I know Evos have weak clutches, and if you dont' launch them properly you will pay the price. I want to know what you guys do to get a quick start in daily driving situations. For example you're beside a car at a light and you gotta get in front of him quickly after the light turns green, but you don't want to drop the clutch at 5000 RPM for a multitude of reasons.

What is the best technique to get a good jump and put the least amount of strain on your clutch in a situation like this?

 

+1

 

2 Launching characteristics.
1) dump clutch or dropping too fast. Harsh on your drivetrain and if u r stock form your 60 fts will suck due to not enough power to spin all 4 advans at a track, your car will bogg, rpms drop and your drivetrain will not like u.
2) Slip the clutch, Great for the drivetrain but gonna wear out your clutch. The faster u can slip with out it dropping into gear the better your launch.

What u should be trying to do: Try and slip the clutch fast enough so u dont burn your clutch and make sure not to do it too fast or u will drop clutch and will bogg (even more so with stock power) and hurt your drivetrain. This is what getting off the line is all about. Until u reach rediculous power where all 4 want to give way on u then u gotta work a bit more magic but i got a feeling u r not at that power level yet.

 

I'm not a drag racer but I'm at 36k on my stock clutch and I've autocrossed, rallycrossed, and driven at limerock a couple times. I guess that's pretty good, and the only advice I can give is never launch on pavement if you want your clutch to last. I've launched my car hard on dry pavement maybe 5 times in its entire life and I don't plan on doing it again. Launching on dirt is a lot better for the car and imo more fun

I usually just slip the clutch a bit if I need a quick start on pavement. I'm just not overly concerned with making it blistering fast. The clutch in it's stock form is only meant to take so much punishment. If you lay into the gas quickly as you gently step off the clutch (its really hard to explain, i'd much prefer to physically show someone), you can usually get the car to take off pretty quick. just remember to lay into the gas a good amount. Just practice, try different things, that's the only way to learn anything.

 

simple - let the other guy in front of you...

...no - really...



Actually, I dont use my 2-step on the street. Thats just asking for your drivetrain to go boom. If I have to get moving I use a quick slip at the same time as I accel. Sure, might eat up the clutch a little more, but def. less than a 5k launch, but it will still get you moving pretty quick. (I do not ride the clutch, just get it slipping enough to get the car into the boost range - 2500-3000 rpm. Which doesnt take long at all.)

Hope that answers some of your questions.

Just curious - your Canadian - how do you plan on getting an Evo? I thought you cannot in CAN? If you importing a car back, Id much rather have a R33 or R34

 

Thanks guys. I guess it's not any different in an Evo than any other cars. Just slip it with more power.

Smike: I'm an American/Canadian citizen. The car is American and licensed in Massachusetts. It isn't being imported but rather driven by myself as an American in Canada.

 

No prb.

Nice, whenever I go to CAN in my Evo I get asked over and over - what is this? And lots of wows/thumbs up.

 

Hahah Yea, save gas, save drive train parts.

seriously tho, i suppose just start learning to slip the clutch little by little. maybe on a wet surface to be a bit more forgiving in the event you get to excited?

 

Exactly why I have to get an alarm installed the day I get there It gets a bit too much attention haha

 

wtf? who cares..........this thread is about easy launching.

 

soft lauch: Start out normally and go wide open throttle AFTER the clutch is fully engaged. Actual definition of a soft launch. Anything more than a normal start is no longer a soft launch and is either medium or hard. Medium is what the others are describing. You can still be quick with the clutch and gas while having no slippage and excellent starts that won't damage the clutch or the drivetrain, and you will ACCELERATE at the same rate that you would have if you had launced hard you just won't get that initial speed and may have to wait a short period of time to get into boost range. Just b/c you have AWD and turbo doesn't mean you have to slip the clutch hard or dump it at high revs to take off.

 

Soft launch... well I just feather the clutch and gas pedal just right and shoot off the line. I know what you mean. Theres just those instances where you have to get in front of someone quickly. Be it to get to a turn off or whatever the case may be. But it doesn't always work, you gotta do it just right. Otherwise you'll be smellin roasted clutch for about 10 minutes, and like the guys said, it'll eat the clutch up. Good luck with that, and drive carefully.

 

Soft launch will most probably burn or glaze more of your clutch than a higher rpm launch.

 

How's that? Can you elaborate?

 

The Evo has too much lag to accelerate quickly just above idle. If you don't get the RPM up before you fully engage the clutch, you will not accelerate quickly. A naturally aspirated four cylinder like the Lancer Ralliart gets to 3000 RPM a lot quicker than a turbo four cylinder like the Evo. Tourque builds a lot sooner in a N/A engine. Plus the Evo has a heavy flywheel.

There's almost no way to launch an Evo quickly without added wear on either the clutch or drivetrain. Clutch wear is the lesser of two evils though.