Thirdparty Clutch for Casual Drivers?

[MeiWare]

Where to even start here. I bought a 2020 si sedan from Brandon Honda out of Tampa and in the course of a month I've had to replace all 4 tires and was told I had to replace the clutch kit and flywheel with a quote of almost $4700! They seriously tried to say I busted a perfectly good clutch when I had my first problem a week in. Actually I posted a thread asking about it awhile back, twice it got jammed in neutral starting from a stop. The first few days in it might have been a little rough but I don't ride the clutch or drive aggressively. No racing or track either, just a casual long distance commuter.

So I started researching and wow there's lots of horror stories about the clutches in these cars. Theres even a service bulletin which I pointed out to the dealership and they don't care. Putting another stock clutch in is starting to sound like a bad idea. Is it gonna be the same poor quality? So I've started looking into third parties, specifically the OEM and ACT. But I've also read some of these kits can damage the car so I'm not sure what I should be looking for. I've heard retro fitted Type r ones work great but don't need something that powerful. Any suggestions? This whole experience has almost ruined this car for me.

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[Jason Baker]

TBH …. It may not be exactly what you want or expect but the RV6 clutch, even in stage 1 or 0, is very much just like stock. It feels great, isn’t harsh on the driver and holds power all day long. It’s pretty close to weight as stock.
It’s also not badly priced comparatively to all other options.
I drive it for 8 hours yesterday and my leg feels fine and it never chattered at all.
My two cents

 

[MeiWare]

Might have spoken too soon about the service bulletin not working in my favor.

The more like stock the better since that's what I've become adjusted to. Honestly I just want a reliable clutch that's going to last a very long time.

 

[bbeem]

You bought it new 3 years ago? How many miles are on it? You were hard on it the first few days 3 years ago and never since? What do you mean by getting jammed in neutral?

I have a spec clutch and flywheel but from users experience I would recommend the RV6 also.

 

[MeiWare]

You bought it new 3 years ago? How many miles are on it? You were hard on it the first few days 3 years ago and never since? What do you mean by getting jammed in neutral?

I have a spec clutch and flywheel but from users experience I would recommend the RV6 also.

I bought used with 21,900 miles last month May 21st. When I first brought it home I was figuring out what seemed to work best, what rpms gave the smoothest shifts, ect. I had very little manual experience. About a week after buying I was sitting at a stop light and when trying to shift from neutral into 1st the shifter got "jammed". Like it would move side to side but wouldn't go in gear, was able to unjam it by getting in third then back to first and taking off. Same thing happened the third week. I drive very often around 40 miles a day 5-6 days a week and it only ever happened twice since I've had the car. I went ahead and took it to a local honda dealership to get it looked at just to make sure everything was ok then they told me the clutch was burned out. So I took it back to the dealer I bought from and the told me that and the flywheel needed replacing.

 

[dellyjoughnut]

Honestly, the OEM clutch works well if you know how to drive with its quirks. The transmissions for the L15B7/L15BA are not designed for speed shifting.

I'm nearly 40K miles on my stock FK7 clutch with an Acuity shifter. The 245/40R18 tires I currently run give me slightly "taller" gearing. I plan to make that clutch last as long as it can before going with a Civic Type R clutch retrofit kit.

 

[bbeem]

If its truly burnt and they aren't going to warranty you I would go rv6 and stage 0. Much cheaper and better option than stock. I doubt your learning phase did much, if any damage. It was probably the previous owner beating on it. Might even be the reason he got rid of it. I've never been locked out of gear like that (except when my upgraded clutch master cylinder leaked) but I always have to hit 1st gear before reverse but that's a pretty common thing across many manuals.

Having to fork out $1500 for the clutch installed on a newly purchased car sucks but that's the weakest point on the si. You're in good company. I would think everything else should be in good shape.

RV6

 

[MeiWare]

If its truly burnt and they aren't going to warranty you I would go rv6 and stage 0. Much cheaper and better option than stock. I doubt your learning phase did much, if any damage. It was probably the previous owner beating on it. Might even be the reason he got rid of it. I've never been locked out of gear like that (except when my upgraded clutch master cylinder leaked) but I always have to hit 1st gear before reverse but that's a pretty common thing across many manuals.

Having to fork out $1500 for the clutch installed on a newly purchased car sucks but that's the weakest point on the si. You're in good company. I would think everything else should be in good shape.

RV6

The service manager called me yesterday and told me they would and that the parts have been ordered. Hopefully that falls through and the car holds up until then. I've been babying tf out of it and I can't afford to not work. I'll keep the stock one in for as long as I can since it's free then switch to one of these down the line if it becomes an issue. And still $1500 is a lot less than the $4700 dealership quote. Thanks for linking it too.

 

[Austin@Wunderladen Racing]

I've always been a big fan of ACT clutches. Have used them in almost all of my racecar and street cars. We have their HDSS (full face) option in our FK7 and it drives nearly like stock, pedal effort isn't really any higher and it's easy to modulate. No issues and has held 300wtq great!

The RV6 kit is a great option as well from what results I've seen with others experience.

 

[Guitar_stitch]

Sounds like the pedal was out of adjustment causing the clutch to drag. Alternatively, the hydraulics are failing.

Either way, untuned, the stock clutch is fine. However, if you plan to put any more power though that drive train, plan on an upgrade. I am a fan of the RV6/FK8 retrofit. Feels like stock, much better suited to power.

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