..so i've had my new CL-s 6MT for about a little over half a week and i'm still trying to get used to the clutch. It seems like it's angled and tighter the first half and then looser as it's depressed to the full extent. I've tried shifting at different points but it seems 1st and 2nd are almost always jerky. I've been driving stick for over a year now in my previous protege 5 and it was seemlessly smooth, but now it seems i'm trying to learn stick all over again. Seems like the catch point from 1st is different than going into 2 and so forth...

can anyone post any similar experiences and how they managed to adjust to the change.. and if so how long?

Thanks,
noodles

 

The clutch did take some learning, it took me few hours. The clutch is pretty specific in it's engagement point, and not too forgiving. I like it -- it's nice, tight, and sporty.

Some people just take longer to get used to it -- not a jab at you personally, just a fact of nature.

 

Normal, you will get used to it after a few hundred miles. The clutch needs to be wore in a little, It does get better.

 

Yup this clutch has its OWN thing for sure I've just gotten used to it.....

I've observed that the setup requires different shifting habits depending on how fast/slow, acceleration level etc., Some of the jerkiness can be attributed to the Dual MassFlywheel which is VERY HEAVY. Long and short........the clutch needs it's time. SHifting quick doesn't seem to go over well at all. Go a little slow. It took me sometime to adjust as well. I'm at 18k now and think i have it.

 

The clutch setup in these cars is a bit peculiar as it seems the take up on the clutch is not linear as expected .It does take a bit of patience and practice to master this thing .If it makes you feel any better I stall these cars out almost regularly if I have not driven one in some time .
Jens

 

I always laugh at the service guys that stall my car bringing it into the bay.

 

It took me weeks to get it down seamless. Now I wonder how I had so much trouble, it's so effortless now. Starting off in first was always the kicker. THe engine revs so freely and you can't always rely on hearing the engine sound so I had a hard time with the correct rev and clutch work at first.
But now the clutch seems perfect, I wouldn' want it softer or anything. some pretty fast smooth shifting going on now, even tho we have lots of hills and stoplights on inclines.
Good luck, be patient.

 

Agreed !!!

Except for the two years with my 2001 Slush-Box, I’ve been driving stick shift exclusively since 1985 and this is the BEST clutch/shifter combo I’ve ever owned.

The first day I drove the car I had some “issues” with the way it was working, but all is well now and I wouldn’t change a thing.
All it takes is a little practice.

Shawn S

 

I've been driving stick for more than 30 years and it took me a little while to get used to my CLS 6speed. I've had it almost six months and most of the time now I can shift smoothly. Your shifting will improve over time as you get use to shifting, tranny breaks in and during warmer weather.

Here's what I recommend to help you shift smoother.

1) You need to time the re-engagement of the clutch between shifts to compensate for the engine revs not falling as quick as you would expect. The revs not dropping off right away is caused by the dual mass heavy flywheel and the engine emissions profile.

2) Make sure you fully depress clutch. Whenever I get lazy and don't depress clutch 100% to floor, shifting gets a little notchy.

3) Shift quickly (but not too quickly) between gears (up or down) when clutch is fully depressed. I've noticed that if you add a little delay moving the shifter into the next gear (upper or lower), the shifting can get notchy or grind, even with the clutch fully depressed.

I hope this helps...

 

Mine took me a week or 2 until I felt I truly mastered it - not sure if the clutch got better, or just if I got better at working it. Probably some of both. The quick uptake is nice for running through the gears at WOT. Give it a couple weeks, it'll be second nature.

 

I get this a few times. I've had a gring in every gear but 6th, including Reverse

 

Thanks guys for your input, you guys rock!

SO i guess it's not just me then, and hopefully i'll learn to master it by the time the full break in period is done. I'm itching to hear vtec hehe.

Got a one more question..
The other day i was trying to back up on a really steep drive way and i revved it too high while riding the clutch up the hill and i got all this smoke coming from the engine bay and it reaked like clutch (my bad ) .. will that of hurt my clutch really bad on a new engine/clutch/flywheel or is that kind of okay ( i won't be doing that again).

 

A few burns here & there aren't a problem, don't continue to do it though.

 

n00dleboy ... Not sure if you were doing this before ... but use the parking brake with the button depressed while engaging the clutch. So you need to feather the clutch engagement while you feather the parking brake off. This will help minimize clutch slipage...