reddevl

Hi guys,

I just bought a 08 c6 z51, I am having a hard time trying to get used to the clutch engagement and also trying to make the shifts smooth. Also are there mods that will make it easier to drive this car as I keep hearing about a spring mod for the clutch pedal

Also this is my first car with a manual possibly this whole issue could be due to my experience but i have driven a few borrowed cars with manual before but the clutch pedal in my previous experience felt so easy to engage and dis engage.

Thanks

cdkcorvette7

Congrats on the new vette. Stick shift was definitely the way to go for that car!

The "spring mod" you've heard about is simply removing the over center spring from behind the clutch pedal. That spring is designed primarily to make depressing the clutch require less effort. If you remove it, that assist function no longer there so the travel will be more linear and you'll have a better "feel" for the engagement. That said; I'm not sure I'd recommend it with a stock master cylinder as a GM engineer posted on here a while back that the spring actually does have a return function that is designed to hold the pedal at the top and that removing it may lead to premature clutch wear. There are plenty of people on here that are running without the spring with no issues however, so I'm not sure how significant that additional wear is.

What you SHOULD do on all of your manual trans cars is keep the clutch fluid clean. You'd be shocked at what a difference that can make in pedal feel. Unfortunately; bleeding the clutch fluid the proper way from the slave cylinder on the C6 requires dropping the drivetrain (not a quick job). The easy way to keep your clutch fluid relatively clean is to use the ranger method. http://www.rangeracceleration.com/Clutch_Care.html I do this to my C6 every 2 - 3 months or after every track event. When I eventually replace the clutch I'll install a remote bleeder to make bleeding from the slave and easy job.

Now that all of that has been said; I suspect your issue has more to do with lack of experience than with something wrong with the car. I'll grant you that the pedal feel on the C6 isn't all that great but it isn't terrible either. If this is your first manual trans car then your shifts probably aren't going to be all that smooth for a while. Really the best way to fix the problem is to just keep driving it; eventually you won't even think about shifting; it'll become second nature. You don't really get good at driving stick until you do it frequently for a while.

JUIC3D

Spring mod cures everything, even world hunger.


Seriously..pull the spring and enjoy your linear pedal

gsflyer2011

I have learned how to drive on a manual car, and have been driving them continuously for the last 45 years but still had difficulty adjusting to the clutch on the C6. Don't worry about it, in few thousand miles you will completely sync with it. Keep practicing and pay attention initially, after a while it will become second nature. Just like riding a bike!

marc8090

Agree with what the others have said. The clutch is a little tricky compared to every other car I've driven but it just takes some getting used to.

JCtx

You want a 'tricky' clutch? Try an E92 M3 . THAT is like a freaking light switch. I find the clutch on my '12 GS very nice by comparison. I really like the take-up. The problem with this car, or more specifically, the problem with not achieving smooth gear changes is not the clutch IMO; it's the stupid 'rev-hang' on the LS3. It's just ridiculous. Unless you wait for the engine rpm to drop to the next gear, which means a very lazy shift, gear shifts are going to be jerky. I'm still working on that when I need to drive more aggressively. But for most of my driving, I'm shifting leisurely, to allow engine rpm to drop. Driven like that, I can shift seamlessly, which is the way I like it . I read that higher rpm (quick) shifting becomes smoother, but that wasn't the case, at least in my car. Definitely acceptable, especially on a sports car, but I don't personally like it. Makes you look like you need practice shifting, when there's nothing you can do to smooth a shift when having to bring down engine rpm 2 grand all of a sudden. And slipping the clutch at high rpm is not an option for me, although that'd certainly smooth out the gear change . We just have to live with it folks.

Bottom line with this clutch is this: If you can launch the car smoothly, then you have the clutch figured out already. What I like a lot about this car, you can be fairly aggressive with cltuch take-up, and car doesn't lurch forward. Very nice, since you can minimize clutch wear without jerky starts. I also start with very little rpm (1K to 1,200), then add throttle immediately after clutch is released, if needed. That should extend the life of my clutch tremendously. Another good custom for those not doing it is to always rest your left foot on the dead pedal, to avoid inadvertently riding the clutch. Left foot should only be on the pedal when shifting. Finally, the beauty of a manual car is you can ALWAYS improve, so even after 35 years of driving manuals, I still challenge myself to shift smoother every day . Good day.

JUIC3D

I too challenge myself to execute perfect shifts every day that I drive. I find it entertaining

Detoxx03

The stock clutch is a little tricky at first but just okay after you figure it out. It's still leaves a lot to be desired. I kept mine in for about 2 months before I changed it out for a LS9R when I did my Procharger install.

saplumr

I always thought the C6 stock clutch was a breeze. Wish I had that back after I had the Spec Super Twin Carbon installed...now that is a b!tch to figure out!

Bill Dearborn

I haven't had any issues with any of the clutches I have had in any Corvette. 69, 86, 97, 03, 08. The last 4 have been hydraulic clutches Vs the mechanical 69 but they were all easy to operate and had a good feel.

Bill