Clutch Life?

[Michigan NSX]

Thanks Ken,

I understand how you can accelerate to bring up the revs during downshifting, but how do you make the revs fall during upshifting. Just puting in the clutch and letting the revs fall doesn't seem right, but it's the only way I can think of. I always thought it wasn't good to keep the clutch pedal down for long periods of time (1-2 seconds), but maybe I'm wrong on this (I don't have any track experience so this is all kind of new to me). The Ferrari paddle shift-without-lift system is looking better all the time.

BTW - I never tried matching revs in my MR2 Turbo, but it didn't have the GenIII engine in it , so it probably wouldn't have mattered anyway!

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'91 Black/Black

 

[mikec]

The fact that the origional clutch lasted over 70K miles must mean that the owner knew how to drive the car correctly. Thats a good sign.

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keep the shiny side up
MikeC 01 #46

 

[nsxxtreme]

94 NSX 50k miles original clutch still holds fine.

 

[NyC NsX]

I would also like to point out that as far as the miles go on a clutch ..... im sure if the car was a daily driver and his commute was mostly long highway miles it would make his clutch seem like it has lasted longer when in reality he was probably not shifting as much and just clocking miles .... my 91 was not new so i do not know what condition the clutch was in when i got it but i know it went at about 30k miles ... my new clutch after 5k miles still feels strong and i typically put about 2000 miles a year on this car.As far as power shifting ... someone told me if your car has a synchonized tranny you can bring to wot and just shift gears without using the clutch ...of coarse you cannot do this in first but im told while ur moving it can be done...i myself have never tried this as a clutch is cheaper to replace then a tranny.

[This message has been edited by NyC NsX (edited 31 August 2002).]

 

[nsxtasy]

Originally posted by NyC NsX:
my 91 was not new so i do not know what condition the clutch was in when i got it but i know it went at about 30k miles ... my new clutch after 5k miles still feels strong and i typically put about 2000 miles a year on this car.

If you get only 30K from your new one (slightly below average, but not unusually so), then you will need to replace yours twelve and a half years from now. If your clutch technique is better than the previous owner's, it might last you twenty years or more.

 

[NyC NsX]

Originally posted by nsxtasy:
If you get only 30K from your new one (slightly below average, but not unusually so), then you will need to replace yours twelve and a half years from now. If your clutch technique is better than the previous owner's, it might last you twenty years or more.

Lets hope so....ive been driving a manual since i was 14 ... even took my road test in a 5 speed .....the one i replaced it with is a rm racing clutch installed by Bernie at davis acura ... my original could have gone a few more hundred miles if i baby it ... but i like to drive it hard and it wasnt worth gettin stuck on the road for a few hundred miles.

 

[NSXTech]

Originally posted by YSRman:
I am looking to purchase a 91 that the owner says it is the original clutch. The car has 75k miles. Is this something i can expect to change right away or have they gone 100k miles?

thanks

From all the NSX clutches I have replaced, I can tell you that the average is around 45 to 50k. I have seem some go at 10 k (several actually) and a few last over 100. This has already been stated here.
What I wanted to add, is the simple way I teach my customers to get max life, if you can just remember one thing- The clutch only wears while the pedal is moving. The faster you get the clutch pedal off the floor and to 'rest' position, the less life you have used up. If you slide the pedal nice and easy, with plenty of matching throttle movement also nice and easy, you are EATING your clutch. Many people think that if the car moves away from a stop so nice and easy that you could hold a full glass of wine, this is a good thing. This is the worst thing. If the car jerks slightly because you moved the car away from a start nice and quick, this is as close to zero wear as it gets. The majority of clutch wear occurs when moving the car from a stop, so practice this most.

Changing gears should be instant, or as close to instant as you can get. You should practice matching rpms to road speed to the point where taking your foot of the pedal really quickly should cause no discernable change in the cars momentum. If your passenger can not tell when your foot comes off the pedal, you have maximized clutch life.

My .02
Mark

 

[sjs]

I like your phrase "The clutch only wears while the pedal is moving". Clear and concise. I may even steal that.

As usual, your .02 is in a different currency!

The one caveat, although totally obvious, is the fact that the solution is not to rev the thing to 6k and side-step the clutch at every light. That's the opposite of rev matching as done at shifts and will chew a bit off as it grabs even though the pedal is moving for just a very short time.



[This message has been edited by sjs (edited 03 September 2002).]

 

[nsxtasy]

I'm sure Mark agrees that the way to maximize clutch life is to shift quickly AND match revs.

 

[RSO 34]

51,500 on the original clutch with about 1200 miles on the track - just replaced with another oem for $1556.10 parts and 12 hours labor at $80 per hour at a local dealer (new york prices - I don't know if the rest of the country gets charged the same)

Bob

 

[sjs]

Originally posted by nsxtasy:
I'm sure Mark agrees that the way to maximize clutch life is to shift quickly AND match revs.

Of course he does, which is why I prefaced my comment with the one about being totally obvious. However, as you certainly know, nothing it too obvious to state explicitly in a forum such as this where there are people of all experience levels.

 

[Zanardi 50]

Originally posted by Michigan NSX:
I understand what matching revs is, but I don't understand how you guys do it. How do you calculate proper revs at all the different speed/gear combinations. For example, I am driving 45mph in 4th gear and want to shift to 5th (to get up to 55mph) - what revs do I pick. How about shifting from 2nd to 3rd to go 30mph in subdivisions. How do you guys figure this (I am not talking performance driving here - just day to day traveling)?

For me, rev matching upshifts and downshifts and heel-and-toe downshifts are done by TOTAL FEEL. If you drive your car enough using this technique, you should know *without thought* how much you need to rev and at what precise instance you let go the clutch pedal. It's like playing the piano fluently. When you do it enough, you'll know exactly when and how much. So get crackin'!