Clutch all the way when shifting?
12-14-2001, 09:16 AM
#16
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Maybe this is just a bad habit I've developed, but in everyday driving I find myself releasing the clutch quickly for the first 50% of travel, then slowing down to engage as it bites, all in one motion. Requires more work and thought than I'd like, but it does help keep the revs up. Am I just shifting too slowly or babying the clutch when I don't need to? Would a short shifter help break my habit?
12-14-2001, 10:26 AM
#17
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Folks, those of you that have (or had) a BMW E36M3 will probably be familiar with the questions we are raising here. Most 2nd gen M3's had similar characteristics -- the clutch would only start to engage about 1/2 way up through its travel. For us (former, in my case) M3 enthusiasts, the fix was simple -- buy a 10mm bolt, cap the top with rubber, remove the existing clutch pedal stop that was mounted in the floor, and screw in the bolt until the desired height was reached.
HOWEVER, we determined that leaving about 1" of extra travel was best, because as clutches wore, linkages shifted and gave, etc., travel could change over the course of a year or so. I never had to adjust my clutch pedal stop over the course of three years, but others had to within six months.
Check here for a productized version of our clutch stop.
Good description of the concept is at:
UUC Motorworks E36 Clutch Stop
In a nutshell, different 993s will have different clutch engagement points, probably due to differences in wear, adjustments, etc.
Here is a picture of our floorboard from the parts CD:
It's not very visually descriptive, but when I checked my floorboard by hand, I noticed that the floorboard's opening for the clutch had a metal piece at the top, where, presumably, the clutch pedal's arm hits to prevent it from going further down. (it's too dark in the garage right now for me to be sure)
Maybe by extending this metal piece further down, it would limit the clutch pedal's travel.
However, I doubt it would be as solid or easy a fix as adjusting the clutch pedal travel in the M3 -- mainly because of the way our 993 pedals are design (bottom hinged vs. top hinged).
HOWEVER, we determined that leaving about 1" of extra travel was best, because as clutches wore, linkages shifted and gave, etc., travel could change over the course of a year or so. I never had to adjust my clutch pedal stop over the course of three years, but others had to within six months.
Check here for a productized version of our clutch stop.
Good description of the concept is at:
UUC Motorworks E36 Clutch Stop
In a nutshell, different 993s will have different clutch engagement points, probably due to differences in wear, adjustments, etc.
Here is a picture of our floorboard from the parts CD:
It's not very visually descriptive, but when I checked my floorboard by hand, I noticed that the floorboard's opening for the clutch had a metal piece at the top, where, presumably, the clutch pedal's arm hits to prevent it from going further down. (it's too dark in the garage right now for me to be sure)
Maybe by extending this metal piece further down, it would limit the clutch pedal's travel.
However, I doubt it would be as solid or easy a fix as adjusting the clutch pedal travel in the M3 -- mainly because of the way our 993 pedals are design (bottom hinged vs. top hinged).
12-14-2001, 10:28 AM
#18
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What is the purpose of a clutch that is designed so that the first 60% of movement is useless? I agree with the above, it is a lot of work. Why is this? - for example, the 996 clutch is much softer and engages far lower.
12-14-2001, 03:26 PM
#19
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Okay guys, this is as scientific as I get, so here goes:
I measured the cluth movement from the top (rubber pad) of the lower edge of the pedal to the wood floor piece (I don't have that goofy piece of carpet covering the wood). It was a little tricky so here is how I did it: there is a hole in the wood where the clutch arm comes through. It is almost shaped like an 'L'. Due to the pendulum nature of the pedal action, I took all measurements from the wood immediately ABOVE the hole.
At rest with clutch out: 5 inches
At bottom of clutch movement: 2 inches
Point where I can just push the shifter in gear wihtout forcing it: 3 inches
There you have it, basically 1 inch off the floor is where I can engage a gear. I guess I need to get used to the fact that my car is going to be a rolling experiment from here on out.
Any other high milers want in???
Questions?
E. J.
I measured the cluth movement from the top (rubber pad) of the lower edge of the pedal to the wood floor piece (I don't have that goofy piece of carpet covering the wood). It was a little tricky so here is how I did it: there is a hole in the wood where the clutch arm comes through. It is almost shaped like an 'L'. Due to the pendulum nature of the pedal action, I took all measurements from the wood immediately ABOVE the hole.
At rest with clutch out: 5 inches
At bottom of clutch movement: 2 inches
Point where I can just push the shifter in gear wihtout forcing it: 3 inches
There you have it, basically 1 inch off the floor is where I can engage a gear. I guess I need to get used to the fact that my car is going to be a rolling experiment from here on out.
Any other high milers want in???Questions?
E. J.
