Don,
For someone with limited knowledge, you sure make it sound like you know what you are talking about. For my even more limited knowledge, I have no objection to your conclusion

 

Thanks, Vegas! I went to engineering school once; a long, long time ago... <g>

-don

 

Thanks again for all the comments - your combined technical know how is a very inpressive resource. It is possible that the smoking tyres was in fact a smoking clutch, which is not a pleasant thought at all. Come to think of it it wasn't a very nice smell either!

I need to say that this all happened quite easily - I wasn't really trying to dump the clutch as such but just intended to take off fast. As stated I was turning left onto a main road (with a slightly up hill camber) I certainly booted the accelerator hard but from your comments it sounds like I came off the clutch too fast.

If thats what happened I'm quite surprised that I could have done damage so easily. As it stands the car feels great - actually seems to be running better after a good blast. But I certainly will be more careful.

Nice to see another brit on the board UK997S - hope your enjoying your car as much as I am!

 

coming off the clutch slow leads to a smoked clutch not fast. THe less time your on the clutch the less ware on the clucth, when your foots on the cluch the clutch is slipping, if your reving while on the clutch you multipling your wear times your rpm so your gonna do 5 times the wear in x time at 5000 rpm then at 1000 rpm maybe more becasue as the rction disc gets hot it starts to flake and come apart. with the car in gear no clutch input you should be able to go wot (wide open thorttle)
without the clutch slipping. if its slipping theres something wrong already. Its a sport car it should (and it will) be able to hold spritied driving