Hey guys/gals,

I have had some fellow Houston s2000 owners tell me that my clutch feels relatively hard compared to their softer clutches. I was told that this might mean that my clutch might need replacing soon. Can anyone explain to me why this would be? Or is just having a hard clutch, nothing more than that...just a harder clutch.

Thanks,
Tom

 

When you say "hard", do you mean stiffer resistance to being pushed and held? Or do you mean there is a restriction in it's travel someplace? Has it been like this from the beginning or has it become this way?
If it has been like this from new and it is stiff by my first description, I'm a little confused by your friends diagnosis.
A stiffer clutch means either more clamping force or more return force for the clutch pedal or both. To me, for this car, this is a GOOD thing as we all know and hear stories of how people burn their clutches up when trying to launch.
If your clutch is in need of replacement, I would tend to think that it is because it is beginning to slip under load. Is it? It might need replacing if the clutch felt too soft as this might indicate that the PP springs have lost some of their "gusto". Has it?
I don't know. Maybe I missed something but I'm still a bit over those statements.

 

2002 clutches are softer clutches then 00-01. When I drove EssTooKayTD (Tom) car, his clutch is like an 00-01 clutch, whereas the other 02 i've driven are soft if not softer then Tom. I know my clutch is soft but not slipping at all. Redlining 1st - 2nd the rpm's quickly drop as I shift. Tom, your clutch is fine. Hard and soft doesn't mean your clutch needs to replace. It helps determine it, but the real way to know is if you vtec 1st gear to 9200 and when you shift, does the rpm's sit at 9200 instead of dropping quickly to shift to next gear. Next time you see Kewlwhip redline, listen to his exhaust and you hear the rpms bounce on 9200 for a quick 1-2 seconds before it grabs again. He's slipping bad, and he knew it too when I told him.

-Trung

 

ok, so I'm cool. just take it a lil easy on the clutch in 1st, since Trung has informed me that I am slippin it a bit much.

xviper, I think you understood me correctly, which is a task in itself

So my question now, is if the 2002 clutches are reportedly softer (as in how much pressure it takes to push the pedal down) than previous years, why is mine so much harder in relation to 2000/2001's?

-Tom

 

I have an 03 and my clutch pedal is very stiff. I have been in other 03's and when I shift I try to push their pedal through the floor. I have know idea why it is stiffer but I don't think that it is a problem.

 

Just lucky?
No, really, maybe your car just got a PP from a batch that had stronger springs. Can't say for sure.