Clutch Question

[medusa]

I own a 2004 with 36000 Miles. I am the second owner since 24000 Miles.

When I shift from 3d to 4th, or 4th to 5th under hard accelaration and high RPM, and I completely release the clutch pedal, the engine speed seems to stay up and then drop down to where it is supposed to be based on my selected higher gear, The feeling I can best describe is as if the pressure plate is not clamping the clutch disc onto the flywheel in a linear motion, fast enough as expected when I release the pedal. All this is happening under full throttel. The engine RPM climb up as if the car is NOT in gear then it seams to "catch", this hole drama lasts about a second. it's a nasty feeling when you throw the car in the next higher gear, your right foot is to the metal, your left foot off the clutch, the engine revs but your car goes nowhere,...then it hooks up...

Also, do you people have a clicking, or like a notchy first gear? I know it's supposed to be normal for these cars when it's cold, but mine doesn't stop when it's at normal operating temperatures.

And finally, what is the best aftermarket / high performance clutch kit available out there if I need it now? I don't track it, it's my daily driver, but I do drive it hard weekly. I am also contemplating on installing a comptech supercharger kit in the near future, so a clutch kit with the added Hp and Tq the supercharger would yield is something I would like to consider in choosing the new kit.

Thank you verry much for any input and advice

[Stuka]

I have a initial production MY2000 that I purchased new and the stock clutch and transmission had some problems. Grinding and difficult engagement with the transmission (now replaced with a AP2 unit) and a clutch that was less than up to the job. When I did the transmission swap I upgraded to a Stage 2 Competition Clutch and the combination of the two have made a massive improvement in all aspects. The Competition Clutch has a light pedal feel similar to the stock unit and loads of grab. I have since gone to FI and the clutch has performed fine with the added HP and torque. I am not a drag racer, but will on occasion side step the clutch on launch and where the stock clutch would slip and burn the new one grips, chirps and hauls. I would strongly recomend Competition Clutch for your (obviously soon to go completely out) stock clutch. Do it before you go FI, the added components in the front of the engine make the difficult clutch replacement even more difficult.

[desmo4]

Your clutch is slipping and needs to be replaced. It is your choice, you could in a full race clutch, six pucks but that will produce an on/off clutch reaction. A bit problematic in a city. I would go with a stock, stage 1 or 2 version and you might need to re machine the flywheel as well or go for a light weight one.

I still have the stock one which had the rattling springs and was replaced to eliminate it shortly after I bought it in Nov 99.

Jonathan

[Stuka]

Wow Jonathan what kind of mileage do you have on the clutch? You must have fallen in love with the car the way I did. Mine is #1676 and was built on 7/26/99. Did you have the 1 to 2 tranny grind also?
John

[desmo4]

113000 miles original transmission no problems.

Jonathan

[Stuka]

You must drive as smooth as Proust to get that kind of mileage out of a first gen s2k clutch

[desmo4]

As I said the other day, I have been rev matching my down shifts since I owned it and use Redline MTL. I don't drag race but road race which is what it's built for.

Jonathan

[repiv]

All this is happening under full throttel.
So, are you saying you don't let off the gas a bit when you shift? It sounds like you are overpowering your clutch. If you drive like this a lot, chances are your clutch is at the end of its life or it's so badly glazed (or heat checked - hot spots), it'll never come back. When you drive like this, the speed of your flywheel and pressure plate far exceeds the speed the clutch disc is moving. It just can't "hook up" right away. Instead the friction surfaces just slip past each other and you burn up the clutch or you glaze them.
If you want a fairly streetable car, get a PP that has more strength. Whether or not you go with a stock clutch disc is up to you. FI cars have done well with OEM discs and HD PP like the ACT. I have that setup with my Vortech. It's been working just great as my daily driver. A HD PP can help to reduce the wear and tear on the disc by clamping harder and sooner.
I have seen original S2000 clutches last beyond 100,000 miles and are still functioning adequately. It's all in the way you drive and how you match revs. Remember, matching revs happens both in upshifting and downshifting. The more you mis-match an upshift, the stronger the PP you need to keep from slipping.

[gomarlins3]

Why is this inthe S2K Days San Francisco 2009 section?

[repiv]

Why is this inthe S2K Days San Francisco 2009 section?
Hehe, new user? Brain fart? Constipation? :crazy: :think:

[smac2K]

Put in correct forum...leave the poor guy alone...:hehe:

Especially if he's having clutch problems...seeing as how I know the feeling :sad:

[medusa]

LOL thanks for all the input, really appreciate it, & sorry about the wrong section...
Have a great weekend everyone!

[medusa]

By the way, repiv, what do you intend by HD? And also I have been dealing with this problem since I bought the car from the previous owner, so I have no idea how he drove it the first 24000 Miles...
Regarding a Glazed flywheel, do you recommend I replace it with a lightened one? & if so what would be the pros & cons of such a switch?

[repiv]

By the way, repiv, what do you intend by HD? And also I have been dealing with this problem since I bought the car from the previous owner, so I have no idea how he drove it the first 24000 Miles...
Regarding a Glazed flywheel, do you recommend I replace it with a lightened one? & if so what would be the pros & cons of such a switch?
HD = Heavy Duty. All this means is a higher clamping force to deal with more "spirited" clutch work. If this is the way it has been since you got it, then I would contend that the previous users were very hard on the clutch. A clutch can get worn badly in a matter of a few thousand miles, yet still manage quite well to over 100K miles in the right hands (or foot).
A light weight flywheel is one of personal choice. This depends your driving style and how you desire the car to function. The lighter the flywheel, the less inertia it holds and thus, revs will rise and fall more easily. This translates to more difficulty in matching revs but it also means that you can spin the engine up a bit quicker. A heavier flywheel will give a more stable nature to idle and steady state driving, where a lighter one can make for a "hunting" idle (one that takes a little more effort on the ECU's part to get to and hold a stable idle). A light weight flywheel may only save you 5 lbs, but spinning that up to 9000 rpm can be quite significant.
Personally, if I were staying stock (NA), I would benefit from a light weight flywheel. If I were going Forced Induction, a light weight flywheel may not be of much benefit. This is a personal choice and different people will have different ideas of what they want in this area.
Since it appears as though you will be in the market for a new clutch, given the possibility of FI in your future, I would go with a HD PP, stock disc. Whether or not you go with a light weight flywheel is something you must choose for yourself. I have the Comptech light weight flywheel, ACT HD PP and OEM disc. This has worked very well for me with the S/C but I must admit that the flywheel really does nothing for me. It just looked real purdy in the box and that was the last time I saw it.

[desmo4]

I put a lighten fly wheels on my old Ducati 916. It was very interesting the first time i rode it. I had to learn to shift faster and rely less on engine braking. But the real shock was when I put Mn wheels on it. I nearly fell down the first time I made a turn. I learned a lighter touch immediately. I tried to get Mn wheels made for my S but the largest size is 15"

Jonathan

[Wanderer]

I have seen original S2000 clutches last beyond 100,000 miles and are still functioning adequately.

Er... Ummm... I resemble that remark! :thumbup:

[repiv]

Er... Ummm... I resemble that remark! :thumbup:
So, you know I'm not lying. :D

[Wanderer]

So, you know I'm not lying. :D

Now Dave, have I ever doubted you?? :laugh:

[j2k]

Check out our clutches and flywheels at SPECclutch.com. I'm going to be putting one of our clutches in when my stock wears a little more.

[Silver_Devil]

You need a nw clutch.

[medusa]

All AP2 owners... if you have similar problems with your clutch slipping when doing fast shifts, consider modifying yor slave clutch cylinder by drilling out your delay valve, or swapping your slave cylinder with an AP1 unit. The AP1 models don't have the delay valve, therefore AP1 owners don't have this problem.