramic its not going to catch hard. i've driven a car with a ceramic clutch disk and holy shit talk about no friction point. its literally || that big. on\off switch ftl

[RITmusic2k]

One can learn to love the on/off switch. It may be a forbidden love, but it exists.

[1974Alfa5spd]

One can learn to love the on/off switch. It may be a forbidden love, but it exists.

C'mon, who doesn't want a legit reason to do a burnout from every light/stop sign?

[six]

It might feel like an on-off switch at first, but as you get more and more use to it, the more of a dimmer switch it becomes. I used to drive an on-off switch clutch before. It became a dimmer switch before long. And having this sort of clutch made everything "precise"... lock-and-load, bolt-action, if you will. Everything hooked up with a sort of immediacy, with confidence and strength. And once you get used to it, everything else, especially cars like a Civic, feel like the clutch is made out of oatmeal.

[RITmusic2k]

It might feel like an on-off switch at first, but as you get more and more use to it, the more of a dimmer switch it becomes. I used to drive an on-off switch clutch before. It became a dimmer switch before long. And having this sort of clutch made everything "precise"... lock-and-load, bolt-action, if you will. Everything hooked up with a sort of immediacy, with confidence and strength. And once you get used to it, everything else, especially cars like a Civic, feel like the clutch is made out of oatmeal.

That's exactly what I love it for. That precision it teaches you. It's maddeningly brilliant once you get over the learning hump.

[1974Alfa5spd]

It's maddeningly brilliant once you get over the learning mountain.

Fixed that for ya.

[Jon2000]

I drive a mazdaspeed3 as well (love it). Try this general approach? I find that adding a bit of throttle while feeling for the friction point, then ever so slightly pushing the clutch back in and more throttle as you let out the clutch pedal yields smooth launches.

I've tried this before and found that it does help if you feel that the rpm's are about to dip during take-off.

Not sure if it's a bad habit to learn but I found that if I give the car a blip of gas at the same time as starting to let out the clutch then smoothly get on the gas and come off the clutch, I'm more likely to be able to do a more smooth start and get off the clutch quicker. I've been able to do pretty fast take-offs at about 1500rpm. If I do a traditional start I have to be very careful to hold the clutch for a moment at the exact sweet spot as the car gets rolling at whatever throttle level I started out with and try to balance the throttle and clutch. This method seems harder. I find the clutch is 10x grabbier and the engine more likely to bog when trying to do a really slow start - probably because I find it difficult to smoothly increase the throttle at low speed. I know it's probably me but it could maybe be a combination of the sensitive gas pedal or because it's got a lot of torque. I'm trying not to overthink things as much or get annoyed when I don't start off 100% smooth.

[six]

The gas pedal only seems sensitive because you came from a decade of slushbox driving. Just take off however it feels comfortable for you for now. Eventually, without you even thinking about it or trying to do it, you will be taking off at 1000RPM perfectly smoothly nearly every time. Once you get to that level of proficiency, 1500RPM takeoffs will feel (and sound), to you, like the car is screaming (while everyone else in the car will wonder why you're freaking out). After that point, if you happen to drive someone else's slushbox, or a rental, you will wonder why it takes so much effort on the gas pedal to get that thing to move.