Why is the clutch so stiff?

[ElGaspo]

eh???

the MS3 clutch is stiff? i think it's one of the lightest i've ever experienced, right up there w/ Hondas. if you want to mash a truly stiff clutch, try a BMW 850...

 

[FMOS Racing]

Wow, compared to a lot of cars I've owned, I consider the clutch in the MS3 to be "butta." Even has decent feedback for a hydraulic unit.

 

[Fenrir]

Wow, compared to a lot of cars I've owned, I consider the clutch in the MS3 to be "butta." Even has decent feedback for a hydraulic unit.

+1

I think the clutch has just the right amount of tension, and lets you really feel the shifts pretty well.

 

[Wastegate13]

I hate the way this clutch feels but the pedal effort is light. I ran an ACT 2900 in my old car, now that was a workout.

 

[clos561]

mine is butter. try driving a mustang of some sort and then hop into the ms3, youll laugh.

 

[nextcar]

alright, i have another question for those who answered that the clutch is light.
have you guys been stuck in heavy freeway traffic, crawling, stop and go, for over an hour? Last time i did that, i must have pressed the clutch in a thousand times. that's when i wished for the feather light action of a honda civic clutch.

 

[ElGaspo]

have you guys been stuck in heavy freeway traffic, crawling, stop and go, for over an hour?

not for an hour. if i see the road is THAT congested, i usually make a u-turn and try another route. the few times i've been in stop-n-go traffic i thought the clutch was soft. you sound as if you may have gotten an unusually tight spring on your clutch pedal. i don't know if it can be adjusted, but perhaps you can get a diff spring. i really have no complaints about the amount of effort it takes to depress the pedal.

if you've driven Hondas and think those clutches are OK and the MS3 is too hard, there's something rotten in Denmark. IMHO, honda effort = MS3 effort. so if your L calf is complaining, there just could be something wrong somewhere...get it checked out by the dealer, it's under warranty...

 

[Moultese]

I also found my clutch...weird(not really stiff)...untill I positioned my seat more comfortably.

 

[Sport6]

If you wanted a honda civic clutch with 140ft-lbs of torque then that probably should have been your purchase. For 280ft-lbs of torque I think the clutch is pretty easy.

It also helps if you aren't gangsta-leaning your seat into the backseat and don't have it far back enough that your leg is straight.

 

[Moultese]

I had to move my seat up and recline the back a bit to get a comfy position. It's weird, but in my (automatic) Focus, I had the seat all the way back and was so comfortable. So when I first got the MS3, I was doing the same. I think I pulled all kinds of muscles in my knee trying to push the clutch pedal until I moved my seat up.

Also, I don't think it matters how heavy/light your clutch is, if you're in traffic, it sucks.

 

[xtrememps]

alright, i have another question for those who answered that the clutch is light.
have you guys been stuck in heavy freeway traffic, crawling, stop and go, for over an hour? Last time i did that, i must have pressed the clutch in a thousand times. that's when i wished for the feather light action of a honda civic clutch.

Yes I think it's pretty light and yes I've been in traffic that bad (just driving around hudson county new jersey it's packed everywhere during rush hour) and it's much better than driving cars like my friend's stang. I may be a bit biased because I run and snowboard so anything other than a double black diamond mogul run isn't gonna bother my legs.

 

[tiagotiago]

I seem to recall other similar discussions in this forum, and in that occasion I remember that quite a good chunk of people thought that the MS3's clutch was fairly hard. For the record, my car also has a very light clutch like most of the people who have posted, but I haven't been stuck in hour long traffic jams, thank God!

I was under the impression that this was one of the things that was changed from 07-08 to 08.5...

 

[hectik1]

I think it's about perfect in terms of effort.

I agree. The only weird thing about this clutch is where it engages.

 

[SBSPEED3]

clutch seems fine for me too. my dad has an 85 porsche 911 slant and that clutch is a muthah to try and operate smoothly. the only complaints i have about the trans/clutch combo in this car are the overall lack of feel in the clutch, the abruptness of the friction point, (more of an on/off switch than i would like although its not bad once your used to it) and trying to get it in reverse on a cold morning. even after letting the car warm up a bit i still feel like im gonna break the shifter off trying to get it into reverse...

 

[PCspeed3]

can we adjust pedal position at all? Seems impossible to do a heel toe with the current gas pedal position...

MS3 is lightyears better than the early '90s F-250 that I have to deal with at work, Im breathing heavily after three shifts, and I workout 3 days a week!

 

[bani]

the clutch isnt stiff but the friction point is super short and a bit vague. wish it was adjustable.

 

[BillTheCat]

I was thinking about this thread today when I pulled out of the parking lot at my office to go home, and I paid very close attention to the clutch pressure. Frankly, if mine were any lighter, I'd be darn near limp. I'd say you might want to have the dealer look & see if yours can be toned down some (assuming still in warranty).

 

[bani]

can we adjust pedal position at all? Seems impossible to do a heel toe with the current gas pedal position...

MS3 is lightyears better than the early '90s F-250 that I have to deal with at work, Im breathing heavily after three shifts, and I workout 3 days a week!

afaik clutch pedal position is not adjustable.

you're not the first person to notice the oem pedal layout is bad for heel-toe.

fortunately there is a set of replacement pedals available for sale.
http://krystmsgarage.com/?p=30

 

[jbiird317]

the ms3 clutch is definitely wierd, but I wouldnt say its because it's too stiff, it's just SOO different than the regular 3 which is rather mushy. If I drive my sister's 3 and my ms3 in the same day it's really evident just how great our clutch is.

 

[shaftwagon]

Compared to my old Protege5, the MS3 clutch is a little bit stiffer with a shorter throw- neither of which make a huge difference in day to day driving.

However- the friction point in the MS3 is definitely "weird" and took me a week to get used to (I've been driving stick for 16 years). The clutch feels like it engages very abruptly and that the friction point is very short. Does this get better with time? I'm learned that for a super smooth shift or launch I need to really VERY slowly and carefully slide over the friction point.