I've driven manual trans cars for years and owned several but never had the problems related to the clutch that I,ve had with my '99 996.

Initially I thought it was just me, often when backing up or pulling slowly into a parking stall, I'd let the clutch out too quickly and kill the motor. This has happend at least a hundred times in the last 3 1/2 years.

My wife makes a wise crack every time it happens and it's much more embarassing with a friend or aquaintence in the car. Anyway I remembered about a fix and got some detailed info from a Rennlist member about removing a helper spring on the clutch pedal. It was a real pain to get under the dash, lying upside down and remove a spring assembly which is barely visable.

The results were well worth the effort and now my clutch feels like one in a high performance car rather than a marshmallow. The pedal now has feel and predictability for the first time since I've owned it. I doubt I'll ever kill the car again and I find I can actually release the pedal and get moving at a lower RPM than before and hills are a snap from a start.

Initially the pedal seemed somewhat hard to depress but after a week it seems just like it did before only being able to feel the friction point and work with it. The dumbest thing Porsche ever did regarding the clutch was to eliminate the feel with the booster spring. If it's too much effort, buy the tip.

 

Hmmm...what is this spring, and where do you get it? I remember the clutch feeling kinda light on the C2 I'm buying. Couple that with the electric throttle pedal, and it makes it a little trickey to feel where the take up point is.

Details!!?

 

Here is the PET clutch assembly. The clutch power spring is #9.

 

Looks like a hydraulic unit, and not a "spring"? And there are many part numbers. Do you take the stock unit out, and replace it with a heavier version?

 

No, he just removed the "helper" spring. The clutch will be harder to push because it is not aided by the spring, but he wanted to get the "feel" of the un-aided clutch.

 

The mod really provides for better control, doesn't it Nick? Glad it worked out for you.

 

Is the mod easily reversible?

 

Yup. You simply have to put the booster spring back on. As Nick said, your initial reaction will be that the pedal is too hard to press, but after a few times driving it, most people wonder why Porsche ever put the spring on.

 

That assist spring is also the source of a famous squeak.
Now if we could lose the power brakes and steering...

I tried a friend's BM E46 330i and the clutch pedal felt like a toy.
I don't know people can drive those things aggressively with such light controls.

Bill

 

Yes, best mod or upgrade I did to my car. Makes the driving experience 100X better and eliminated the only complaint I really had about about my car.

Thanks for your help!

 

Is it readily apparent how to remove it?
Any tips?

 

Any of you drive in real rush hour traffic?

 

Even without the booster spring, the clutch is still light compared to the old muscle cars when you would run a clutch so heavy your leg would shake holding it down. Traffic is no problem.

 

Yup, DC Beltway. But not in a 911 when I can avoid it.

 

Does it pop out of there somehow or do you have to remove the gold bracket on the side?