Jump to content
SAU Community

Driving A Button Clutch

br3ndan
 Share

Recommended Posts

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

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/260342-driving-a-button-clutch/
Share on other sites
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

Posted
  • 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

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • perry_r33
      R34 GTR Vspec Garage Sale - All must go!

      By perry_r33 · Posted

      Pm sent 
    • Robot
      Skyline v36 350GT sedan hunting on idle

      By Robot · Posted

      Hi,  Just joined the forum so I could share my "fix" of this problem. Might be of use to someone. Had the same hunting at idle issue on my V36 with VQ35HR engine after swapping the engine because the original one got overheated.  While changing the engine I made the mistake of cleaning the throttle bodies and tried all the tricks i could find to do a throttle relearn with no luck. Gave in and took it to a shop and they couldn't sort it. Then took it to my local Nissan dealership and they couldn't get it to idle properly. They said I'd need to replace the throttle bodies and the ecu probably costing more than the car is worth. So I had the idea of replacing the carbon I cleaned out with a thin layer of super glue and it's back to normal idle now. Bit rough but saved the car from the wreckers 🤣
    • GabsReDeal
      R32 GTS (RB20DE) Injectors Replacement

      By GabsReDeal · Posted

      After my last update, I went ahead with cleaning and restoring the entire fuel system. This included removing the tank and cleaning it with the Beyond Balistics solution, power washing it multiple times, drying it thoroughly, rinsing with IPA, drying again with heat gun and compressed air. Also, cleaning out the lines, fuel rail, and replacing the fuel pump with an OEM-style one. During the cleaning process, I replaced several hoses - including the breather hose on the fuel tank, which turned out to be the cause of the earlier fuel leak. This is what the old fuel filter looked like: Fuel tank before cleaning: Dirty Fuel Tank.mp4   Fuel tank after cleaning (some staining remains): Clean Fuel Tank.mp4 Both the OEM 270cc and new DeatschWerks 550cc injectors were cleaned professionally by a shop. Before reassembling everything, I tested the fuel flow by running the pump output into a container at the fuel filter location - flow looked good. I then fitted the new fuel filter and reassembled the rest of the system. Fuel Flow Test.mp4 Test 1 - 550cc injectors Ran the new fuel pump with its supplied diagonal strainer (different from OEM’s flat strainer) and my 550cc injectors using the same resized-injector map I had successfully used before. At first, it idled roughly and stalled when I applied throttle. Checked the spark plugs and found that they were fouled with carbon (likely from the earlier overly rich running when the injectors were clogged). After cleaning the plugs, the car started fine. However, it would only idle for 30–60 seconds before stalling, and while driving it would feel like a “fuel cut” after a few seconds - though it wouldn’t fully stall. Test 2 – Strainer swap Suspecting the diagonal strainer might not be reaching the tank bottom, I swapped it for the original flat strainer and filled the tank with ~45L of fuel. The issue persisted exactly the same. Test 3 – OEM injectors To eliminate tuning variables, I reinstalled the OEM 270cc injectors and reverted to the original map. Cleaned the spark plugs again just in-case. The stalling and “fuel cut” still remained.   At this stage, I suspect an intermittent power or connection fault at the fuel pump hanger, caused during the cleaning process. This has led me to look into getting Frenchy’s fuel hanger and replacing the unit entirely. TL;DR: Cleaned and restored the fuel system (tank, lines, rail, pump). Tested 550cc injectors with the same resized-injector map as before, but the car stalls at idle and experiences what feels like “fuel cut” after a few seconds of driving. Swapped back to OEM injectors with original map to rule out tuning, but the issue persists. Now suspecting an intermittent power or connection fault at the fuel pump hanger, possibly cause by the cleaning process.  
    • MBS206
      Jacks that fit under GTR lips that can reach the subframe?

      By MBS206 · Posted

      For race cars, this is one part where I find having the roll cage bar having gone through a hole in the floor better than the build it up on a ledge inside... The Merc I help on, the main hoop ends are marked on the car, and the jack is marked... Jack goes under a few inches and lifts one whole side of the car up... Removes that fight for long slim jacks for race car duties!   My biggest issue for the daily drivers I work on, is my jacks don't go high enough. The jacks start out on a few blocks, jack it up, then start a second jack under it on more blocks, and then I can get an axle stand under it. My axle stands are presently in use, and are nearly fully extended. The car is sitting with barely more than a cm of clearance to get the wheel off the studs! Sarah's Kluger is the same, as it has an ungodly amount of droop available in the suspension and a distinct lack of good jacking points!
    • MBS206
      NC MX5

      By MBS206 · Posted

      Happy? Yep, my to do list is getting shorter and shorter. Either this light approaching is the end of the tunnel, or I'm about to be hit by a train... Ha ha ha   Also, Duncan isn't that far out of town that you need to make a multi day drive out of it. 😛
×
×
  • Create New...