Clutch pedal too stiff

[HPmuirt]

Greetings folks,

I recently ordered a stage 3 Southbend clutch but what arrived was a stage 4 due to a problem at Southbend themselves, so it was a free upgrade.

Great I hear you say, but actually it's not. My wife finds it simply too stiff to drive as it is rated as 25% stiffer, but feels more than that. Even I am struggling to get used to it. I can only think of two solutions: -

1. Trade a genuine stage 3 for a stage 4 with less than 100 miles of use. Trouble is, that means pulling by gearbox again AND finding someone looking for a 500+HP clutch right now.

2. Change the clutch master or slave cylinger to one than can generate a greater force and therefore reduce pedal effort. My hope is that on this great forum, someone MUST have looked into this If not, it sounds like a great upgrade project for someone technical

Any better ideas gratefully received

Cheers n

Si

[Rusty]

Ah, that's not ideal! Could it be that the clutch master cylinder push rod is fubarred, when they start going, they kink up and are much harder to press Worth a check as it's an easier job than the box off!

[HPmuirt]

Ah, that's not ideal! Could it be that the clutch master cylinder push rod is fubarred, when they start going, they kink up and are much harder to press

Nope, I have a fairly new master cylinder as I have already been through the stiff pedal then no clutch thang. This is purely down to the power of this beastie clutch vs my wife's left thigh muscle, hence the idea of more leverage by using a different master or slave cylinder from the VAG parts bin.

Cheers n

Si

[quattro]

Greetings folks,

My wife finds it simply too stiff to drive as it is rated as 25% stiffer....

Si

And the problem being?

[Rusty]

Ah well, new clutch time then. Is yours an ABY or 3B item?

[johne]

Si,

I don't think there's much room to manoeuver on master/slave cylinder bore sizes to give you more effective leverage as you need most of the travel you'll already be using.

Don't know if heaftier/stronger clutch pedal helper springs would make much difference if you could find them.

My only other thought would be to use a remote brake servo in the clutch hydraulic circuit. Mini Coopers, S and some Midgets etc. had a suitable one if you could find one. Still leaves you with the problem of where to mount it. Vacuum shouldn't be an issue given you don't change gear with your foot hard down accelerating

John

[gnutz2]

Just a thought, check you have both the helper springs under your clutch pedal.

I have the opposite problem to you because i upgraded the clutch to a helix paddle job and the pedal is too light (dont have a clue why). I took one of the helper springs out and its a lot stiffer now

[HPmuirt]

Both springs in place, it is def the pressure plate that is the issue and I really don't want to have to pull the box again.

There must be a selection of master & slave cylinders in the family that we could calculate pedal forces for, based on their bores size, although I agree that if I go too narrow then I would get enough fluid transfer.

Cheers n

Si

[Rusty]

Stronger helper springs?

[Jamo]

Both springs in place, it is def the pressure plate that is the issue and I really don't want to have to pull the box again.

There must be a selection of master & slave cylinders in the family that we could calculate pedal forces for, based on their bores size, although I agree that if I go too narrow then I would get enough fluid transfer.

Cheers n

Si

Are any like to be stronger than the S2 / RS2 though? since these cars are the top of the Audi 80 tree.

It could also be that the plate is just bedding in and may soften after a while.

It's weird I have a Sachs and like Gnutz2 it's light as hell, I had more problem getting used to the 3B flywheel than the clutch pressure as it was like OEM

[Error404]

my advice is see how you get on with it, i had an uprated clutch in my old S14 and took a bit of getting used to but softened slightly once it bedded in, also you're left thigh will get used to it too

[Audi-Porsche Avant RS2]

I have the same problem, I must try to change pressure plate and clutch and then check if the problem remain or not.

Alessio

[HPmuirt]

my advice is see how you get on with it, i had an uprated clutch in my old S14 and took a bit of getting used to but softened slightly once it bedded in, also you're left thigh will get used to it too

Just as an update to this, I am getting used to the stiffness now (doctor) - the question was more for my wife who is an occasional driver of the car - particularly if I want a drink ;-)

The car has new master and slave cylinders so everything is in good order, I just wanted to see if there was a way of increasing the mechanical advantage/leverage but I cannot find a suitable replacement master in the FA so I think I will have to buy the wife a gym membership instead.

Cheers n

Si