how many other peoples clutches grab "weird" so to speak..my friend drove my evo and he let me drive his and he said my clutch grabs weird and i could definitely tell a difference on his and his is still stock. my clutch seems to studder a little when trying to grab from a stop almost like it's slipping but then once it catches it's totally fine..how many other people have this..? some people might say it's normal..but it's not normal to me if it's the first standard that I've encountered this..again it happened with my stock clutch but not my friends stock clutch..just want to hear anyone elses problems with this or ideas.. also i can't really afford an aftermarket one right now to get rid of this problem so if i go to the dealer if you think this is a problem what would you tell them?

 

its the restrictor.

 

Is it? It's really annoying, I have that problem when I shift to 2nd gear. Even if I don't give it gas for a while (after it engages), it still does after I do give it gas.

If you're talking about clutch chatter, I have that too when the car is cold. After the first 5 or so uses of the clutch after a cold start, it goes away.

 

In other words, it's pretty common with most Evo's especially for those who drive it pretty hard.
On mine, I only have little over an inch of pedal travel before the clutch disengages so you have get use to it to drive it well. But, it still grabs.

 

No, I don't think it's a fading clutch in my case, cuz I don't do high rpm launches. I think it has more to do with how many synchros we have in our gears.

 

I think this is the make or break point for me on my next car. I love my Evo, but I can't stand the fact that it has such crappy engagement of the gears. If you just shift like in any other car, it bumps the tranny hard, so you have to control your clutch delivery, what causes unnecessary slip and lower clutch life. I hate having to drive it like an old lady to avoid damage to the tranny, or having to hammer it to warm up, so you have to drive hard all the time. The engagement from first to second is ALWAYS tricky, and I have to really pay attention to what the I'm doing, otherwise I get a pretty lousy engagemet, flutter of te clutch and some stutter. I've drive manual cars for 23 years, and this is the most finicky clutch/tranny combination I've ever had. I'm installing an ss clutch line and I hope it smooths it up a bit. Right now it's making me take a long hard look on the upcoming Sti...

 

I get clutch "shudder" too but I don't think it's a big deal. You just have to let it out a tad, rev up a little more and you're off. I beat on my car though, smoked the clutch two times so i bet it's a little glazed. Still haven't lost it totally yet, so keeping my fingers crossed.
As far as it being a "finicky" clutch, it's just the nature of an AWD car. You can't just let the drivetrain absorb the shock of hamfisted shifting (I'm as guilty as anyone) because there's just too much connection with the road. I would bet you money that the STi does the same thing. This car is meant for hard driving, with the compromise of a little bucking on the street. I think it's totally fine when you're running through the gears under full power or downshifting. Way more control by way of throttle or deceleration than any 2WD car. Just my 2 cents.

 

thanks for the feedback guys but it hasn't really helped too much..do you think maybe I have hot spots on my flywheel and I should get my flywheel resurfaced? i dont wanna take it to the dealer if I dont have to but it's really annoying and I didn't notice it when I was driving my friends evo w/ stock clutch..

 

Well I would say just ride out the lifespan of your stock clutch the best you can, because we all know these clutches aren't so great. As long as its not slipping under power it's doing it's job. The shudder could come from a number of things, maybe you just glazed/warped it a little. Does it happen all the time or just when cold? Try to get into the habit of giving it a little more gas before you release. Don't worry about the low-rpm engagement, this isn't a Mercedes. Save your $$ for a good aftermarket one. It's a ***** to change the clutch yourself and it's a lot of labor cost to have it done, plus it's an expensive part. When you spend all the $$ to finally do the swap, you can think about getting a new flywheel etc then. I've had to adjust a little to drive mine as well. My engagement point is kind of high, it shudders from time to time, and if I over-rev it it just smokes An aftermarket one is in my future too, just remember you're not alone!

 

You said that it's the nature of AWD, and this is my first car of this type. I wonder if the owners of Eclipses AWD, WRXs, and Porche Carrera 4S have such problems, to a larger or smaller extent than we do. It's pretty weird knowing that either you stutter, bump or burn your clutch every time you shift from 1st to 2nd. It takes time to get used to it. When I drive it hard, it's almost like it likes it like that, shifts smoother and has almost no shudder. Problem is, you can't drive it hard while in traffic in L.A..

 

I never had this issue with the Celica AllTrac (ST165).

I suspect it's the EVO's hydraulic "restrictor". Even on "normal" quick shifts, it feels like the clutch is fighting me, and the @#$% thing even seems to oscillate when maneuvering in a tight parking garage.

Mind you, I do know how to drive a manual. My '79 Alfa still has the stock clutch. I sold the Celica after 15 years and 98Kmi with the stock clutch. I drove an Alfetta GT from MA to southern NJ without first or second gear.

But this hydraulic damper is a pain in the rear suspension. If I can find a mod-friendly dealer in the DC area, it's going to be history. Otherwise, I suspect the parking garage ramps are going to finish the clutch in a hurry. All that chatter can't be good for it.

 

I took that damm restrictor out and all the problem that I was having (identical to what you describe) went away.

 

its so much nicer with the restrictor out

 

You think Evo gearboxes and bad wait till you try a STI. They are way more fragile. Seen way more guys blow up stock sti trannies rallying in us than stock evo's. But most of us dont rally (me included) so its relative.