The temperature has been in the 40s in Wisconsin for quite some time now. It's gone as low as low 30s. I'm running AVS ES 100 in 225/255 on my S2000. Lately I've noticed that on a hard 1st->2nd shift at 9000 rpms the rpms will simply stay at 9000 rpms for about a second. My clutch has 15k miles on it, and has never been launched. Am I spinning the tires (no squeeling) or is my clutch slipping? Any good way to find out?

 

i had the same experience. when i first noticed the rpms "hanging" i had no other signs of clutch slippage, but after a month or so, i definitely started slipping.

my test is...get on the high way, while in 5th or 6th gear at cruising speed, get on the gas hard. if the rpms climb fast and you feel no acceleration, then your clutch is slipping.

 

That sounds like clutch. If you have lack of traction, the rpms will drop down as the tires start to hook up (9k-->7k) THEN rev back to redline as the tires break free.

Staying at 9k sounds like the clutch can't grab to bring rpms down to the next gear...

 

I tried this. The car behaves normally, I don't see the rpms rising faster than iit should

 

i'd say you're find for now, but the rpm hanging is definitely a clutch thing. like i said, i only felt my clutch really start to slip after a month or so of noticing the rpm hanging. btw, my clutch has around 58k miles on it.

 

does your rear end slide at all? if its only 1st-2nd in the cold, i'd guess you're sliding, not slipping a new clutch.

maybe you could devise a way of checking such as marking the bottom of your tire (like with chalk or a white out pen?) and doing it then stopping to check if your chalk or whatever is gone.

but if your clutch slips for a full second, i'd expect you could smell it.

 

if ur running extreme summer tires on ur car under 40 degrees ur traction is gonna b shit neway... gets sum snow tires!

 

question for the OP...when you make that shift, does the rpm hang around 9k then slowly drop to around 7k before climbing again? also, are you running WOT through 2nd gear, and even maybe 3rd?

 

Very true get into 6th at about 60-65 and floor it

 

For whatever it's worth, when I autocross my 2004 on Hoosier A6s, I find that the clutch needs some heat in it to grab properly. First launch of the morning, if I don't "warm up" the clutch a little by driving around on the street, results in large amounts of clutch slip.

I launch between 5000RPM (low grip asphalt) and 7000RPM (high grip concrete). Warming up the clutch makes all the difference, in my car anyway.

Stock clutch, 28K miles.