New FR-S Owner! First manual car for me, various questions!
 

Glad to have finally joined the family!

https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4187/3...c5a0b4d8_c.jpg

She's a 2013 - Feb 2013 on the Door Jamb.

A bunch of questions in no particular order.
First, since it's my first stick shift, it's quite a learning curve. I assume it's normal that the clutch engagement/bite point feels very high up? I need more practice so I can build the muscle memory on where it is, as I'm still very jerky from a stop. Granted, I don't have many other clutches to compare it to, as I've only driven other manual cars once or twice for short periods of time.

I don't see too many Argento's around here - but I was wondering, if I choose to swap the taillights with Valenti's, I didn't realize how many options there are! What do you think would suit an Argento best? I don't think I want to go with anything too dark or smoked, so perhaps a clear or red lens?

I have the stock/base Stereo in there, and I was hoping to eventually add a subwoofer, something that is small so I can still retain trunk space, something like this https://www.amazon.ca/PIONEER-TSSWX2...ords=TSSWX2502
Do you know what would be a good/reasonable amp choice for that?
My plan is to plug the amp into the existing RCA jacks on the Stereo.

I think I may do the Helix Clear Side Markers too, to clean it up a bit.

Beyond that, no real mods planned apart from the very obvious driver mod, until I get confident and comfortable with driving the car, then I can hopefully start to enjoy the car for what it was built for!

Hey congrats! I got a brz just recently too. I'm in a similar situation as you; first manual car, only driven other sticks for a short bit of time, and the clutch feels high and heavy for me.

Gonna save this thread to see what others recommend, but from my previous research I've read you can either remove the spring clutch or adjust it. I'm thinking about adjusting mine over the weekend. Congrats again on the car, looks good!

If you do some searching you will find that the high clutch is common complaint.

The good news is that there is a simple fix to lower the clutch pedal in the DIY section.

Not sure how somebody brand new to MT would find it high? Shouldn't it be normal to them and everything else seem low?

IIRC it sits noticeably higher than the other pedals before adjustment, so using those as a guage I guess it would feel high, even to somebody new to MT.

CONGRATULATIONS, on your new car, ....... there, jcutner .......:)

I'd suggest you leave the clutch alone ....... yes, it does have a higher engagement point than many other clutches ........ but you will get used to it .......;)


humfrz

I wasn't criticizing just confused. They mention the engagement point not the pedal height. To feel it is high means having a norm to compare to.

Haha this is my first manual and that was my exact thought. At this point though it would be nice for the grab point to be lower simply for starting off in first and shifting to second.

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I have driven with higher points and also with lower points. In all cases I got used to where the point was in about 10 shifts or so. I find no certain point is easier or harder than another once you know where it is.

It weird, but your first manual car you obsess about remembering where the bite point is. Then you drive someone else's car and the bite point is in a different place and another car and it's different again. After a while it stops mattering and your foot finds the bite point pretty much instantly. You maybe move the clutch quite slowly at first in each unfamiliar car, but you adapt to each new clutch bite point faster until you don't notice it any more.

I'd just get used to it unless it's causing any ergonomics issues or foot strain.

Personally I find the accelerator free play more tricky to master in new cars. I stall my 86 the first time i drove it off the dealer lot because I couldn't quite feel the accelerator free play. I could have just rev'ed it instead but was trying to be a smart arse.

Is this the jcutner of Shacknews fame?

Hahahah holy shit
Of all the places on the internet
It certainly is!

Hahah, awesome. I knew I remembered that nickname somehow. It was like a Pavlovian response when I saw "jcutner", Shacknews memories came flooding back. Wasted brain space?

I think I started posting on that site back in 97 or 99? Stopped posting around the game Gamefly took over and ruined the colors/UI.

Did you ever get unbanned? :bellyroll:

Nope, that was a permaban they'll hold onto forever! Been over 10 years now.
Neogaf is my new stomping ground, that and reddit even though I mostly lurk!

Hey J, I know you are not new here just to the car but check out these guys: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...=50004&page=62 Some good guys there that can give you some pointers on MT and maybe even help you drop the clutch pedal a bit if you ask nice.

?


https://i.giphy.com/boGYdCbpddgIg.gif

Yes, that. Lots of memories of posting on the Shack.

Enjoy that 7400 RPM~

The bite point is fine, it's managing the revs that makes shifting jerky.
Compared to a Corolla, yes the bite point is higher but that's because it's a better clutch.
I would recommend putting on a bunch of miles before messing with the clutch.


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Stock clutch is goofy as hell. Aside from adjusting it, depending on your confidence level, you can do this, which transforms the experience. No muscle memory required. It eliminates the need for "getting used to it." 100% w00t factor for everyone I've personally helped up here in the PNW. I've lost count.

With that out of the way, it's not horrible. Most drivers don't really think or care about the clutch. I feel it's a critical part of the driving experience.

Clutch feel is sort of like colour preference. There is no right or wrong position so people just like, dislike or just don't care where it is or how it works. At least there are options to change it if you don't like it.

Damn, well that's intimidating as hell. I guess I'll just be learning this clutch!

This clutch doesn't fully engage until the very top. I've read here that the holding torque was specified so it would let go before damaging the transmission.

I figure that if the clutch was set at the factory to engage/disengage near the floorboard ..... that some people would bitch, saying they they had to push the clutch pedal all the way to the floor, to make it work......:rolleyes:


humfrz

I wouldn't worry about the clutch. Not only will you get used to it, but having no prior experience, you won't have any "un-learning" to do.

Just drive it and have fun. And congrats on choosing to be a real man and row your own.

Lol

:slap: ....... that twernt nice.

:slap: ...... for ol @Cole for laughing.


......so there.


humfrz

How long did it take you to get comfortable driving it? Did you learn on the car?

I like my stock clutch. ner.
That's why I finally sold the Alfa. One leg was swole up more than the other.

Still learning in fact, don't feel 100% comfortable yet, but each day is better. I don't have much time to drive during the week (I take the subway to work, so it's basically just my weekend car).

We removed the clutch spring out of my friends BRZ and my FRS it made a huge difference. I would try that out. Only takes 5 minutes and you can put it back in if you don't like it. I bet you will throw the spring away like we did. There is DIY on here.

I also had to bleed the **** out of my clutch. When I first bought this car I thought I had to get used to the stage 2 clutch. Nope... Just couldn't feel a thing due to the two reasons above.

You might want to have that looked at. They do have meds for that.

I remember, back-in-the-day, I was visiting this young lady, in her apartment in San Francisco, when I excused myself to use her bathroom. There on the vanity was a medicine container ...... which read ...... "tetracycline".

I brought it out to her and asked her if there was something I should know about ........:eyebulge:

She laughed and said ...... she takes that for her complexion problem.

:sigh: .... of relief


humfrz

The pedal, sure, but the bite point? nah. I was completely new to manual and I had no reference point for how high or low the bite point should be.

I've actually gotten so used to it because of learning MT for the first time that I'm afraid to adjust it by: 1) removing the spring, and/or 2) changing the bite point height.

The clutch on this car is weird for sure. But go drive a stage 3 evo or sti clutch and you'll come back thankful you don't have to deal with that every day.

The hardest clutch I've encountered was on my friends evo 8 with a dual disk setup. That thing was the most unforgiving car I have ever seen. You have to rev it up to 5k just to start from a stop without stalling, it's practically impossible to do it with any amount of smoothness as it acts as an on/off switch either being engaged or disengaged.

I think this will be my strategy too, each time I'm getting more familiar and comfortable with it.

Removing the spring will only make you feel the clutch engagement better. I highly recommend it.

Better than what? Again with no reference point there is no "better". I took mine out and promptly put it back again so "better" is subjective anyway.

Better than with the spring in. Its definitely just my opinion. My comparison is my GTI which I can feel the moment the clutch starts to engage. I struggled a lot with the FRS until I took the spring out and bled the clutch. Bleeding the clutch probably made the bigger difference though.

Had you made changes to require bleeding the clutch?

yupp.... motor swap and trans fluid. The clutch felt like garage when I bought the car though. It was impossible to get into first smooth. Pretty night and day. My friends BRZ we only took out the spring and that was it. It was still a better feel in my mind.