Clutch wont hold anymore. I was thinking going spec stage 2+ but wasnt sure if that will hold. What clutch should i go with that will hold (mods in sig). This is also my DD

 

does the clutch slip only when you shift, or in the middle of gears.

 

read this thread, there is where i got the idea
https://www.cobaltss.net/forums/show...82#post3730382

But

Im pretty sure it slips in 1st. But going WOT in 2nd it does not slip

When i was stock i could shift 1-2 quick while applying a little gas and get them to chirp. Now if i do that all i get is slipping

 

It's driver error, not a bad clutch. don't hit the gas till you're off the clutch.

 

Like I said, it's not that it's slipping "per sey". You've out grown it's holding capacity. Try putting some good Rotated billet mounts on her and drop it from 2500rpms... you'll go through all 5 gears and at the end the amount of smoke drifting up will only be what you'd see if you dropped a bag of flour.... ask me how I know

it's the clutch, i know first hand.

 

meaning what. i don't want to hear the "power" thing. There's guys with way more power than him and you on stock clutch having no problems. Why? Because they drive properly, don't rev up in first and let off the clutch slowly, don't hold the gas between shifts, and know how to properly rev match. Read the post he linked, and after reaqding that how can you say it's not driver error?

 

is the clutch holding...yes, but not performing at the level he needs it to. So you're trying to tell me that if you had a 1000hp vette and the stock clutch was slipping it's driver error? Could the driver let the clutch out slower......sure he could, but he's not taking advantage of the car's full potential. So, how is me revving up in 1st and letting off the clutch anything more than me wanting to be able to launch the car properly???? That's not driver error. Could I drive it differently. Yes, and I do. But when I'm launching I shouldn't be limited by my clutch. How is that anything but the lack of a better clutch??? You make no sense.

 

Take a driving class. Ask a pro. Go talk to someone that races for a living. Ask them if they burn the clutch off the line. But don't use rediculous exampples like a 1000hp vette.

Nobody likes to be told they don't drive correctly, that's why people get so upset about it. Let me explain what you're doing wrong, and why yoru clutch was slipping, and then you can call me an idiot and tell me i'm wrong.

The proper way to launch is to get off the clutch as quickly as possible, and then use your right foot to press the gas till right before the point of slipping the tires. Majority of people do the same thing, except they use the clutch pedal instead of the gas pedal. The clutch comes out WAY too slowly. This way is easier, and doesn't require as much skill. It's also the wrong way. Like Isaid, if you're slipping your clutch in a 250whp COBALT (Not a 1000hp vette) betwen shifts and on a launch, it's purely driver error. If you have a bad clutch, it will slip in the middle of gears also, not just on a shift or launch.

If that's the way you want to launch, by all means, go ahead. But then don't complain when your clutch starts slipping.

 

We're not talking about just pulling out from an intersection and we're not talking about in between gears.

We're talking about the initial get up and go from a dead stop. And I launch exactly as you described and I'm telling you from first hand experience it doesn't have the ***** to grab. Like I said, it's not slipping......I don't know what other term to use. The clutch is plenty strong enough, but it can't grab coming off the line and it slips a little in 2nd gear drops.

Especially in 2nd gear when I have no reason to make it "easier on myself", how is it anything but the clutch? My foot comes off the gas pedal, clutch goes in, rev match, throw it into second, clutch comes out and I"m back on the gas...... guess what..........still slips. How are you gonna tell me it's driver error when I'm not even balancing clutch vs. gas???? The clutch is already engaged when I push in the gas pedal.... and it slips.

Now, if you said, my clutch is worn due to driver error... then I'll give you a little more credit for your response, but once the clutch is worn you can't deny that the clutch will slip without driver error...at some point you have to start blaming the part. If you had a 30 year old clutch that is worn thin are you still gonna call it driver error??? Of course not.

 

i'm sorry for not specifically saying that, i thought it was just implied. And again, we're not talking about a 30 year old clutch. We're talking about a clutch in a cobalt that has been improperly driven for anywhere from 1-3 years.

 

you just made my point for me.

improperly driven or not. it's the clutch that's slipping.... not the driver. would the clutch have lasted longer.... sure... but in the condition it's in it is the CLUTCH CAN'T hold.

So, therefore. You assumed that I threw driver wear-and-tear out the window, meanwhile falsly claimed my assertion that the clutch is failing was incorrect. Doesn't matter what the root problem was. Does he need a new clutch. yes. so was I correct. yes.

 

now you're arguing just for the sake of arguing, whic hI knew would happen, so i'm done. I've been trying to stay out of "my clutch sucks" and those type of threads for a reason.

 

ha, ur missing my point. I'm not arguing with you..........so to speak. I agree. Do we drive like ****, probably.

In his other thread the dude was ready to buy new tires. I merely told him it's not the tires, the clutch is slipping. It doesn't matter what the cause of the slippage is. Whether the slippage is due driver error or the strength of the clutch is not at all what I'm debating and I'm sure you have far more knowlege on that topic than I do. But it is the clutch, not the tires, he needs to be problem solving -- and that's what I was trying to impress upon him........even if that solution is better driving.

 

Here is a question for both of you


Why when i was stock i could give it gas between my 1-2 shifts to chirp the tires. But now when i give it the same amount of gas between those shifts it slips like crazy? Only thing that has changed is the power. So i think this would probe roadrage06 is right?

Correct me if im wrong


and another question, When i 1-2 shift from a dig should i get completely off the gas--shift to second--drop the clutch with no gas--than stomp on the gas again when the clutch is completely out. So i would be using no gas when i let off the clutch going into second. Damnt i wish someone was near me that was an Pro driver that could tell me whats going on.

 

it's simple. after repeatedly slipping the clutch the wrong way, it has come to the point where it won't hold anymore. and yes, the way you describe shifting sounds right. Off gas, clutch in, shift, clutch out, on gas.

Some cars are more forgiving with the amount of slip the clutch can handle. The cobalt is not very forgiving. But if you don't slip it too much it will hold strong.

 

if i shift like that tho it is not smooth at all, i know 1-2 is a big difference compared to the other gears if i remmeber correct. Is it suposed to jerk

 

You need to learn to rev match. That's why your clutch is shot, because you don't know how to rev match. This is why majority of prople complain about their clutch.

When upshifting, you have to let the rpms fall to the appropriate place in normal driving. If you want to powershift while racing, or liftt the gas but shift very fast, yea, it's going to jerk.

So, in normal driving, you would get going in first, foot off the gas TOTALLY, push the clutch in, wait for the rpm's to drop while you shift to 2nd, clutch out, back on the gas. Takes some practice to get it right, but if you rev match properly you can dump the clutch and it's buttery smooth every time.

 

I'm not fond of the harsh engagement on my car, so I usually slip a little on take off, where I could just let it smoothly engage on my other car. My clutch has been toast for a while, it has that nasty rattle going on..

I'm going with a Spec 2+ and flywheel

 

If you do it right, there's no harsh engagement.

The reason why people don't understand that they're driving wrong is that to do it right takes some skill and finesse in this car. If you make a mistake, you're going to feel it. So people do something, say to themselves "that must not be right" and then try something else. When you use the clutch to make smooth shifts, of course, to someone that doesn't know better, they're going to think that's the right way! so then they teach someone else that way, and they teach someone else that way, and then it gets all fucked up.

 

thanks for the useful info, i will use that with my new clutch since i think this one is fucked up

 

No, my clutch was trashed on when I bought it. It has been tracked in the past and needs some work. It didn't have the smoothest engagement when I bought it.

 

I could help you figure out what is going on. Let me know. Also we are going to be meeting up at HWY to discuss the Midwest meet so you should come when we figure out if it we are going saturday or sunday night.

 

Done, done, and done. It's the clutch. When I was stock, and running Hoosiers, I was experiencing the same problem. It's not the driver. It's the part. Clutches are rated at torque, not horsepower. The gearing for first applies a lot more instantaneous torque than any other gear. Between my 1st and 2nd racing seasons, the only thing I changed was going from street tires on the stock wheels to Hoosier QTP slicks on 16" wheels and Bwoody traction bars. The clutch was slipping only when at the track, using the slicks, in 1st gear and right after the 1-2 shift. On the street I had no problems.

Now, I'm a Mechanical Engineering student, and earning minors in Business Management and Automotive Technologies. I thought I had the problem figured out, but I just wanted to make sure, so I asked an engineering friend of who is involved in almost everything type of major motorsport you can name in America, i.e, Grand Am, Grand Prix, NASCAR, Champ, F1, land speed, NHRA, IRHA, etc. He told me I was absloutely correct. I needed to upgrade my clutch. I talked to him about my goals with the SS/SC and we figured out what the best solution was.

Btw, most professional drag racers don't burn clutches off the line because they use automatic transmissions. For example, the drag Cobalt that is turbocharged and alcohol injected, producing 1400hp/900tq, is using a modified Pontiac Bonneville 4 speed automatic specifically built by GM Racing for drag racing the highly modded L61 powered car.

Just thought I'd share a good video with you if you wanted to challenge my friends credentials. This is just one of the teams he consults with. My friend is also the one who encouraged me to try to get into the 130 Club as evidenced in my sig. This is a 450 MPH run on the historic Bonneville Salt Flats, just outside Wendover, Utah. If you notice the large orange banners/flags/markers the car passes between on the track, they are 1 mile in between each set.

http://www.saltflats.com/video/Burkland.wmv

 

D4U,

Wow so i practiced what you said this weekend and my car feels like a way different car. I found out i was giving it wayyy to much gas threw 1st and trying to throw it in to second. I only half throttle first now and let off gas/shift/take foot off clutch and stomp on the gas and i have gotten a perfect tiny tire chirp every time. Big thanks to you

 

No prob. Glad i could help.