BRZ vs WRX STI Clutch

[arleewa]

so i got to drive my buddy's 2009 (i think?) sti not too long ago.

the BRZ is my first stick car so needless to say ive done my fair share of stalling while learning how to REALLY drive stick (i had driven other vehicles before but only in parking lots, etc.)

when i drove my friends car i noticed that the clutch's catching point was VERY early...i mean like 1 cm off the floor early. it was MUCH easier to shift in his car than in mine, or at least in my opinion.

i was just wondering if there was an explanation for this? im not a mechanical guru, but i had always assumed that more HP meant a stronger clutch and therefore a stiffer peal as well (for all i know this assumption could be HIGHLY inaccurate). this seemed to tell me the opposite.

im a little lost as to why this may be, maybe because the transmission is different? basically i was hoping someone would be able to explain this to me

[dori.]

every car is different

different transmission, clutch disk, pressure plate, master/slave cylinders, pedal position...

pedal stiffness can come from the pressure plate and/or the clutch line... try driving a six puck clutch with a strong pressure plate and stainless line and you'll know

[Sportsguy83]

Originally Posted by arleewa

so i got to drive my buddy's 2009 (i think?) sti not too long ago.

the BRZ is my first stick car so needless to say ive done my fair share of stalling while learning how to REALLY drive stick (i had driven other vehicles before but only in parking lots, etc.)

when i drove my friends car i noticed that the clutch's catching point was VERY early...i mean like 1 cm off the floor early. it was MUCH easier to shift in his car than in mine, or at least in my opinion.

The catching point has nothing to do with how strong the clutch is, or how much HP the car has. This clutch grab point can be adjusted in any car (There's a DIY thread here on how to adjust it for the BRZ). Clutch stiffness CAN be an indication of how much power the car has BUT it is not always true, as you can have a 91 civic with 108 HP and install a 4 pluck bronze clutch and high pressure plate and it will be stiff as f*$%k but that will not mean the car has any big amount of HP. In the other hand, you can have a high HP car in which you use a sprung clutch, and even though it can hold a big amount of HP, the pedal is not as stiff.

[ngabdala]

I have to say being an experienced manual transmission driver that I stall alot in the BRZ, 5200 miles later. I will be using the DIY here to adjust the catch point. I've just been too lazy

[Jive Turkey]

i came from a 2011 STi and the brz is a joke to drive compared to the STi. the clutch is lighter, has less travel, needs way less throttle input and is so much easier to drive smooth than the sti simply because its rwd and not AWD.

[iLuveKetchup]

The BRZ's clutch feels really odd to me. The clutch's resistance is not the same (or linear) through out its range. As if the first few centimeters has resistance, then all of the sudden its soft and resistance free. My '11 STi had more of a traditional (normal) clutch feel. The clutch is the only thing I do not like about the BRZ/FR-S. Feels like the 370's clutch (this is not a compliment). Yuck!

[sierra]

Originally Posted by arleewa

when i drove my friends car i noticed that the clutch's catching point was VERY early...i mean like 1 cm off the floor early. it was MUCH easier to shift in his car than in mine, or at least in my opinion.

When the clutch engages that close to the floor it's unlikely to be disengaging properly when it's used to change gear. That's bad news for the gearbox and the clutch.
About 2/3 up from the floor is about right.

[chutrain]

The BRZ clutch took me a little to get used to. Very forgiving coming from my E30 M3 or
LGT. The LGT is extremely stiff and catchy, and the E30 is extremely sensitive and small engagement zone.

Just take your time and you'll pick up little tricks. The LGT took me a little bit as well due to the drive by wire, but go used to it after time.

[DarkSunrise]

Originally Posted by arleewa

so i got to drive my buddy's 2009 (i think?) sti not too long ago.

the BRZ is my first stick car so needless to say ive done my fair share of stalling while learning how to REALLY drive stick (i had driven other vehicles before but only in parking lots, etc.)

when i drove my friends car i noticed that the clutch's catching point was VERY early...i mean like 1 cm off the floor early. it was MUCH easier to shift in his car than in mine, or at least in my opinion.

i was just wondering if there was an explanation for this? im not a mechanical guru, but i had always assumed that more HP meant a stronger clutch and therefore a stiffer peal as well (for all i know this assumption could be HIGHLY inaccurate). this seemed to tell me the opposite.

im a little lost as to why this may be, maybe because the transmission is different? basically i was hoping someone would be able to explain this to me

I used to own an 09 STI hatch. Compared to the STI, the FR-S/BRZ clutch is much lighter and the engagement point is higher. You can lower the engagement point with the DIY mentioned above.

Once warmed up, I prefer the FR-S/BRZ transmission over the one in the STI, but the engagement point did take me a couple of weeks to really get used to.

Originally Posted by iLuveKetchup

The BRZ's clutch feels really odd to me. The clutch's resistance is not the same (or linear) through out its range. As if the first few centimeters has resistance, then all of the sudden its soft and resistance free. My '11 STi had more of a traditional (normal) clutch feel. The clutch is the only thing I do not like about the BRZ/FR-S. Feels like the 370's clutch (this is not a compliment). Yuck!

I thought the 370z's clutch was one of the strangest I've tried. When lifting your foot off the clutch pedal, it feels like the spring is stronger in the last 1-2" travel, almost launching your foot off the pedal at the end. Never felt anything like that before.

I can't really complain about the FR-S/BRZ clutch pedal, except for the high engagement point and soft spring.

[arleewa]

Originally Posted by DarkSunrise

I used to own an 09 STI hatch. Compared to the STI, the FR-S/BRZ clutch is much lighter and the engagement point is higher. You can lower the engagement point with the DIY mentioned above.

Once warmed up, I prefer the FR-S/BRZ transmission over the one in the STI, but the engagement point did take me a couple of weeks to really get used to.



I thought the 370z's clutch was one of the strangest I've tried. When lifting your foot off the clutch pedal, it feels like the spring is stronger in the last 1-2" travel, almost launching your foot off the pedal at the end. Never felt anything like that before.

I can't really complain about the FR-S/BRZ clutch pedal, except for the high engagement point and soft spring.

i just drove my other friend's 370z..i know what youre talking about. it really was a pain the butt to drive. i could NEVER see myself getting one of those as a daily drive. not fun and man is it scary changing lanes in that thing!

[iLuveKetchup]

Originally Posted by DarkSunrise

I thought the 370z's clutch was one of the strangest I've tried. When lifting your foot off the clutch pedal, it feels like the spring is stronger in the last 1-2" travel, almost launching your foot off the pedal at the end. Never felt anything like that before.

You described it exactly how I felt about the clutch.

[fender9530]

I agree that the clutch is soft. It took me a while to get used to. I'm pretty smooth with it all the time now. However, when anyone else drives my car, they stall it. Happened four times with the only four people to drive my car: my dad, the mechanic at the exhaust shop, my tint guy, and the mechanic where I got my snow tires. I've only stalled it once in 5,000 miles.

[AZP Installs]

The transmission unit and associated clutch etc are completely different than that found in the awd Subies. The unit is derived off the Lexus IS, so it will feel more like a toyota or lexus.

-Mike Paisan


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[RAWR BRZ]

If you think the BRZ catch zone is off you should see my M3... It is like 2-3 times farther