DIY - Easy clutch grab adjustment (~10 mins)

[lordtakuban]

I did mine this afternoon. WOW! It is so much better now. Thanks to the OP and others that mentioned where a good spot was with the pedal being right about the same height as the brake but ever so slightly lower. The engagement happens a little after releasing from the floor and feels a lot more natural now.

The hardest part for me was getting a good angle on the locking nut with the 12mm wrench. I had to lie on my back and keep positioning around the other pedals until I finally got a good spot to grab hold. The rest worked quite easy. And it is very true that a little rotation goes a long way with moving the pedal.

I did not need to adjust the clutch engagement sensor with the little bit that I moved the pedal. Selected gear display still works and I am assuming cruise control still works as well, but I just went around the block to test shifting and making sure the pedal was set right.

Thanks again for the info. It has definitely increased my driving experience with this car.

[Synack]

a left hand glove is your best friend

[Koji_Online]

Originally Posted by Synack

YES! Thanks for this. Stock clutch lets out so high it feels like the clutch is almost completely burnt out! Personally for me, this way I can use less clutch and it'll last longer and shift smoother and more comfortably

Originally Posted by lordtakuban

Fantastic guide! Thanks for posting it and thanks for the pictures. I will adjust mine this weekend. It is definitely needed. Now I need to go find that gear indicator setting...

Originally Posted by Synack

THIS. I just adjusted mine a few times. It's absolutely perfect when it sits verrrrrry slightly below brake pedal. Like 1mm below. It's amazing how much the feel changes with even the tiniest change. If you set it barely below the brake, the cruise control will still kick in easily with no problem.

Originally Posted by lordtakuban

I did mine this afternoon. WOW! It is so much better now. Thanks to the OP and others that mentioned where a good spot was with the pedal being right about the same height as the brake but ever so slightly lower. The engagement happens a little after releasing from the floor and feels a lot more natural now.

The hardest part for me was getting a good angle on the locking nut with the 12mm wrench. I had to lie on my back and keep positioning around the other pedals until I finally got a good spot to grab hold. The rest worked quite easy. And it is very true that a little rotation goes a long way with moving the pedal.

I did not need to adjust the clutch engagement sensor with the little bit that I moved the pedal. Selected gear display still works and I am assuming cruise control still works as well, but I just went around the block to test shifting and making sure the pedal was set right.

Thanks again for the info. It has definitely increased my driving experience with this car.

Improved driving experience is what it's all about! It's awesome most people also found the most comfortable point to be having the clutch just slightly lower than the brake.

As for the questions about if this method will work with adjusting the brake pedal, I personally wouldn't touch it because in the stock stroke; when you are braking hard, the current brake position puts you right in line for smooth heel-toe downshifting; moving the brake pedal further towards the firewall would possible make things awkward =P

[jarviz]

AH i wanna try this so bad, but don't wanna mess it up and kill myself

[NRGBalanced]

Followed the instructions and it worked out great! Rollout is so much smoother. I think it will even be easier to teach my GF how to drive standard, because now you can just clutch-out/gas-in simultaneously, rather than waiting to push the gas. Thanks for the DIY!

I also had a bugger of a time trying to get the rod to turn. Lacking any grip gloves, I grabbed a pair of needlenose Vise-Grips (which, BTW, have saved my ass SO MANY TIMES while working on cars) and adjusted them to give a very loose bite on the rod. I scratched the rod a bit while I was working out how to do it right, but no one will ever notice :-) It took a long time turning the rod 1/8 turn at a time, but it was a lot easier for me.

[cobrabyte]

Thanks! This took a while because I don't have the frame of a small, Japanese auto worker. Gah, gonna need a chiropractic visit but, damn .... it was worth it!

[thatWESguy]

big props to OP on figuring this out, super easy fix and no more guessing on where the engagement point is!

Super easy to do, only took about 10 minutes. Luckily for me, I'm a small Asian man who can fit into the smallest of spaces lol, one of the few times where my stature is actually an advantage

cheers! :happy0180:

[EvoXDD]

I did mine. Hope I did it right and not to much. When you ease out clutch at first my car would just keep going without gas at all. Eased out the pettle a little and now it doesn't seem as bad, could just be me doubting myself

[PRORICAN]

Just finished mine and now I'm going on a test drive. Thanks OP!!!

[PRORICAN]

Test drive went great! I did some more adjustments and after the third drive it is now perfect. I hated the stock engagement.

[TennisHsu]

I wish I had adjusted my clutch position sooner!! the difference is amazing! I was never comfortable with the high engagement from the beginning, lots of over revving and jerky starts, especially on hills! did what OP recommended, clutch level a touch lower than the brake, and shifting is smooth as butta now! I'm sure my transmission is thankful as well!

[so26]

I can't thank the OP and the guys who uploaded pics enough. I made the adjustment within less then 48hrs of owning my FR-S and it made a huge difference.

I'm surprised that none of the "professional" reviews that I've seen and read mentioned anything about it.

[MY13FRS]

Sadly, I tried and couldn't do this mod as my back gave out 15 mins of trying to get under the dash.

Too bad, as I too feel the clutch travel is waaaay too long.

[so26]

Originally Posted by MY13FRS

Sadly, I tried and couldn't do this mod as my back gave out 15 mins of trying to get under the dash.

Too bad, as I too feel the clutch travel is waaaay too long.

It is awkward to get under there and make the adjustment. Other then paying someone to do it for you, if you took the driver's seat out that might help free up some room so you could make the adjustment.

BTW, Mods this should be a sticky!