marlinspike

In the friends' manual transmissioned cars (current generation Ford Mustang GT and e36 BMW M3), shifting is a pleasure. The clutch goes in nice and easy and smooth, the shifter hits each gate precisely (the Mustang is even better than the M3 believe it or not).

When I get in my dad's 2002 Carrera 2, it's a big pain in the butt. The clutch is heavy, very heavy (even my dad who drove stickshift for the first two decades of his driving life thinks so). If I'm wearing leather soled loafers, the shoe will twist as I push the clutch because of how stiff it is (I saw loafers because lace-ups are more rigid so they don't, of course). The shifter goes into each gate in a wobbly mush, shaking side to side as you go into each gear. The guy at the dealership insists that this is how Porsches are.

My dad says the clutch was once light (I don't remember since there was a year or so where I didn't drive the car) and then he took it in for a broken cruise control and once that was fixed the clutch was heavy.

So, is the dealership right and Porsche manuals are absolutely horrible, or are there some common wear and tear items at fault here. It's on it's 2nd clutch and only has something like 55k miles. Could it be because when that first clutch was replaced the flywheel had to be remachined (done by whoever these guys use http://www.autothority.com/, I imagine it's good)?

deckman

His clutch is worn out. He may want to have another look at how he shifts. Two worn clutches at 55k is not normal.

ivangene

My first impression was the clutch is heavy in these cars too... I have drove manuals most of my life. That said, I cant "FEEL" yours........

If I were you I would pop down to the dealer, and ask them to sit in one that is in and around the same year as yours... Press the clutch and compare.
It should not be so heavy you cant drive, sounds like a problem, but go compare and you will know

jumper5836

The clutch is heavy in the 996, you get used to it. Jump into a 944 and press the clutch in and it will go through the floor because it's so light.
The gear shift is long, that's why the majority of us install a short shift kit.

deckman

I just replaced my clutch. It was heavy before replacement and light as a feather after.

marlinspike

Hmmmm, ok, I guess only driving it now and then every few months (I live a few hundred miles away) isn't enough for me to get used to it and in his advanced age he maybe cannot get used to it. With the gearshift it's not the length that bothers me as much as how wobbly it is. I mean, sure if it were like the shifter in my friend's Mustang that would be nice, but length doesn't really bother me.

Jon996

+1. I was just going to say that. I had become used to the heavy feel, but wow is it light after replacement (at 42K)

marlinspike

I should note that last time he had it in the shop my dad asked the tech to check the clutch and the tech said it's fine (it only has a few thousand miles on it).

deckman

How did the tech know for sure? Mine wasn't slipping at all so there was no indication it was worn except that it was heavy. I was getting the RMS fixed so they could do a visual inspection of mine and see it was near the end of it's life.

If the clutch only has a few k miles and feels heavy I don't know what it could be. Maybe someone else will chime in. You could also try posting over at RennTech.

russo

Both of my 911's clutch is what I consider normal. Soft soled shoes/barefoot not a problem. The GT3 has a hard clutch and shift, but even so I got used to it within a couple of days.

gota911

Is it possible that the clutch spring is weak or even missing? There was a thread on this about guys actually removing the helper spring or replacing it with a softer spring to improve the "feel" of the clutch.

Clutch Spring

kunkstyle

It's definately a heavy/stiff clutch but I wouldn't say it's to the point that it makes it anywhere close to be difficult to drive. Had an '87 924S and I'd say the clutch wasn't much lighter in there than the 911.

Also, the term wobbly isn't one I'd throw around in normal shifting. I'd say there might be a problem there.

marlinspike

I wouldn't say it's difficult to drive, but it's unpleasant to drive. I'll tell him to look into the spring.

rpratt

It is a heavy clutch compared to some others. When I bought my 996 new I was coming from an Integra GSR, and the Porsche clutch is definitely heavier than the Honda one, even when brand new. I also borrowed an NSX for a few months when my 996 was new, and even then there was a BIG difference in clutch feel.

But if its really feeling very sloppy, not shifting cleanly, etc, then I'd say something is wrong. I'm now at 85K miles, still on the original clutch, and it isn't much heavier than new, and it's definitely NOT sloppy at all.

Bob

Barn996

+1