Cheeky mod
- Thread starter Hebbs
- Start date
I have done exactly this to my car, it's a significant improvement and I wouldn't be able to go back now.
+1 great mod I've done it too! Increased comfort for my back too since I don't need to reach as far.
It's interesting to note when I was researching this mod that I found out a lot of drivers don't push their clutch to the "floor". Seems bizarre to me when you're on full chat and you're pushing the clutch and having to judge where it disengages (then hover footing) as opposed to just punching it as hard and as fast as possible
My friend who does a lot of track driving (and I consider him a quick driver) also found it odd that I extended my clutch stop - "what for?"
So i guess everyones different!
Hebbs said:Lol still not as precise. Feels a lot betterSmartbear said:Or you could just not push the clutch pedal so far down
Rob
It's interesting to note when I was researching this mod that I found out a lot of drivers don't push their clutch to the "floor". Seems bizarre to me when you're on full chat and you're pushing the clutch and having to judge where it disengages (then hover footing) as opposed to just punching it as hard and as fast as possible
My friend who does a lot of track driving (and I consider him a quick driver) also found it odd that I extended my clutch stop - "what for?"
So i guess everyones different!tomrdy said:Seems bizarre to me when you're on full chat and you're pushing the clutch and having to judge where it disengages (then hover footing) as opposed to just punching it as hard and as fast as possible
I could understand this on a full track weapon, perhaps, but in a road car? Would seem totally alien to me to stamp on any pedal or any input for that matter.
"Punching it as hard as possible". Does that mean you stamp it down then slip off the side? I'm guessing not but surely that would be quickest? Maybe that's what the CDV is for.
I'm taking it to the extreme but either method would seem to lack vehicle sympathy to me, but that's probably just the way I've been taught and practiced over the years.
I was skeptical at first when i originally read about it online but now its done it feels much better, it evens up the pedals also so makes the driving postion comfier,i have another 5 of the bolts and wingnuts, so perhaps next event can give out for people to try 
Works a treat Simon and thanks again for the boltMontegojones41 said:I was skeptical at first when i originally read about it online but now its done it feels much better, it evens up the pedals also so makes the driving postion comfier,i have another 5 of the bolts and wingnuts, so perhaps next event can give out for people to try
Hebbs said:Works a treat Simon and thanks again for the boltMontegojones41 said:I was skeptical at first when i originally read about it online but now its done it feels much better, it evens up the pedals also so makes the driving postion comfier,i have another 5 of the bolts and wingnuts, so perhaps next event can give out for people to try
+1
Your welcome glad it worked for you mateHebbs said:Works a treat Simon and thanks again for the boltMontegojones41 said:I was skeptical at first when i originally read about it online but now its done it feels much better, it evens up the pedals also so makes the driving postion comfier,i have another 5 of the bolts and wingnuts, so perhaps next event can give out for people to try
In the case of clutch biting point being close to the bottom you woudlnt see any benefit of a clutch stop, did you have a new clutch fitted or any mods?BMWZ4MC said:
Indeed, I hadn’t appreciate quite how close to the floor full clutch disengagement occurred until I reduced the pedal travel by a couple of centimetres. I tried it when the car had covered perhaps 40k miles; it’s still on the original clutch now, several years later. The only modification I’ve made to the transmission is to remove the CDV.
Aeroadster
Member
May be a silly question, but can someone please explain what exactly this does?
Wouldn't this damage the clutch/gearbox? If you don't push the clutch pedal fully down, the clutch wont fully disengage? So isn't this just like ramming it into another gear without fully using the clutch?
Wouldn't this damage the clutch/gearbox? If you don't push the clutch pedal fully down, the clutch wont fully disengage? So isn't this just like ramming it into another gear without fully using the clutch?
Aeroadster said:
Typically theres a big deadzone between the point where the clutch is fully disengaged and the point where the pedal stops moving. This just closes the gap down. Of course the corrent positioning will be different for every car/clutch
Jamie25 said:
I think my description may have made this seem a bit ... barbaric
.To clarify, I believe there are basically 2 camps when it comes to clutch operation:
- 1. Hover-footers: Drivers that clutch in till they can FEEL the clutch/motor is disengaged, and then shift - usually with 3-4cm of travel still left known as the "deadzone"
- 2. Stompers: Drivers that clutch in till they touch the floor/stopper
Benefits of the extended/adjustable clutch stopper only apply to those in camp 2 - those in camp 1 it will pretty much make 0 difference.
I fall into the 2nd camp as I've always been instructed to disengage the clutch "completely to the floor" to ensure it is 100% out before shifting to ensure no grinding or mistakes.
In performance driving (and I only have very light track experience so others can correct me), disengaging the clutch as fast as possible, and re-engaging it as fast as possible is usually desirable. If you are trying to execute the gear change, Hover-footing requires that little bit of extra mental capacity - yes you could have muscle memory but if your clutch stop is set correctly, you can shift with 0 doubt. Touch the floor, shift. In this case, you can see how reducing the deadzone (for a driving that is camp 2) would speed up gear changes as the travel distance is reduced.
However, there are advantages to the extended clutch stopper for normal everyday driving as well for those in Camp 2 (my reason for changing).
For most our cars that are stock, the clutch has a lot of dead zone - about 4-5cm extra before you reach the OEM stopper. In my own personal experience, this actually gave me back pain due to the way the pedals were "positioned" (considering maximum travel on the clutch). I would adjust my seat so I could comfortably reach the end of the clutch's travel, but that meant my other leg was quite cramped up, creating some bad angles for my back.
Adding in the extended clutch stop has reduced the dead zone down to about 1-2cm (I adjusted mine as such to leave a little bit of play, otherwise it would just be too "sensitive"). This has finally allowed me to not get mad back pain on longer drives.
And yes, I appreciate that you could simply learn to hover-foot but I had tried to practice and it just gave me slight anxiety each time I shifted - had I disengaged completely? Is it going to crunch? I just wasn't used to it mentally having driven Camp 2 for as long as I've driven.
In my case, and from what I'm seeing in this thread for others who are also Camp 2, the extended stopper is the perfect cheap solution that improves the driving experience that better
That all makes sense. Thinking about it is the re-engagement that's more critical for fast and smooth so removing that dead zone should only be a good thing whichever camp you fall into.
I shall certainly be thinking about what's going on when changing gear more over the coming days after this thread which is no bad thing! Gotta love this forum
I shall certainly be thinking about what's going on when changing gear more over the coming days after this thread which is no bad thing! Gotta love this forum
So, for this mod, did you need to make the hole yourself or is there one available to repurpose already?
EDIT: Just realised, there's already a clutch stop in the car. These just bring it further forwards
EDIT: Just realised, there's already a clutch stop in the car. These just bring it further forwards
I suppose the 'test' is that reverse engages cleanly without graunching the gears at all - as you need full disengagement for it to go in cleanly. The danger of not setting it correctly and dragging the clutch a little when stopped at junctions etc is highly accelerated wear.