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Driving A Button Clutch

br3ndan
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br3ndan Mentor

br3ndan

Posted
Posted

Hey guys

my cars getting its clutch changed next week with a exedy cushioned button clutch.

atm i am still running the stock clutch ... which has started to go.

Was just wondering is there a particular way i should drive it? Iveheard many different things about riding the clutch when taking off.

Any one care to throw some advice at me.?

Cheers,

Brendan

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Lippo Community Regular

Lippo

Posted
Posted

Brass buttons are a puck clutch(3,4 or 5 puck usually). You should not ride a cushioned button clutch plate or any HD plate for that matter. Otherwise they wont last too much longer. Thats basically the only difference in driving style from a std plate to a cushioned button plate. Other than riding it, they are pretty much similar. Thats why they were designed in the first place, to be not far off the feel of a std plate but give extra grip.

Lippo Community Regular

Lippo

Posted
Posted

No a cushion button is different to a puck clutch. It still has a round plate with 8 or 9 little pads of material around it. A puck clutch or as some call it a brass button clutch(old school) does not have a round plate. It is segmented with 3,4 or 5 pads with nothing nothing between the pads around the outside edge of the plate. Check out the exedy website and you can see the difference between a puck clutch and a cushioned button clutch. Hope you can understand that explanation :)

br3ndan Mentor

br3ndan

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  • Author
Posted
No a cushion button is different to a puck clutch. It still has a round plate with 8 or 9 little pads of material around it. A puck clutch or as some call it a brass button clutch(old school) does not have a round plate. It is segmented with 3,4 or 5 pads with nothing nothing between the pads around the outside edge of the plate. Check out the exedy website and you can see the difference between a puck clutch and a cushioned button clutch. Hope you can understand that explanation :)

i get ya.

So i can drive it like normal then?

bubba Grand Master

bubba

Posted
Posted

I have a sprung brass button clutch (might be what you meant by cushioned).

Different engines will differ though.. e.g. when I had this clutch behind the RB20, I needed to give it ~3000rpm and drop the clutch to take off without stalling. Now with the RB30 (heaps of low down torque), I blip the throttle as I'm taking up the slack in the pedal, then quickly past the friction point as the revs start to drop and back on the gas as the car starts to move.

You'll adapt in time, just don't ride it :)

shaund Enthusiast

shaund

Posted
Posted

I have the same clutch you are talking about in my R32 GTR... excedy cushioned button clutch.

These clutches (assuming ours are the same) come with a sprung centre too. I'd never use a clutch without a sprung centre.. asking for trouble!

Feels very much the same as a stock clutch, drive it normally, but as others have said, riding the clutch with a button clutch of any type is bad for wear, hell riding ANY clutch is bad for wear.

I've had mine since about november/december last year and I'm quite happy with it. Handles 4-5k RPM launches quite well, but launching it with higher RPMs than that (like 5-6k) and it slips a bit, grips, and then absolutely rockets off real hard.

Make sure you mechanic replace the spigot bush too when doing the clutch irrespective of wear.. its a cheap component, as opposed to the labor to replace it later if it wears enough to notice.

br3ndan Mentor

br3ndan

Posted
  • Author
Posted
I have the same clutch you are talking about in my R32 GTR... excedy cushioned button clutch.

These clutches (assuming ours are the same) come with a sprung centre too. I'd never use a clutch without a sprung centre.. asking for trouble!

Feels very much the same as a stock clutch, drive it normally, but as others have said, riding the clutch with a button clutch of any type is bad for wear, hell riding ANY clutch is bad for wear.

I've had mine since about november/december last year and I'm quite happy with it. Handles 4-5k RPM launches quite well, but launching it with higher RPMs than that (like 5-6k) and it slips a bit, grips, and then absolutely rockets off real hard.

Make sure you mechanic replace the spigot bush too when doing the clutch irrespective of wear.. its a cheap component, as opposed to the labor to replace it later if it wears enough to notice.

Yeah he is doing a full service of the gearbox while its apart. (replacing all seals gaskets etc etc).

Thanks for the info.. when im mean riding i meant when you take off from a stationary position, i ride the clutch for about half a second to help the car get off smoothly. Or is there another way to do it ?

shaund Enthusiast

shaund

Posted
Posted
Yeah he is doing a full service of the gearbox while its apart. (replacing all seals gaskets etc etc).

Thanks for the info.. when im mean riding i meant when you take off from a stationary position, i ride the clutch for about half a second to help the car get off smoothly. Or is there another way to do it ?

Just drive it 'normally'.. riding the clutch is basically when you're not quite fully engaged and the clutch is slipping (ie, not quite pedal fully released) for an excessive period of time, and getting no benefit. Nothing wrong with slipping the clutch to get a smooth take off, but idiots that sit at a red light and instead of sticking it in neutral and using the brakes, they sit in 1st gear and 'ride the clutch' to stop their car rolling backwards and hitting the car behind. That is dumb.

bubba Grand Master

bubba

Posted
Posted (edited)

My 4-puck brass button clutch doesn't like being ridden at all, period. If you ride it in any way it grinds and chatters and carries on in a rather unpleasant way. To the point where I have to rev-match when downshifting as if I let it out slowly it chatters and if I let it out quickly without a rev-match it compression locks.

5k 2nd gear clutch drops with the 3L though, loves it :wave:

Edited by bubba

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