Breaking in clutch questions.
 

Hi everyone, just picked up a fx300 and I had a few questions about breaking it in.

1) How high of an RPM should I rev to get into 1st?
2) How would I downshift? i.e 6th cruising down to 30mph need to go into 4th, do I set it into 4th and just ease out the clutch without gas? Or do I use a bit of gas and rev match to 4th?
3) If I mainly have to go towards the highway, any speeds I shouldn't pass?
4) RPM's to shift at?
5) How long can I hold a clutch at the engagement point before it starts burning?
6) Any other tips? Concerns?

Thanks everyone!

*P.S this is for a different car, but the other car community sucks **** and hasn't answered this question so figured I'd go back to my original fr-s community*

The clutch on different cars may vary slightly but the principles remain the same.

Yeah, just don't slip the crap out of it and you are fine. TBO I've never altered my driving style on a new clutch. But I also don't slip my clutch even after break in. I've seen people use the clutch to hold the car on a hill (which is bad even on a broken in clutch). Don't do anything like that.

Actually imho mentioned in forums specific rpms or techniques to shift will only confuse & endanger you, if you'll divert lot of your attention trying to follow any.
Just drive.

Such a fast reply ;_:. Joined the civicx community and don't think anyone knows what a clutch or flywheel is.. The engagement of the 10th gen civics engages stupidly high and the pedals are so soft so it's pretty hard to not slip it into gear while shifting up in the rears(probably due to a CDV). Not sure if the FR-S has this, only had an auto fr-s.

You don't need to over think this clutch deal. Just go easy on the clutch for the first 500 miles, then just drive the car.

;)


humfrz

Yeah I'm only very concerned for the fx350(not 300 sorry) because everyone on the other forums are saying they have been slipping super quick and some are slipping on the dynos.

Well, if the clutch disk was manufactured properly and installed correctly and the flywheel is in good shape and the pressure plate is good and there isn't any oil on the surface of any of them...… the clutch outta work … ;)


humfrz

How would I move into first gear without slipping the clutch? I never got how people blipped the throttle and got going. I've always had to move my foot to the friction point and just gas it while letting the clutch out slowly. Isn't this slipping it? Also, my other car has a delay valve that shoots the rpms up a bit every time i push the clutch in, if I don't give it some gas while letting the clutch out into the next gear, the car jerks a little. Are these a problem or will I have to live with it?

Overthinking it. It sounds like you just need practice in coordinating between what your left and right foot are doing.

The standing throttle blip is just a way to use the kinetic energy of the flywheel to start the car rolling. It's nice because it reduces the time spent slipping the clutch.

Try forgetting about the tach. Don't even watch it.

1. In a parking lot away from others, practice starting out in first gear without applying any throttle.

2. When you have that mastered, really mastered, start adding a little throttle to get rolling. You'll notice that if you engage the clutch while the engine is slowing down, there's a rhythm where it falls into place and there's no jerk.

Smooth upshifts and downshifts are all about controlling engine speed to match what the rest of the car expects it to be. Just takes feel and can be mastered no matter what the RPM. It is more difficult at higher RPM because the difference in engine speed is much wider than when shifting at lower RPM. Therefore, the rhythm is different.

Thanks, lol. I might have worded the blipping thing wrong I was already doing that. I was just saying, I see some people just blip it and dump the throttle and it gets doing smoothly. I have pretty decent clutch control already. Idk I am probably just over thinking it due to all the horror stories of ruining a high performance clutch.

We can still discuss your cool new clutch. ;)

I just never really though about how much I can slip a clutch on a fx350 while breaking it in. Normally I slip the clutch a little going up to next gear for a smooth transition but when people say don't slip the clutch, do they actually mean at all? Or like revving to 3k and slipping it? This is why I'm super confused about all this. I need to slip the clutch going into first. I mean I get going in less than a second at 1500 rpm or so.

It's a really good question and it's nearly impossible for me to explain in words. Luckily, it's easy to demonstrate using one's own hands while considering the high school physics thing about friction, work, and heat.

The object is to minimize the total amount of heat energy transferred through the clutch with each operation so that, as it's operated over time, the amount of heat dumped into it doesn't exceed its ability to shed it through the pressure plate and flywheel. This rate of heat over time is called power. Horsepower, KiloWatts, Joules per second, whatever.

If hands are rubbed together lightly enough, they never get too hot no matter how long they are rubbed.

Next, rub them together with medium force 20 times, stop, and hold.

How long does it take for your hands to cool down.

Rub them together again but this time really hard. See where I'm going?

You can launch but give your clutch a chance to cool. That's why I cringe whenever I hear the sound of throttle being applied before clutch is fully engaged. Sloppy upshift is a horrible waste.

Woo, class is in session. Yes, I remember my physics classes lol.

Long story short, fully let go of clutch before use of gas and don't use the gas to slip the clutch even if it makes it more smooth. This is one of those times where I'd wish my clutch wasn't so soft lol.

So as long as I don't glaze the clutch i.e hold it at the friction point for 2-3 seconds I should be fine?

Brakes are to hold the car still, not the clutch. Brakes are cheap and easy to replace. Blah blah...

But it is a consumable. Just use it for it's intended purpose and enjoy exploring the limits. You'll feel it get hot way before you smell it. If it gets mushy on engagement, it's

too

fucking

hot.

Any extra tips on high performance clutches or are they kinda more or less the same?

I suggest this thread where I explore that same frustration. It leads into my DIY which is a beginner mod that transforms the operation of the clutch. Unlike the spring removal one, this actually changes the throw ratio.

I hear that some can be tricky to modulate and prone to chatter. Chatter is awful for this transmission in particular.

Just to clarify...
Use the bolded technique only when shifting. The clutch is designed to slip on startup from a stop. It's fine (and recommended) to modulate to clutch when you start the car moving as long as you apply a low amount of power until the clutch hooks up.

Might be obvious, but had to make that clarification just in case.

Wow, I've been driving manuals wrong then. I can't really feel the engagement of my clutch unless I'm barefooted. What I normally do is clutch in, shift up, move clutch to engagement point and add a slide bit of gas while getting go of the clutch. Is this wrong even with using a 1.5l engine and a Honda clutch with a cdv? No matter how smooth I let go of the clutch, it will jerk unless I add some gas.

@incutebus

push clutch in

start car

put in gear

let clutch out and press on gas ….. (both at once)

drive car

press in clutch let off gas (both at once)

take car out of gear

just do all of the above, in that order, without thinking about it …..;)

Now, if you come back before you practice that ……. I'm ah gonna hafta :slap: ya.


humfrz

I think I'm gonna remove my CDV lol. Second manual I owned. My first M/T was a 92 passat and it wasn't as notchy shifting as this civic :p. It may just be me not used to having a delay in a shift.

Well, if you can't get used to it, you can always take it out.

It doesn't look that hard.

It would be easy for me …. just drive up to the local auto shop, tell the guys to take out the CDV and be sure to bleed the system. Have a cup of coffee and a smoke, tell a couple of back-in-the-day stories, pay them, drive home and take a nap.


:happyanim:



humfrz

Guess deleting my cdv did it 👌👌👌