how bad is the clutch?

[pr086]

there seems to be a lot of complaints about how light it is and how it catches high in the pedal travel. but how bad is it?

i know there are a few of you with frs's that came from the civic si, can you compare it to that?

[mattles]

its not bad, but its annoying until you get used to it.

[oneday]

It is terrible.

If you drive a car with a heavy pedal (my M3, for instance) driving the FR-S will feel like there is no pedal pressure at all. But I imagine you would get used to it after driving it for a while---when I get into my tC and drive it after driving the M3 a lot, that pedal feels light too, but the clutch pedal feel in the FR-S is basically non-existent.

[K2]

Originally Posted by pr086

there seems to be a lot of complaints about how light it is and how it catches high in the pedal travel. but how bad is it?

A lot of the comments about the clutch here and in other topics end with, "I'll get used to it" or something similar. Therefore I would conclude the clutch isn't bad, just different than what some drivers are used to. You will have to drive it and decide for yourself. Personally, I think it's just fine.

[pr086]

is there any advantage to a light clutch pedal? with the purpose of this car in mind i can't see the engineers arbitrarily making the clutch feel the way it does. they have to have tested it and said yes, this is what we want it to feel like.

[Linseal]

I love it. Feels much better than my xA did.

[Neurytic]

I disliked the clutch feel since test drive in April. It doesn't have the heavier catching feel as others have mentioned. However, I am about 4 weeks(600mi) in now with the car and I am used to it.

[nix]

Originally Posted by pr086

is there any advantage to a light clutch pedal? with the purpose of this car in mind i can't see the engineers arbitrarily making the clutch feel the way it does. they have to have tested it and said yes, this is what we want it to feel like.

No it's simply so the manual car can see a wider audience.

IMO with a perfect clutch you can just about sit your foot on the pedal without disengaging it, and there is a distinct feedback through taking up slack to the plates engaging/disengaging so you can match revs perfectly.

[luxmn]

bmw cars in general have heavy clutch/gas pedal/steering, my guess is to avoid accidental push/steer because (no offense taken please) their people are generally big, tall and heavy.

japanese cars are the exact opposite, they are made generally for pp like me 5'4" 130lbs, if I have to shift my weight to engage the clutch, it's too heavy for my grandma. In Asia, manual is 70% of the cars on the road not like the US so making the clutch light imho is a decision based upon their user research.

i do understand the complain though since a heavy clutch makes the release smoother i think (new manual driver here), the clutch on my FRS tends to bounce too easily and makes it hard to shift smoothly.

[nix]

luxmn how many manual Jap cars have you actually driven, being a new manual driver?

He was talking about an M3! They have much stiffer clutches than regular models.

Toyota is notorious for over soft clutches though.

[ichitaka05]

99% of the time, clutch feel concern isn't the issue. Like other have stated, they'll get used to it.

[DantKR]

It's fine. People thinking a 28k car should have a 50k car's clutch :/

[bladesamurai]

There's nothing wrong with the clutch, it just isn't as heavy as clutches in cars with more horsepower, which some people maybe be used to.

[FakeWhiteMan]

I'm one of the few that like it. I was in a bad crash in november where I broke both of my legs, my back, several ribs, and crushed my lungs. I was in ICU for over a month and in rehab for another month after that. When they put the rods in my legs they ripped nerves in my left leg. So now I have nerve damage that transmits pain to my foot. Luckily, for me at least, the clutch is light enough that my weak leg can push it in without any pain...