991.2 Clutch Spring
04-15-2018, 12:10 PM
#1
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991.2 Clutch Spring
Hello all! Does anyone have parts numbers / diagrams for the clutch pedal assemblies in the 991? Reason being I’ve driven the 991.2 and the clutch pedal is substantially lighter. And while the old “heavy / manly” clutch is in some ways appealing, I’ve got something going on with my knee that’s causing a lot of pain just below the kneecap. It is directly related to shifting the car. Going to get X Rays on it soon and also wearing a knee brace while going on long drives helps however after a 350 mile tour yesterday left me in agony, I was thinking the lighter pedal effort of the .2 might be helpful. Is it something in the clutch assembly like a helper spring? Or is it in the clutch itself? I checked out the pedal box this morning but could find nothing obvious except to say that it looks like a pedal assembly swap would be a complete bitch!
Thanks all.
Thanks all.
04-15-2018, 01:44 PM
#2
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Sorry to hear about your knee maladies. Just an empathetic response here. I work in NYC and have projects and clients in every boro. Walking long distances and up and down subway stairs is part of my routine. Every time I get a little twinge in my left knee the only thing that I can think about is will I be able to shift my 911. Nevermind not being able to work. 
04-15-2018, 01:57 PM
#3
I had a meniscus tear repaired in my left knee. I still get twinges from time to time, but nothing chronic. Too much tennis. I have a .2 manual and find the clutch effort minimal and have no issues with it. I have not driven a .1 7M for comparison but believe that if you get your knee fixed, the .1 clutch should be fine. Plus, cheaper to fix the knee than replace the clutch. Best of luck.
04-15-2018, 02:29 PM
#4
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Originally Posted by AlBinVA
I had a meniscus tear repaired in my left knee. I still get twinges from time to time, but nothing chronic. Too much tennis. I have a .2 manual and find the clutch effort minimal and have no issues with it. I have not driven a .1 7M for comparison but believe that if you get your knee fixed, the .1 clutch should be fine. Plus, cheaper to fix the knee than replace the clutch. Best of luck.
Hope you are right about post surgery being fine. It's definitely related to the clutch. I found over Christmas that it was giving me constant pain so I wore a knee brace about a month and it went away. Now it's fine unless I drive the 991. If I go on short trips I get a twinge and then it goes away after an hour or so. Yesterday was several hundred miles including a ton of back roads. Even with the brace, it hurt like hell by the afternoon. But this morning feels about 90% again.
Even so, I'd still like to find out about the spring as it's easier and more comfortable in general in traffic.
04-15-2018, 02:57 PM
#5
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I’m curious to know if the clutch can actually be adjusted and lightened up a bit. Some of us would love, love, love to drive a manual but given the age of our knees have become resigned to buying PDK from here on out. But you know, even if it were far easier to operate I’d still be really afraid to continue driving with the clutch; risking my knee and possibly needing surgery - that’s a really high risk approach for a problem I can avoid with a PDK. You only get one body in this life and you want it working well for as long as possible. I am really envious of the younger folks who are fortunate enough to own a 911 before mid-life+ and can shun the PDK for the pure manual experience.
04-15-2018, 03:32 PM
#6
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I’m curious to know if the clutch can actually be adjusted and lightened up a bit. Some of us would love, love, love to drive a manual but given the age of our knees have become resigned to buying PDK from here on out. But you know, even if it were far easier to operate I’d still be really afraid to continue driving with the clutch; risking my knee and possibly needing surgery - that’s a really high risk approach for a problem I can avoid with a PDK. You only get one body in this life and you want it working well for as long as possible. I am really envious of the younger folks who are fortunate enough to own a 911 before mid-life+ and can shun the PDK for the pure manual experience.
04-15-2018, 04:20 PM
#7
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I just hit 50 this year, but I stopped daily driving a manual at 40 and my knees are still doing great after having had some problems over 10 years ago. I still would consider a weekend car with a manual but I need a bigger garage!
Sorry I hijacked this thread - still no clues about swapping clutch springs.
Anyway, aging sucks. Take care.
Sorry I hijacked this thread - still no clues about swapping clutch springs.
Anyway, aging sucks. Take care.
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04-15-2018, 04:56 PM
#8
Porsche has used a variety of different helper spring arrangements over the years. Through it all the one constant is the mechanical leverage that has the pedal moving several inches while the clutch itself moves barely a few millimeters. This primitive technology so many have fallen in love with is, like the gear shift, nothing more than a lever. Which once you understand that then you know there is no adjustment. There really are only two ways the .2 can have less clutch pedal effort. Either they redesigned the clutch to require less travel, or they redesigned the helper spring to be more powerful. Odds-on favorite, helper spring.
Cross your fingers, call the dealer, ask parts about replacing your helper spring with the newer one.
Cross your fingers, call the dealer, ask parts about replacing your helper spring with the newer one.
04-15-2018, 07:24 PM
#9
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Don't think you can do a simple swap with a spring as suggested but you can ask. The new turbos have a lot more low end torque and clutch engagement is about the same as I noticed in my previous Porsche, a 981 Boxster S. Clutch effort is much less and very user-friendly and the shifts are very precise. One of the many advantages of the 991.2 over the 1.0 version. On the previous car, the 7MT did not feel as nice to me as the 6 speed unit in the Boxster.
04-15-2018, 07:57 PM
#10
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Originally Posted by chuck911
Porsche has used a variety of different helper spring arrangements over the years. Through it all the one constant is the mechanical leverage that has the pedal moving several inches while the clutch itself moves barely a few millimeters. This primitive technology so many have fallen in love with is, like the gear shift, nothing more than a lever. Which once you understand that then you know there is no adjustment. There really are only two ways the .2 can have less clutch pedal effort. Either they redesigned the clutch to require less travel, or they redesigned the helper spring to be more powerful. Odds-on favorite, helper spring.
Cross your fingers, call the dealer, ask parts about replacing your helper spring with the newer one.
Cross your fingers, call the dealer, ask parts about replacing your helper spring with the newer one.
To your point, I wouldn't be asking about this if the .2 wasn't VASTLY different. I mean, you're talking probably 25% of the effort, no joke. And that includes the GT3. So I would have to say I highly doubt it's the clutch as I would think the GT3 would have some pretty stiff clutch springs.
Originally Posted by AnandN
Don't think you can do a simple swap with a spring as suggested but you can ask. The new turbos have a lot more low end torque and clutch engagement is about the same as I noticed in my previous Porsche, a 981 Boxster S. Clutch effort is much less and very user-friendly and the shifts are very precise. One of the many advantages of the 991.2 over the 1.0 version. On the previous car, the 7MT did not feel as nice to me as the 6 speed unit in the Boxster.
04-16-2018, 08:15 AM
#11
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Well, most dealers I spoke to had no clue about the GT4 shifter being compatible with the 991. So I don't have much hope there.
To your point, I wouldn't be asking about this if the .2 wasn't VASTLY different. I mean, you're talking probably 25% of the effort, no joke. And that includes the GT3. So I would have to say I highly doubt it's the clutch as I would think the GT3 would have some pretty stiff clutch springs.
As I noted, the clutch effort is much, much lighter despite it handling more torque. And the clutch does not effect shift action. Also, I did not note much difference in the shifter of the .2 vs what I remember from my .1. And I don't like it as much as with my GT4 shifter.
To your point, I wouldn't be asking about this if the .2 wasn't VASTLY different. I mean, you're talking probably 25% of the effort, no joke. And that includes the GT3. So I would have to say I highly doubt it's the clutch as I would think the GT3 would have some pretty stiff clutch springs.
As I noted, the clutch effort is much, much lighter despite it handling more torque. And the clutch does not effect shift action. Also, I did not note much difference in the shifter of the .2 vs what I remember from my .1. And I don't like it as much as with my GT4 shifter.
04-16-2018, 11:39 AM
#12
Burning Brakes
The 991.2 has a new dual-plate clutch with substantially higher torque capacity. That allowed a reduction in the clamping force--i.e. clutch spring stiffness. I suspect it would be a difficult and expensive retrofit on a 991.1.
05-09-2019, 12:46 PM
#13
I realize I'm bumping a year old thread, but I sat in and shifted a 991.2 Carrera T yesterday. That clutch pedal is light! It feels just like a 718 I've shifted as well. I have a 981 base 6MT that I daily drive and I love. Due to some previous sports injuries my left knee isn't like new anymore, so the lighter clutch would be great for the 15k miles a year I put on her. Does anyone have any more information on this? Could we swap in the new helper spring into the 991/981?
05-09-2019, 04:56 PM
#14
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Once again, you can download official parts catalogs here:
https://www.porsche.com/usa/accessor...originalparts/
https://www.porsche.com/usa/accessor...originalparts/
05-09-2019, 07:24 PM
#15
I understand what you're saying about the spring, however wanted to throw in another possibility.
I have a 991.1 7M and was getting leg discomfort after driving awhile due to what I thought to be the stock location of the clutch. To me, the physical location of clutch pedal was too far to the right ("centered"). Now this may be the preferred location for use on the track, but it ended up causing some minor pain in my left leg after driving for a few hours.
I ended up buying an adjustable 3-piece pedal set (Rennline) which allowed me to (effectively) "move" the pedal to the left. Worked like a charm. Much more comfortable (YMMV).
I have a 991.1 7M and was getting leg discomfort after driving awhile due to what I thought to be the stock location of the clutch. To me, the physical location of clutch pedal was too far to the right ("centered"). Now this may be the preferred location for use on the track, but it ended up causing some minor pain in my left leg after driving for a few hours.
I ended up buying an adjustable 3-piece pedal set (Rennline) which allowed me to (effectively) "move" the pedal to the left. Worked like a charm. Much more comfortable (YMMV).