And this has what to do with this MT8 thread....

 

absolutely nothing but I am always OK with Bush bashing, inappropriately placed or not.

Back on topic i have been driving sticks for 20 years and this one I'm feeling like I am learning all over again. Clutch is too light, engagement point is too high and the car is too soundproofed. Very little sensory feedback. I am not at all wanting to watch the rpm guage for shift points. That's just stupid. I need louder exhaust or lower volume on the stereo. And what is with the clutch engaging when my knee is touching my chin?

 

I have to dissagree on that one. My MT6 Sedan has a plenty loud exhaust (I did change to an HKS) and the clutch is just about right. I still jerk that 1-2 shift now an then. The only gripe I have is the vibration I feel through the clutch pedal. It feels like a worn out "throwout" bearing.

 

U must have a 05 and up. I hate the feel of the clutchs for 05 and up. 03-04s are much better and u can actually feel the clutch pedal.

 

yea it's an 06. I thought I saw a thread on hear about a way to adjust the height of the engagment point but I haven't been able to find it again

 

I agree with most of your points / posts on the subject of MTs so far, but this one has got me baffled. Can you explain how, mechanically, leaving the clutch fully depressed actually damages your throw-out bearing? We all know / understand what slipping the clutch / half-engagement does so no need to rehash that.

On top of that, there's a safety factor here. With the car out of gear you are slowing your reaction time by several seconds if you find the need to move suddenly (and yes, I've avoided being rear-ended by being "ready" in the past). This is a common thread when I discussed your statement with other MT enthusiasts I know.

Anyway, on the whole, if the "damage" you're referring to here isn't significant and isn't going to reduce your clutch life by thousands of miles I don't think the risk is worth the danger. Obviously, that's just an opinion and we know all about those.

--Adam

 

The throwout bearing is not designed for continous use. It is designed to tolerate use between shifts. What ChilliBowl is recommending is often recommended for manual transmission cars of all makes. If you regularly sit with your clutch on the floor, your throwout bearing will require replacement after about 50,000-75,000 miles. It will start with a loud rattling noise when the clutch is engaged that goes away if you depress the pedal, and get worse and worse until it just fails. This is an expensive repair and unnecessary.

When stopped, you should be in neutral, foot OFF the clutch, and alert. If you see a threat in your mirror, you can put the stick into 1st in a LOT less than "several seconds" unless you are asleep. Next time you are out and about, try it.

I'm confident that for myself, at least, the reaction time difference is insignificant, as I can put the stick into 1st while just barely starting to apply gas to take off, as it only takes a fraction of a second.

To save unnecessary wear, do as ChilliBowl says and let the system operate in "normal" condition (clutch pedal released) as much as possible, including when stopped.

 

how loud is loud? i don't sit at lights with the clutch pedal depressed, however even when i first got the car i could hear my throw-out bearing, and it would go away when i step on the clutch. my friend's g does the same thing and he doesn't hold on the clutch either... my old car also did this... so, how loud is loud?

also, sometimes it is louder than other times - maybe its just the ambient noise that makes me think its not consistent but it doesn't seem consistent..

 

The sound tends to resonate from the car. Im sure your car is fine. You'll know when too loud is too loud.

 

You can easily hear the tranny turning in the G... a low volume rattle sound. that's not your throw-out bearing.

like chilibowl says... when your throw-out bearing goes you'll know it

 

They tend to squeal like a mech-pig, it's a truly unpleasant sound that gets progressively worse. You'd never miss it, no way.

My 2c on stock clutch, '03-'04 had heavier feel but the clutch is the same, a pretty low grade Nissan standard clutch. Mine suffered a lot from unavoidable slippage in stop and go traffic from NW CT to NYC and back, it really took a toll - it's pretty hard to fully engage your clutch even at 1k rpms if it puts you through the guy in front of you. That traffic is brutal; when it moves so slowly you cannot roll in 1st, and if you open so much as half a car gap, you drop 10 places back.

When I upgraded to JWT clutch with over 2x the clamping force, it was impressive. When you speed shift with the old one, it slips just a small amount; do it repeatedly, and you'll smell it no matter how smooth you are. IMHO it simply cannot take the punishment of HPDE's and track days. I've heard of several people wearing them out in less than 30k miles. OEM is not a 100k mile clutch unless you sit in 6th all day on the hwy.

With the JWT, you just get instant engagement, it does take some getting used to, stiffer feel and very positive engagement, but when paired with a light JWT FW, what a difference! The engine revs freely, rev matching is completely second nature, and at least with mine the dreaded "chatter" is not audible in the car at all, only can hear it if I get outside with the car running in neutral, put my head down near the bottom of the car - yeah, then I can hear a different noise, woo, woo..

 

Steve what do you mean by 'very positive engagement'? Is it easier to make the clutch engage from a stop or is it worse than stock (the on-off feeling)?

 

I know this is an old post but I read it anyway and just have to to say this is right on. Bottom line is that MT drivers must be one with the car to get the most out of them.
Who looks at the tach? You "feel" the proper shifting parameters after a time. I taught my daughter how to drive my old Nissan Maxima and explained the many virtues of a MT, if you know how to get them.
While I have switched to AT because city traffic is just too much for my old left leg, I still take the Max out once in a while because MT is a blast (out of traffic). I use the transmission and spare the brakes and have had 3 cars where the clutches have exceeded 100K.
Oh, and another thing. The bit about having the car in neutral at a stop light? I've done that for years. In my opinion, there is no good reason to sit there in gear, with the clutch in.
Again, MT makes a more involved driver, at least those of us who do it right. I don't recall ever getting honked at because I was too slow getting going at a light unless I was momentarily hypnotized by something/someone.

 

 

I look at the tach...you must be a pro if you can redline it without bouncing of the limiter