New Car

I have a new car. It is Spydie minus the exquisitely stiff clutch pressure plate, replaced with--well, one that isn't so exquisitely stiff. My clutch pedal actually broke off it's base and landed in the floor after the hydraulics gave out because of the extreme pressure. The clutch now feels like any other car with a clutch instead of some Formula One race car, and my left quadriceps greatly appreciate it. Can anyone explain how that can happen--why was such a pressure plate put in my car? v

Vicki, I wonder if when your "hydraulics gave out" that means you replaced the clutch pedal master cylinder (along with the other replacements, like the pressure plate, etc.).

If, by chance, you had a 3/4" bore master cylinder to start with and replaced it with the more appropriate 5/8" bore, then that alone would create a hugely noticable difference in easier pedal pressure.

I have a Stage 2 PP. It was real "heavy" with the wrong (3/4") master cylinder -- but feels more like a "regular car" with the 5/8" master cylinder.

Also, with the 3/4" cylinder, there is risk of over-stroking the pressure plate, which can cause its failure.

Mark

Actually, from the time my car rolled off the truck (brand new), the clutch has been extremely (italics) difficult to push. I snapped 3 clutch cables because of that before putting a hydraulic clutch assembly in. No one would believe just how difficult this clutch pedal has been to push unless you've driven the car. After hydraulics were added, the difficulty factor eased a hair, but that's all. Not much really, but I felt safer on the road knowing I wouldn't be stranded with a snapped cable. That lasted about 1 1/2 years when finally the hydraulics collapsed. Trying to tell you how hard this clutch was to engage makes me sound like I'm lying, but I'm not. I think the hydraulics failed over time. For more than a month it has been not fun to drive. Until putting the new pressure plate in; now it feels like the clutch in my old Celica! v

Whoa! THREE cables, plus . . . . ! That must surely have been a miserable to deal with. But think of it on the bright side. After all of that strength training, you can start a new career as left-legged field goal kicker!

I can't guess what it might have been (the clutch release mechanisms are pretty straight forward). Maybe you did simply have a really, really heavy pressure plate, as in: wrong part. At least whatever it was is gone now, and that must be a relief.

Mark

Mark--I believe you're right about the wrong part. Like, do you think Beck would have run out of the correct part, looked around the shop, saw another one available, put it in instead, and it was way more than I need, and that explains it all? That's funny what you said about the left legged kicker. And at least I can stop my physical therapy now. ha
v v

Hmmmm, I went from a Stage 1 Kennedy to a stage 2. It was remarkable in the additional foot pressure it takes to depress the stage 2. Hate to think what a stage 3 might require pedal pressure wise...and as I best recall I am more than 2x the size of Miss Vicki

I'm not sure what a Kennedy is but I'm guessing it is some kind of pressure index like Kelvin is to temperature or some other true zero index. The intensity of pressure required to clutch my car is difficult to describe without it sounding like I'm a light weight wimp or that I'm lying about the effort. It has been that way since it rolled off the truck. I guess I thought all Spyders were made to clutch that way. Thank you for your input into my problem. It makes me feel validated in a way. v

Hi Vicki!!!!!

Love ya, mean it!!!!

Kennedy is a company located in SO. Calif. (Exactly the same as Kelvin but ENTIRELY different) They produce various products to include clutch pressure plates. Kennedy offers several clutch pressure plates all designed around your driving style and your engine output.

see: http://www.kennedyeng.com/