Clutch engagement smoothness

[Perpetuus]

I have recently upgraded my engine, transmission, and pendulum mounts to reduce wheel hop - also made the engine sound more powerful After replacing the mounts, shifts could be made much quicker because the engine doesn't rock back and forth as much, and also stops rocking quicker.

I love to shift smoothly and not botch it, but the extra rigidity of the mounts makes the clutch engagement point less forgiving. Shifts can still be made smoothly of course, but the slightest RPM difference at the friction point will create a noticeable jolt.

Has anyone been in this situation? Any tips?

[six]

My old Mazdaspeed6 was like that. The only way to have smooth shifts is to either slip the clutch a little more, or become used to the RPM the shift will land you at any given point. I recommend (while you are driving by yourself, of course) to let the jolts happen. They will eventually teach your body the timing necessary to smooth out your shifts. At least, that was how it worked for me.

[Perpetuus]

Cool, I'll try to pay more attention to that. The louder engine noise has drowned out my audio alot now, so at least that helps me keep more focused.

Was watching some videos of heel-toe on youtube just now, and can't help but notice that alot of very good stick shift drivers don't rest their heel on the floor when applying throttle. I've tried this with heel-toe and it worked well, but how do you do learn to do this for regular driving? I mean- leaving the heel of your right foot off the floor whenever you step on the gas.

I'm over 6 feet and always feel a little cramped for space in the footwells. If I move my seat back, then I can't reach the steering wheel or shifter as naturally.

[AHTOXA]

Welcome to tall people world. Everything seems cramped.

[theholycow]

How in the world would you drive without your heel on the floor? Wouldn't your leg get tired from holding itself up in the air for more than a few minutes? Also, every time you hit a bump you'd blip the throttle, unless maybe you're bracing your knee hard against the dash.

[Rope-Pusher]

^ When you use the accelerator pedal the same way you use a dead pedal, your leg doesn't get tired.

[Perpetuus]

Watch his right foot, it appears that he always has it hanging in mid-air, and the leather shoes too!

[six]

It appears that way because he's always at WOT, pedal to metal. When you're pressing the accelerator like you're pressing the brake, your heel will be off the floor. Like what Rope said, he's using the accelerator like a dead pedal for his right foot.

[kayubassist]

how do you feel about the upgrades?
does the car feel a lot more solid?
do you feel more 'connected' to the road?
I have been contemplating various mount upgrades to make my car feel more solid but the downsides (noise, roughness) are pulling me back.
I just noticed you have a mk5 GTI which is basically the same car as mine. (also I used to have mk5 gti dsg before hehe)

[Perpetuus]

Hmmm, the mounts

When I installed them, I did them in two stages - first the pendulum mount, and then the transmission and engine side mounts together.

With just the pendulum mount installed, the increase in vibration was so negligible that I began to question whether people were crazy when they were complaining about it. The front tires gripped alot better on launches and there was no more wheel hop. Basically, you get all the advantages of the stiffer mount without any noticeable drawbacks (except a little more vibration when in reverse). A normal person wouldn't need more than the pendulum mount upgrade and be completely happy.

And then the transmission and engine side mounts...
Much more time consuming to install. After firing up the engine for the first time after the installation, it vibrated ALOT and sounded like a diesel truck. The car was so loud that I could no longer listen to the radio - especially at highway speeds. The engine no longer felt like it was rocking back and forth between shifts- almost like a solid connection. I loved it, in a weird way it sounded like pirate ships at war in my engine bay, haha.

800 km later, the mounts seem to be fully broken in, and it no longer sounds as loud as before. The increased engine noise is now sporty and acceptable. I can listen to my radio again. However, anyone sitting in my car would be able to pick up the distinctive sound of the engine. It's both louder and sportier than most cars, but no one complains about it. There IS more vibration with these mounts, but it also lets you feel the feedback from the front tires alot better as well. Shifting can be executed much faster because the engine settles down from rocking much faster, but your clutch work needs to be better since it's now less forgiving of RPM differences (will feel it more in the form of jolts) when you engage the clutch after shifting. Still sounds a bit like a truck (that's because of the FSI engine), but also a bit like a V8. All of this without have any engine or exhaust mods. I have to make a clip one of these days.

[Perpetuus]

I know the video is a bit choppy- took this with my phone tonight, but you can sorta hear the sound. Got some stray noises from the phone on the seat.



I'll do a better vid later too.

[Perpetuus]

Better video:



Still got some rattling noises.. camera lens cap hitting the tripod, but the video is MUCH clearer and the camera is in the passenger seat.

Come take a ride with me

[potownrob]

i keep thinking you replaced the GTI with an A3 and getting confused then realize that was someone else

edit: btw, if your camera isn't too big, you should be able to hook it to the headrest with rubberbands

[Perpetuus]

Hey, that's actually a great idea with the rubber bands!

The GTI ain't going anywhere since anything more expensive would not be sensible, plus it's lots of fun already. Just picked up a limited slip diff this week!

i keep thinking you replaced the GTI with an A3 and getting confused then realize that was someone else

edit: btw, if your camera isn't too big, you should be able to hook it to the headrest with rubberbands

[theholycow]

I felt creative and posted a bunch of low-budget camera mount ideas.
http://www.standardshift.com/forum/view ... hp?t=11459

This is the one I actually use most of the time: