Kahdmus

Hi 996 Board, long time member of the 964 board here, just picked up a 2002 996 C4 manual cab.

Quick question:

After 10 years of 964 ownership, I was surprised to drive my 996 for the first time today and struggled to balance the clutch and pull away smoothly from a standstill each time...quite embarrasing to admit in fact!

Is it difficult to immediately find the balancing point in these cars for some reason? How many revs are you giving it for a perfectly smooth delivery off the line?

Embarrased myself twice this morning (maybe thinking about it too much!) with a bumpy launch at the lights!

Cheers,

--Howard

street rod

My clutch is very smooth and I can give it very low revs maybe 1500, or higher for a quicker launch. Either way its not difficult to make it smooth. How many miles are on your clutch? Maybe you just need some practice.

logray

Takes some practice doesn't it!

Some people like the feel better if they remove the clutch pedal boost spring.

Check it out:

https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...matically.html

wwest

Top mounted pedals vs bottom takes some getting used to.

pmkazz

I notice this more with the 3.4l than the 3.6l. With the 3.6l I can get the car rolling and take off from a stop without touching the gas. I cannot do this with the 3.4l. Also, it was the worst when my clutch needed to be replaced. Once that was completed it was much better.

Byprodriver

These cars are difficult to take off smoothly with all that artificial intellegence going on (drive by wire, clutch pedal boost spring, hydralic T/O bearing) I rarely give them enough revs. When the pressure plate is excessively worn it becomes really difficult & a experienced mechanic can tell you if that is a issue by the engagement point.

groovzilla

funny you posted this because i too had the same experience...also experienced it on my 993...much more difficult to take off in 1st gear...when i had my 996 at akers porsche for the clutch/ims denny aker explained that he too has issues with clutch release especially when parking the car when the wheels are turned.

frisbee91

I had a similar experience when I got my 996. I replaced the clutch helper spring with a much lighter spring, and now I'm much happier. The force to actuate the clutch is higher, but the transition to get it rolling is much smoother.

The issue is that the design of the clutch helper provides a non-linear assist force. When the clutch is near the floor, the spring assists the most. As you raise the clutch pedal, the spring assembly rotates to provide less assistance. So, the force to your foot increases just as the clutch starts to engage, which is awkward. Replacing the spring with a smaller one results in a assist force that is closer to constant througout the travel (albeit a higher force.) I like the mod, buy YMMV.

edit:
The smaller spring I used was Home Depot P/N 684838, $3.98 for two.

aviography

Took me a few days when I first got the car in early August, and I've been driving M/T cars for almost 30 years straight as I've never owned any A/T cars, you will get used to it soon enough.

Partsguy

I find this interesting, in my search for a car, I have driven 2 of them and after driving them I left wondering if my lack of MT use for the past 10 years was the 'problem'. I passed on both of them for other minor issues that did not meet my standards. It's good to know and be aware of so as not to confuse the different engagement feel with an actual problem.

nick49

I was going to mention that I did a mod and a post years ago to address it. I see it's been referenced. I'd still recommend it.