View Poll Results: How do you feel about the stock clutch
Clutch is great
107
26.75%
Clutch does great when i drive it properly.
191
47.75%
Clutch doesnt do so great, but i know its my fault
42
10.50%
Clutch is completely at fault. hate it.
60
15.00%
Voters: 400. You may not vote on this poll
Our clutch verdict. Once and for all.
11-10-2007, 07:37 AM
#51
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I know for sure if I don't drive it properly it will let me know. It's sensitive but does not mean it's a bad clutch. In my opinion the stock clutch is awesome. Yea it slips when you shift to second but only because your spinning your tires all the way in first.
11-10-2007, 07:52 AM
#52
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Put it this way I have Vids posted on here where i do 8 and 10 races back to back Clutch gives out and i start cursing 4-5 days later it comes back in full effect and im on my merry way doing digs again. Either people severely glaze the clutch OR there over heating the pressure plate and need to lay of the car for a couple of days.
Pauls making 350 whp in his turbo cobalt on his stock clutch. His ***** doing fine.
Then again i am on steelies which cuts down on the rotating mass alot. My clutch used to slip all the time with the stock wheels on. I thought something was wrong with the stock clutch till i took those 55 pound rim tire combo off for the 33 pound combo i have now.
Pauls making 350 whp in his turbo cobalt on his stock clutch. His ***** doing fine.
Then again i am on steelies which cuts down on the rotating mass alot. My clutch used to slip all the time with the stock wheels on. I thought something was wrong with the stock clutch till i took those 55 pound rim tire combo off for the 33 pound combo i have now.
11-10-2007, 08:25 AM
#53
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I still have yet to have any problems with my clutch. Simply put, take the time to learn about all of your car and your experience (and expenses) with the car will be reasonable.
11-10-2007, 08:44 AM
#54
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11-10-2007, 08:52 AM
#55
Put it this way I have Vids posted on here where i do 8 and 10 races back to back Clutch gives out and i start cursing 4-5 days later it comes back in full effect and im on my merry way doing digs again. Either people severely glaze the clutch OR there over heating the pressure plate and need to lay of the car for a couple of days.
Pauls making 350 whp in his turbo cobalt on his stock clutch. His ***** doing fine.
Then again i am on steelies which cuts down on the rotating mass alot. My clutch used to slip all the time with the stock wheels on. I thought something was wrong with the stock clutch till i took those 55 pound rim tire combo off for the 33 pound combo i have now.
Pauls making 350 whp in his turbo cobalt on his stock clutch. His ***** doing fine.
Then again i am on steelies which cuts down on the rotating mass alot. My clutch used to slip all the time with the stock wheels on. I thought something was wrong with the stock clutch till i took those 55 pound rim tire combo off for the 33 pound combo i have now.
But yeah I've been making over 270whp since I pretty much bought the car, now at 350whp with a pretty decent sized turbo, and my clutch has never slipped, not once. I probably have close to 50 track passes on the car, a few street races, and probably 150-200 1-3 pulls while doing tuning on the car, and thats banging through the gears, The other night I chirped 3rd in the car, and at 26k the clutch still holds
I will say though, it is one of the trickiest clutches I've ever driven and I've had everything from a mild stage I in my camaro to a ACT unsprung 6 puck in my RX-7 that was a daily driver, this clutch is the touchiest. It'll grip when it wants to some time, you just need to pay attention more when you drive it.
11-10-2007, 09:29 AM
#57
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11-10-2007, 09:33 AM
#58
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I personally think the stock clutch is crap. Mine was slipping severely at 2000 miles. I replaced it with a Spec Stage 2+ and have had no problems now for 20K miles. Before you say I don't know how to drive a stick, stop and take into consideration that all but 3 vehicles I've owned have been sticks. Out of 17 vehicles 3 have been auto's. Not once have I replaced a clutch with the exception of the Cobalt. A few of those cars have seen some abuse that no car should be put through.
My 300ZX, Maxima, and 240SX were all victims of constant clutch dumps. 6K drop after 6K drop this went on for 2 years in the Maxima and the ZX. I even used the 300ZX as a tow truck. That took lots of clutch slipping to start moving some of those vehicles (Buick Roadmaster anyone?) Clutches held great, were still fine when I sold the cars.
The 240SX went through even worse treatment. Power braking, doesn't sound like much but go try to power brake a stick shift on pavement. I also would take it up to 6K and dump the clutch and run it through the gears up till 4th when it would finally catch traction, the car barely moved 20ft in the process. Now keep in mind this is a 240SX with a VG30ET BUT its still using the stock 300ZX clutch. I have the car completely torn apart now, the clutch looks brand new still. My dad a 30+ year racecar builder / mechanic even commented on the fact the clutch looked so good after everything I've done to it.
Now I will agree Anom, most of the problems on the forum are driver error. But I'm still gonna say though, only getting 2K on a clutch before it starts slipping is crap. So not everyone having problems can it be blamed on the driver. Especially when the car hasn't even seen abuse. I was really disappointed, but the Spec is fine 20K later so I suppose my clutch was faulty.
My 300ZX, Maxima, and 240SX were all victims of constant clutch dumps. 6K drop after 6K drop this went on for 2 years in the Maxima and the ZX. I even used the 300ZX as a tow truck. That took lots of clutch slipping to start moving some of those vehicles (Buick Roadmaster anyone?) Clutches held great, were still fine when I sold the cars.
The 240SX went through even worse treatment. Power braking, doesn't sound like much but go try to power brake a stick shift on pavement. I also would take it up to 6K and dump the clutch and run it through the gears up till 4th when it would finally catch traction, the car barely moved 20ft in the process. Now keep in mind this is a 240SX with a VG30ET BUT its still using the stock 300ZX clutch. I have the car completely torn apart now, the clutch looks brand new still. My dad a 30+ year racecar builder / mechanic even commented on the fact the clutch looked so good after everything I've done to it.
Now I will agree Anom, most of the problems on the forum are driver error. But I'm still gonna say though, only getting 2K on a clutch before it starts slipping is crap. So not everyone having problems can it be blamed on the driver. Especially when the car hasn't even seen abuse. I was really disappointed, but the Spec is fine 20K later so I suppose my clutch was faulty.
11-10-2007, 09:39 AM
#59
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I personally think the stock clutch is crap. Mine was slipping severely at 2000 miles. I replaced it with a Spec Stage 2+ and have had no problems now for 20K miles. Before you say I don't know how to drive a stick, stop and take into consideration that all but 3 vehicles I've owned have been sticks. Out of 17 vehicles 3 have been auto's. Not once have I replaced a clutch with the exception of the Cobalt. A few of those cars have seen some abuse that no car should be put through.
My 300ZX, Maxima, and 240SX were all victims of constant clutch dumps. 6K drop after 6K drop this went on for 2 years in the Maxima and the ZX. I even used the 300ZX as a tow truck. That took lots of clutch slipping to start moving some of those vehicles (Buick Roadmaster anyone?) Clutches held great, were still fine when I sold the cars.
The 240SX went through even worse treatment. Power braking, doesn't sound like much but go try to power brake a stick shift on pavement. I also would take it up to 6K and dump the clutch and run it through the gears up till 4th when it would finally catch traction, the car barely moved 20ft in the process. Now keep in mind this is a 240SX with a VG30ET BUT its still using the stock 300ZX clutch. I have the car completely torn apart now, the clutch looks brand new still. My dad a 30+ year racecar builder / mechanic even commented on the fact the clutch looked so good after everything I've done to it.
Now I will agree Anom, most of the problems on the forum are driver error. But I'm still gonna say though, only getting 2K on a clutch before it starts slipping is crap. So not everyone having problems can it be blamed on the driver. Especially when the car hasn't even seen abuse. I was really disappointed, but the Spec is fine 20K later so I suppose my clutch was faulty.
My 300ZX, Maxima, and 240SX were all victims of constant clutch dumps. 6K drop after 6K drop this went on for 2 years in the Maxima and the ZX. I even used the 300ZX as a tow truck. That took lots of clutch slipping to start moving some of those vehicles (Buick Roadmaster anyone?) Clutches held great, were still fine when I sold the cars.
The 240SX went through even worse treatment. Power braking, doesn't sound like much but go try to power brake a stick shift on pavement. I also would take it up to 6K and dump the clutch and run it through the gears up till 4th when it would finally catch traction, the car barely moved 20ft in the process. Now keep in mind this is a 240SX with a VG30ET BUT its still using the stock 300ZX clutch. I have the car completely torn apart now, the clutch looks brand new still. My dad a 30+ year racecar builder / mechanic even commented on the fact the clutch looked so good after everything I've done to it.
Now I will agree Anom, most of the problems on the forum are driver error. But I'm still gonna say though, only getting 2K on a clutch before it starts slipping is crap. So not everyone having problems can it be blamed on the driver. Especially when the car hasn't even seen abuse. I was really disappointed, but the Spec is fine 20K later so I suppose my clutch was faulty.
You glazed the cobalts clutch before 2000 miles cause you didn't break it in properly.
11-10-2007, 09:47 AM
#61
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I'll Put a million dollars most of the people who are crying there clutch are slipping is after the 1-2 shift after a launch guaranteed. If it was slipping at the end of the power band thats one thing but at the beginning thats all driver error Plus the heavy stock rims tires. learn more about your car folks.....
11-10-2007, 10:46 AM
#63
Senior Member
i have a 2.4, not an SS/SC, but in a lot of ways, i feel that the 2.4 is really too much for the stock clutch. it holds perfectly if you drive with no mistakes and do not pound on it, but it seems to bitch at the first sign of hard driving.
that said, i have no issues with the clutch itself, the disc is a high quality part, the flywheel is nice and heavy, and the pressure plate has a decently dtrong spring. (tear the clutch out of a civic and compare it to balt and you'll see what i'm talking about) MY issue was that the slave cylinder gave up the ghost and the dealer dicked me around.
that said, i have no issues with the clutch itself, the disc is a high quality part, the flywheel is nice and heavy, and the pressure plate has a decently dtrong spring. (tear the clutch out of a civic and compare it to balt and you'll see what i'm talking about) MY issue was that the slave cylinder gave up the ghost and the dealer dicked me around.
11-10-2007, 10:57 AM
#64
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my clutch slipped twice on me. many months apart.
1. i was being goofy and was gonna do a second gear burnout. (i made smoke, but not from the tires
)
2. my dad drove the car for a night, i got in it in the morning, and it didnt feel right. it slipped a little bit when i was leaving the driveway.
the first time was obviously my fault. the second time, i think my dad glazed it the night before.
there is nothing wrong with the stock clutch. its just a finicky little bitch. i think it actually grabs pretty hard.. thats why i never looked into an aftermarket clutch.
i can see why epople think it sucks though.. if you dont let it grab hard it will glaze over. just dont granny shift your car and it will be ok.
my $0.02
if your a bucking bronco you might want to think about getting a slower car. you might not be ready for the cobalt. or at least get a rental (5-spd) and practice on that.
1. i was being goofy and was gonna do a second gear burnout. (i made smoke, but not from the tires
)2. my dad drove the car for a night, i got in it in the morning, and it didnt feel right. it slipped a little bit when i was leaving the driveway.
the first time was obviously my fault. the second time, i think my dad glazed it the night before.
there is nothing wrong with the stock clutch. its just a finicky little bitch. i think it actually grabs pretty hard.. thats why i never looked into an aftermarket clutch.
i can see why epople think it sucks though.. if you dont let it grab hard it will glaze over. just dont granny shift your car and it will be ok.
my $0.02
if your a bucking bronco you might want to think about getting a slower car. you might not be ready for the cobalt. or at least get a rental (5-spd) and practice on that.
Last edited by chevysalesman614; 11-10-2007 at 10:57 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
11-10-2007, 11:07 AM
#65
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honestly ive been driving stick all my life...back roads of country farms and so forth... Now as for driving some cars, ive only driven clutches from multiple jeeps, to a cavalier, to a honda, to audis, to volskwagons and so forth....
My clutch holds some times, and i no i can drive so i no it isnt me, when i launch the car i feather the throttle and it slips like hell from 1st to second and sometimes even from 2nd to third.... Thing is i no it isnt me because it doesnt happen all the time, it happens once every blue moon like out of every 10 races it happens once.... The clutch is good but i had to vote it is **** for the car i completely hate it... My friends see it, ive had friends drive with me, ive had friends drive it and these are people who have experiences with drag racing for multiple years....
My clutch holds some times, and i no i can drive so i no it isnt me, when i launch the car i feather the throttle and it slips like hell from 1st to second and sometimes even from 2nd to third.... Thing is i no it isnt me because it doesnt happen all the time, it happens once every blue moon like out of every 10 races it happens once.... The clutch is good but i had to vote it is **** for the car i completely hate it... My friends see it, ive had friends drive with me, ive had friends drive it and these are people who have experiences with drag racing for multiple years....
X2. I've changed more clutches than you can shake a stick at.....I know what caused the failures, from abuse to the wrong application. I've driven manuals for quite some time now and I have to say the Cobalt has a release all of its own. It does the job most of the time but I won't replace it with a stock unit.....
that I will agree with.
but the point of the poll isnt to say whether there are better clutches.
we can all agree on that i think
My point is, people need to realise that what they do with their feet is causing the great majority of clutch problems.
not the clutch itself.
In my opinion. theres alot of carpenters blaming their tools on this forum sometimes.
but the point of the poll isnt to say whether there are better clutches.
we can all agree on that i think
My point is, people need to realise that what they do with their feet is causing the great majority of clutch problems.
not the clutch itself.
In my opinion. theres alot of carpenters blaming their tools on this forum sometimes.
2.5 pullied for a long time now....36k miles on my car...stock clutch...BUT, HERE IS MY OPINION.
The clutch was meant for stock ratings and that's it. It's also a clutch that wasn't mant to be abused 24/7. Taking the car to the track a couple of times is fine, but it's not an every day warrior. My clutch still grabs fine...but i'm installing my spec stage 2 and fidanza flywheel next week because my clutch does show signs of wear, but hasn't really slipped on me.
Edit: Forgot to mention, I learned stick on this car as well
The clutch was meant for stock ratings and that's it. It's also a clutch that wasn't mant to be abused 24/7. Taking the car to the track a couple of times is fine, but it's not an every day warrior. My clutch still grabs fine...but i'm installing my spec stage 2 and fidanza flywheel next week because my clutch does show signs of wear, but hasn't really slipped on me.
Edit: Forgot to mention, I learned stick on this car as well
Dudes, check ebay....stock clutch AND FLYWHEEL is 100 bux I belive. I was tempted but I bought my spec clutch the first week of owning the car....
Also, our gearing plays a big roll as well. We have pretty long gears and when we go to shift at 6500 rpm to the next gear, the rpms drop A LOT (which means the clutch is going to have to slip a lot in order to fall down the couple thousands of rpms). They drop even more when people rais their rev limiters. On those 6 speeds that have close ratio gears like sti's, each gear has about a 1000-2000 rpm difference I bet you. Ours has like anywhere from 2500-3500
Also, our gearing plays a big roll as well. We have pretty long gears and when we go to shift at 6500 rpm to the next gear, the rpms drop A LOT (which means the clutch is going to have to slip a lot in order to fall down the couple thousands of rpms). They drop even more when people rais their rev limiters. On those 6 speeds that have close ratio gears like sti's, each gear has about a 1000-2000 rpm difference I bet you. Ours has like anywhere from 2500-3500
I also blame your lack of skill on the clutch slippage. Just by this comment here shows your lack of knowledge... LSD DOES NOT HELP IN STRAIGHT LINES! Its only benefit is when your corning in which case it transfers power from the wheel that's spinning to the other one eliminating that dreadful tire spin when corning.
I will give you the benifit of the doubt though in that there have been issues with the clutch, but I would say as a whole it is great for the car as stock plus stage 2 and simple bolt ons. Anything past that I would say upgrade.
x2 very good point
I will give you the benifit of the doubt though in that there have been issues with the clutch, but I would say as a whole it is great for the car as stock plus stage 2 and simple bolt ons. Anything past that I would say upgrade.
x2 very good point
So this is coming from a guy who has probably owned only one ss/sc?? Dude your quite wrong on that statement about lsd no **** lsd distributes the power to the other wheel to compensate for loss of the other wheel but i have owned two ss's 1 without lsd and 1 with.... The 1 with you can tell just by driving it how much different it is in straight line... This debate has gone on for numerous threads months and months ago and people still will argue on this... Take two drivers one with and one without and you will notice how much of a difference it makes in a straight line simple as that
you launchmore consistantly with a LSD cobalt or any other car that matter. tell you what. to make this obvious for you take G85 cobalt and regular cobalt. start both cars with one wheel in water on both cars. the LSD will leave the other car in the dust every single fricken time. you dont believe it displays your knowledge.
I have owned 20 bikes, and 15 cars in my life time. I have blown up transmissions, burnt out clutch's in other vehicles and bikes from general and competition use. I have a been involved in mechanics since I was 8. I have put a flywheel through the hood of a CHev z28 with a built engine. the motor and car was parted out. I had people coming from everywhere in the local area that want the parts from this car due to its reputation in the area. it was solid accept the fly wheel I learned something there. dont put on a fly wheel with stress cracks. My point is I have experience, I have blown clutches and other things.
what I gather from this thread is that you guys feel those with having troubles with their clutch it is due to abuse. well that is exactly what I am talking about. the car generally does okay on the street but not always. various people experience a problem and that can be because they drive it harder. if it slips cause your slipping the clutch then it should be toast. no clutch can survive that.
My experience has been that with a clean shift and accelerating after the shift the clutch slips after climbing 1000 RPM after the shift. my foot is not on the clutch. it slips while being fully engaged and reaching the highest portion of the torque curve at about 4000 to 4500 rpm. never at three. never after me just making a shift. so yeah it slipped due to my own stupidity you can say cause my right foot was to the floor. but the left foot was not any where near the clutch at the time. Since others have experienced this and most people who buy a car like this have so abilities to drive I dont paint everyone with a white paint brush.
end of rant. this thread was a waste of time by the way. you wont change.
11-10-2007, 11:29 AM
#67
Senior Member
Besides, go to any other car forum out there. I have not seen any other car have so many reported clutch problems like our cars. Usually when there are a lot of reports about the same thing over and over, is usually a good indication of something being wrong. There are people here who have had no problems with their clutch and thats great. But also realize that just because yours didn't **** up doesn't mean that everyone else is a bad driver.
11-10-2007, 12:12 PM
#69
Senior Member
Thread Starter
I dont ever remember going to a track where theres water on the start line??
Did i say an LSD wont help in straight lines EVER?
no, i said it doesnt help ON THE QUARTER MILE.
And i still stick by that belief. until someone can prove that <300hp COBALTS gain considerable benefit in the 60ft from having an LSD.
And I am not surprised that some people respond as you have.
I honestly believe probably a few of the clutch problems we hear about are genuine parts issues.
but the great majority, as mentioned above, are young learning drivers, or experienced drivers who cant take the hit to their ego that their driving might not be as great as they think.
Either way, all the info is welcome. Ive more than proved my point.
11-10-2007, 12:32 PM
#70
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Glazed clutch because I didn't break it in properly? Yeah ok, dude. That makes a lot of sense. I put 862 miles on the car straight up, then went and got Stage 2 installed. My problems started shortly after that. A 3-4 shift and the the car would jump up to redline slipping so bad. I had my Tech buddy at the dealer take it out. He couldn't believe it was slipping so bad either. I seen the clutch when it was taken out it was fried. Crispy, done. Covered under warranty also. GM seemed to think it was a faulty clutch and not operator error.
Besides, go to any other car forum out there. I have not seen any other car have so many reported clutch problems like our cars. Usually when there are a lot of reports about the same thing over and over, is usually a good indication of something being wrong. There are people here who have had no problems with their clutch and thats great. But also realize that just because yours didn't **** up doesn't mean that everyone else is a bad driver.
Besides, go to any other car forum out there. I have not seen any other car have so many reported clutch problems like our cars. Usually when there are a lot of reports about the same thing over and over, is usually a good indication of something being wrong. There are people here who have had no problems with their clutch and thats great. But also realize that just because yours didn't **** up doesn't mean that everyone else is a bad driver.
Learn how to drive the car. Since all cars drive differently you shouldn't have tried to drive it like all you other cars straight outta the box. I can't believe you want us to think the clutch burned itself. Common bro...........
11-10-2007, 12:35 PM
#71
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I dont ever remember going to a track where theres water on the start line??
Did i say an LSD wont help in straight lines EVER?
no, i said it doesnt help ON THE QUARTER MILE.
And i still stick by that belief. until someone can prove that <300hp COBALTS gain considerable benefit in the 60ft from having an LSD.
And I am not surprised that some people respond as you have.
I honestly believe probably a few of the clutch problems we hear about are genuine parts issues.
but the great majority, as mentioned above, are young learning drivers, or experienced drivers who cant take the hit to their ego that their driving might not be as great as they think.
Either way, all the info is welcome. Ive more than proved my point.
Did i say an LSD wont help in straight lines EVER?
no, i said it doesnt help ON THE QUARTER MILE.
And i still stick by that belief. until someone can prove that <300hp COBALTS gain considerable benefit in the 60ft from having an LSD.
And I am not surprised that some people respond as you have.
I honestly believe probably a few of the clutch problems we hear about are genuine parts issues.
but the great majority, as mentioned above, are young learning drivers, or experienced drivers who cant take the hit to their ego that their driving might not be as great as they think.
Either way, all the info is welcome. Ive more than proved my point.
.
From your response though I gather you understand I am not commenting that I am a professional driver, but from my description of the problem that my clutch is not providing enough clamping force to prevent slipping.
11-10-2007, 12:39 PM
#73
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I see water at every start. They use it for the burn out prior to making a run. Also your familiar to running out of the groove and how learning the lane or having lane choice can impact the out come of a race. LSD helps there. you can be more consistant there. you said it wont help in a straight line but what ever, it will help at the 1/4 track
.
From your response though I gather you understand I am not commenting that I am a professional driver, but from my description of the problem that my clutch is not providing enough clamping force to prevent slipping.
.
From your response though I gather you understand I am not commenting that I am a professional driver, but from my description of the problem that my clutch is not providing enough clamping force to prevent slipping.
11-10-2007, 12:41 PM
#74
Senior Member
Thread Starter
oh im completely in agreeance on the street.
Ive just yet to see any proof that its gonna help on the 1/4 mile.
the times just dont show it at our HP levels.
Ive just yet to see any proof that its gonna help on the 1/4 mile.
the times just dont show it at our HP levels.
11-10-2007, 12:47 PM
#75
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just one thing.... so basically what your saying is the people who havent had their clutch slip are the best drivers and the people who have had their clutch slip are the **** lol?? I mean thats the whole point of this thread....
You never know if it could be a faulty part, IT IS GM!!!!
You never know if it could be a faulty part, IT IS GM!!!!