Taking Off With A (cushioned) Button Clutch

[Equinox]

Okay can someone clear this one up for me?

I see a lot of people on here have eaten up these clutches in a few months, whereas many have had them in for years with no issues.

Which of these is the best method for taking off?

Either:

- Slip the clutch slightly at low rpm (idle... 800rpmish) until you can safely drop the clutch without stalling or

- Rev it up a bit, and sorta slow-dump the clutch so it grabs with maybe a little chirp and takes off.

Or some other method I havn't tried yet lol.

Edited June 17, 2007 by Equinox

[(B1) MR_fanny]

ive got one with the lightened flywheel and strangely i can just drop it in at idle with no revs. only works on flat roads of course. i find that if i give it a bit of revs its not as smooth. seems to work better for me with low revs and quick engaging(not dumping). the clutch just bites(you can feel it) and your ready to go. this is just normal driving. i havent launched it yet, never needed to..ha

p.s dunno if the flywheel make it this way though.

[wrxhoon]

Rev it to the redline then drop it !!!! It will last you forever.....

Seriously with any clutch, any car if you want it to last gently does it , take off with as few revs as needed and let it out gently. If you are to do that you don't need aftermarket clutch the stocker will do just fine .

[SilverECR33]

JB told me that with that type of clutch if u ride it at all, it will only last you a few months. you have to slightly rev it a bit more than usual and dont let it out slowly.. dont ride it.

[Equinox]

It's hard to completely not ride it at all though. Then you're pretty much dumping it, which is also bad for it, isn't it?

[a20089]

I've got a Jim's one and I tend to ride it a bit to achieve smooth launches. It is better to let it out quick and let it chirp a little rather than riding it.

[saliya]

Okay can someone clear this one up for me?

I see a lot of people on here have eaten up these clutches in a few months, whereas many have had them in for years with no issues.

Which of these is the best method for taking off?

Either:

- Slip the clutch slightly at low rpm (idle... 800rpmish) until you can safely drop the clutch without stalling or

- Rev it up a bit, and sorta slow-dump the clutch so it grabs with maybe a little chirp and takes off.

Or some other method I havn't tried yet lol.

Any puck clutch - don't slip it at all - there's not a whole lot of friction material and riding it will eat it.

Before I put my twin-plate in I had a 6 puck single plate - dial up 1500rpm and drop it (tiny chirp).

Lasted for 30k kms on my old daily-driven GTR.

Regards,

Saliya

[R32_Matt]

ive had one on my car for the last 12 months and it still bites like the day it was put in.

i hardly ride it at all. taking off i get to just where the friction point starts then add a few more revs

then let it all the way out. Not dumping the clutch but not riding it either. just let it out in a quickish, smooth action.

works for me!

[Taxi33]

I've got a heavy duty button.

I just give it a few revs and slowly let it out

if i release it too fast it just leaps foward =(

Launching it is so awesome though..

and ahh give it a nice kick in 3rd is also great!

[JDSracing]

I've had a cushioned button in mine for a year and half now (done 25,000K on it), and i'd never go back to anything else.

What I do is tap the accelerator so it revs it to about 1,500 rpm, take foot off accelerator so it falls, take foot off clutch completely in one motion as te rpm falls from 1,500, accelerate at exactly the same time as you take your foot of the clutch pedal altogether, and it takes off as smoothly as if you were driving a car with a normal clutch. You can control the launch by how quick you are off the clutch and on the accelerator, but if you really want to launch it, nothing beats a 3,000 dump. I can imagine your clutch won't last to long if you do that often though.

The trick is make sure you never ride it. If it's always on or off and never in between, it will last you a long time.

Practice makes perfect, you should be able to feel very easily whether your doing the right thing or not.

Edited June 20, 2007 by JDSracing

[shanef]

i glazed up 2 excedy brass button clutches, both in my old 33 gtst. had one in my gtr before the motor blew, so they all were a bitch to drive. i.e ur not suppose to ride them as they'll glaze over, i only learned on the 3rd time

and once they start to slip, theyre gooone within a very short period

jim's clutch packs arent a true brass button material, theyre carbotic, a mixture of differnt types

[Absent]

Ive got a cushion button on my car, hated it for a month but now I love it...

I find that I can rev it just above idle then let it out quickly while putting on more throttle and its a smooth take off

I did ride it a fair bit while learning how to use it prolly wont last as long as some of these guys

[3RAR]

- Rev it up a bit, and sorta slow-dump the clutch so it grabs with maybe a little chirp and takes off.

I had not driven a manual for 2 years, went straight to a GTR with a button clutch and used this method and the clutch lasted more then a year (then i sold the car) and i did not feel any change, it was still gripping 100%.

[Spook's_Skyline]

ive had a cushion button (exedy) in now for a couple of months

cant say i ride it hard, but i certainly dont pop the clutch out to get moving

low revs, little slip, and away, its just like a normal clutch

dont do any high rpm launches

[Kinks]

anyone would think these clutches needed voodoo to last.. I had a 5 puck in the R31 and it went strong for 3 years. I even blew my tailshaft on one of the rare occasions I forgot my mechanical sympathy. Daily duties are no problem - I never rode the clutch but I certainly slipped it a bit. If I did ride the clutch rather than just put my foot on the brake it would start to make angry groaning noises at me after 10 seconds or so, so I knew not to do that!

Bottom line, if you are a butcher then puck clutches have less friction material so they wear out quicker. Get a full face clutch.