anyway to reduce the springyness in clutch?
 

Sup guys, anyone out there know how to reduce the tension and springyness of a clutch? I've driven a few of my buddies cars and their clutches all feel very light and not so much tension. My accord on the other hand, feels so tough, and the bite point is higher up. I am getting used to it but, my foot gets tired because of that little issue.

Also, is it normal to tend to have your foot sliding off the clutch from time to time? even if my heel is planted on the ground, sometimes, it will start sliding up the clutch and my toes will be off the pedal entirely unless I put into neautral and reapply pressure to the clutch.

Any advice? Is it my seating position? I can reach the pedals fine but could it be affecting me with pedals in a way? should I be up close to the wheel? my seat is set up relaxed, so back is slightly leaned.

BTW, this is first month driving a manual daily. I am very comfortable now with manual except for this minor annoyance!

Don't skip leg days

I have found that Hondas ( the pre 05 5 speed ones) generally have a higher than normal "catch" point hence why a lot of people say its easier to learn standard on a Honda. You can adjust it just by the bolts behind the clutch pedal. My feet used to slide off the pedal sometimes before too but it was because the rubber was worn, so I put in some mugen rep pedals and all fixed

I guess I'll try out new pedals first and maybe adjust the pedals. Do the bolts let you slide the pedal higher up or lower? Where did you purchased your mugen pedals? There are lots of fake ones on ebay and the ones I see in stores are aluminum, and wouldn't there be less grip when shoes are wet? I can't wear any other shoes right now except nikes because I get the most clutch feel and grip.

There were a few times wearing other shoes, my foot slides off the clutch and it stalls while backing up to park lol

does changing the clutch give lighter feel on the pedals? I am new to manuals but I thought clutch pedal has to do with what the pedals are attached to before the clutch, or am I completely wrong? But that would be out of the question since clutch will cost too much!

Write-Up: How to Adjust your Clutch - Honda Prelude Forum this is where to adjust it for the hydraulic type clutch, should be similar on accord. When you adjust it, you dont move the pedal at all. It just gives you more free play hence it will bite sooner. As long as you got like 1-2" of free play I wouldn't bother adjusting. The rep pedals I have still have coral in the centers of the pedals so that helps a lot with grip no matter what type of shoes you wear. The rubber pedals really annoyed me too when I wear shoes with less grip

You wouldn't have lasted one day of stop and go in my old Cummins, or even my old Volvo for that matter. Man up and deal with it, I assume you're keeping the clutch depressed at lights or whatever and that's why you're sliding off? Well here's a novel idea, put the car in neutral...

A higher than normal clutch pedal effort could also be a sign of binding in linkage, or a worn clutch plate, hence the clutch replacement suggestion.

Not necessarily, really depends on what make/model clutch kit you get. IMO Hondas probably have the lightest clutch out there.

yeah I did that for a while lol. Learning to just neutral now which I am getting used to but it happens mostly when I'm parking. If I back up with slightly raised pavement. I've done it a few times sliding off while trying to back up park and stall the car:concentrate:

doesn't a new clutch cost almost as much as a new transmission? How can a novice manual driver tell if the clutch is worn out?

There are a possible few factors that cause a stiff/heavy clutch pedal. I'm a german car guy, but a lot of this stuff is universal to all cars:

The MAIN factor causing a stiff/heavy clutch pedal is usually that the clutch pad is worn, and the pressure plate therefore has more travel. The pressure plate is what pushes the clutch disc into the flywheel. If the pressure plate has more travel due to a worn clutch, that means you have to work harder to pull it away when you press the clutch pedal.

Other factors that could make it harder to press the clutch down could be air in the hydraulics, (if it's a hydraulically actuated clutch) or a stretched cable (if it's a cable actuated clutch)

It's also possible that at some point a previous owner installed a performance pressure plate, which has more clamping force, which also makes for a stiffer clutch pedal. (less driveline loss = more power to the wheels)

And finally if the actual pedal geometry has been altered or worn, you could not be getting the optimal leverage. Worn bushings, improper repairs, etc could affect the geometry negatively.


There is usually an inspection port in the clutch housing so you can see how much thickness is left on it. If the car is older, and you don't know when the clutch was last changed, get it checked out.

You DO NOT want to leave this until the last second or you will be one of those assholes blocking traffic in rush hour because you did not take care of your car.

Will do, thanks for the heads up. Do shops tend to charge just for clutch inspection?

The clutch could be fine, it might be myself because I am new to driving stick and not sure the feel and proper response of clutch engagement yet. I've let my buddies that has driven for 10+ years and the only thing they've mentioned was that my gas pedal was sensitive. Everything else they say is buttery smooth.

First thing i'll try out is just DIY grippier pedals with some grip tape from a skateboard shop or something and see if that makes a difference. The car wasn't enjoyable because my tires were bold and slipping everywhere, I thought it was the vehicles performance, but such a change after I got new michelins on them. So hopefully, the grip tape should help the pedal feel for me without shoes always slipping off.

Just expect wherever you go that you'll be charged. Techs don't work for free. How much you'll be paying for an inspection will depend on which shop you choose to go to.

Not every car has the same clutch feel/engagement point so no point comparing your car from another.

The clutch pedal in a Honda should not be heavy. I've driven lots of 500-600HP cars with super light clutches. A heavy/hard clutch = something wrong or ghetto clutch kit for wannabe race car.

Sometimes inspections are free, but usually there is time charged to troubleshoot if the problem is not common. Take it to a honda specialist if you want to avoid rookie or ripoff mechanics wasting time changing shit that doesn't need to be changed.

A heavy clutch can lead to other problems like a broken or bent clutch fork, and like I said, a total breakdown in traffic. It's a critical part of your car. Just get it checked out by a legit shop.

i might have described it incorrectly. The clutch is semi light when pressed in and near the engagement point, it feels springy, is that normal? everything feels smooth and light until the bite. I may be overreacting.

Just need to do something about shifting 1st-2nd gear in this honda. I am jerky those two gears no matter what. Sometimes its smooth, if I transition the pedals correctly and letting clutch out slowly but im afraid that its riding the clutch if i were letting it out slow. Correct me if I am wrong

let the clutch out slower instead of all at once and you'll notice it getting smoother, just dont take too long or youre gonna have the revs dropping too much

You're describing a clutch problem when you're still learning to drive manual and have no reference to what a "normal" pedal should feel like.

Get a friend with experience to drive it and give you his opinion.

^ Thats probably the best advice so far in this thread.

Ice boy's advice is the right thing to do. Get an experienced friend to drive it.

I did notice this though:
I've never, in 22 years of driving standard, had my heel on the ground with the clutch pedal. Don't skip leg day, foot comes completely off the floor and onto the pedal. If you can't do this, it's seriously time to start hitting the gym or at least doing leg exercises at your desk. At a traffic light, or sitting, you should put the car in neutral and remove your foot from the clutch pedal. Keeps the springs in the pressure plate lasting longer. Also keeps you from releasing slightly and 'riding the clutch'.

-Dave

Please don't buy a diesel or go drive truck... In those vehicles when your foot "slides off" the truck doesn't stall, it just goes.

And like it's been mentioned, get a friend to take it for a spin and get an experience opinion. Oh, and don't skip leg day.