Clutch Travel

J

JOE MAMA

I've noticed that the clutch doesn't engage until the peddle is released almost all the way. Does anyone else notice this? On any other vehicle I've owned, the clutch begins to engage as soon as you begin to release the peddle and fully engages once the peddle has been almost fully released.The Mazda 2 clutch doesn't seem to respond until the peddle is 75% released. I find it annoying and its as though the clutch is at the end of its life (though there is no slipping).

I noticed this when I first test drove the car and its been almost 2 weeks and I'm having a tough time getting used to it. I find it very awkward and uncomfortable and takes away from the sportiness of the rest of the car! Why have such a long travel on the clutch peddle if its not going to respond until in the fully released position!
 
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Bought the vehicle with 72km. It has just under 2000km now and no change. Is this "normal"? (and when I say normal, I mean a characteristic of the vehicle).

Are others experiencing what I am, or do I need to booked it into service? I looked at reviews and others have complained about the feel of the clutch as well.
 
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You'll get used to it. I, too, wish it was a little more forgiving, but after 9,000 km, I can shift it smoothly 80% of the time (though I still have to concentrate on it!). Tip: higher revs. Also, after about 5000km, the car got a bit louder as well, which is a big help to hitting the right revs when shifting.
 
"The Mazda 2 clutch doesn't seem to respond until the peddle is 75% released. I find it annoying and its as though the clutch is at the end of its life"

When I've burned out clutches, it's been the opposite. Clutch immediately releases when coming off the floor and then when it's beyond use...you can't get the clutch to engage. I remember the Ford F100s with a 3-speed on the tree that felt like they had a foot of travel in the clutch. Every car is different and my Miata's release is much closer to the floor and the clutch actually has pressure. Now going from my M2 to Miata or back takes a bit of mental preparation.
 
First off let me say that i dont know anything about clutchs and the sort. I have been driving a manual transmission for 15 years now and this car is by far the hardest car i have ever had to get it to shift smoothly. I have a hard time mostly shifting from 1st gear to 2nd gear. Not sure if its me or the car or if its just normal, but i dont know. oh i have 17,000 miles on it now.
 
I can say it's definitely the hardest car to operate smoothly that I've ever driven. I'm getting used to it now after 1,200 miles, but it's odd having to concentrate so much on it.
 
part of getting the car to shift smoothly isn't all the clutch. for some reason the 2 as well as my friends Mazda 3 sky has a tremendous amount of engine movement that makes it seem like you cannot drive properly due to rough shifts.

the engine mount is made of like jelly with not a whole lot of consistency to it so it allows the engine to shift forward when u engage the clutch and then throws it back when you try to engage it.

I had the same feeling in my corolla. but then I got the ESS motor mounts and it all but solved the problem...motor mounts and motor mount inserts end up transferring a lot of vibration from the motor to the rest of the car unfortunately but I think its worth it in this particular case.

goodwinracing sells a 70 burro motor mount replacement that should be good for DD anything high is suggested for straight up track or drag use. I wish there was slightly lower burro like a 60 or 65 but O well.

there's someone else O the forum that made his own inserts and it did the job for him, so u guys can try to go find that as well.
 
to the OP as far as clutch travel goes, yes the 2 has by far the softest clutch that I have ever driven.

my corolla had an act XTSS clutch in it and pedal pressure was pretty hard and engagement was almost instant.

my gfs yaris I thought then had the softest clutch in the world then I got our impreza that had an even softer clutch than the yaris.

the 2 beats all of them unfortunately. I find myself almost burning the clutch a lot as well...act sells the HDSS clutch for the 2 though that will help
 
^^The AWR motor mount helps alot, fwiw. I noticed it most taking off in first and the 1-2 shift. MUCH crisper and taking off you get more feedback. And a good amount more cabin noise. It doesn't bother me...
 
ive been driving for legally for 31 years and have driven just about everything with wheels and i have absolutly no problems with the clutch or shifting ..i can only say that after a few hundred miles you should have adapted to the difference..every car/truck has a different feel to it but you will adapt..if you cant adapt trade it for an autobox
 
Actually, this is the easiest stick to drive. Very little pressure on the clutch and a smooth shift. My only possible complaint would be at takeoff, can't hear the engine so it takes awhile to do mindless takeoffs without too low/high rpms.
 
colonelangus said:
ive been driving for legally for 31 years and have driven just about everything with wheels and i have absolutly no problems with the clutch or shifting ..i can only say that after a few hundred miles you should have adapted to the difference..every car/truck has a different feel to it but you will adapt..if you cant adapt trade it for an autobox
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noone is arguing this either, but we can do what we can to make it drive the way that we want. And if there IS no solution then we would be forced to adapt. In this situation, there is a solution, given, it might be something that not everyone will be able to accept. But a solution nonetheless.

Driving my subi being AWD is completely different than driving a 2wd car and the shift points and length of shifts are completely different. Being it's my GF's car, i was forced to adapt to the driving style because she did not want a heavily modded car.

I've gotten used to driving the 2 the way it is, but I want to drive the 2 the way I want to drive the 2. So myself and other people will move forward.
 
dsgrey said:
Actually, this is the easiest stick to drive. Very little pressure on the clutch and a smooth shift. My only possible complaint would be at takeoff, can't hear the engine so it takes awhile to do mindless takeoffs without too low/high rpms.
Click to expand...

LOL, the main reason I got the Racing Beat muffler was so I could hear my car during takeoffs and not rev to 3k. The nice sound is just a bonus (spin)
 
colonelangus said:
ive been driving for legally for 31 years and have driven just about everything with wheels and i have absolutly no problems with the clutch or shifting ..i can only say that after a few hundred miles you should have adapted to the difference..every car/truck has a different feel to it but you will adapt..if you cant adapt trade it for an autobox
Click to expand...

(bowdown) We're not worthy of your superior driving ability. Please forgive us for suggesting that a drive train setup could have a steeper learning curve than other vehicles.
 
I have a mazdaspeed3 and it's the exact same way. Guy at the dealership told me it was how all Mazda hydrolic clutches are
 
THe clutch on the 2 is really sfot IMO... They even advertise it as a feature.. They call it 'clutch cushioning'. I thought at first it might be like some BMW's that have a restriction valve on the master cylinder, but the more i drive and read, I think it's the clutch plate having WAY to much give on the sprung hub, and/or the pressure plate being super light.


I plan on putting an ACT kit in as soon as I can afford the install!
 
Mckinley said:
I have a mazdaspeed3 and it's the exact same way. Guy at the dealership told me it was how all Mazda hydrolic clutches are
Click to expand...

I just picked up a new Mazda2 Touring today and god I hope that isn't the case (thinking to the future 2016ish RX-9 and hopefully not so far out Mazdaspeed2).

My friend has a 2007 RX-8 and his clutch stock was just fine and hydraulic.
 
it's a result of a super sloppy rear motor mount, which is a result of a stupid low idle and engine vibrations. Fill the mount, get the awr one, problem goes away.
 
I didn't find that to be the case, I had a filled mount for a few months and it made little to no difference in shift quality/feel.
 
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