How Much Does The Stock Clutch Improve After "Break-In"

CyberCT

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2018
Threads
10
Messages
159
Reaction score
53
Location
Nazareth PA
Vehicle(s)
2018 Civic SI Coupe
Country flag
I put roughly 250 miles on my new SI and love the looks, handling, interior, and torque. I'm following the break-in procedure for the most part so I'm not going balls to the wall yet. The only part that I find super annoying is the stock clutch.

It's like the engagement point is nowhere near the floor but I'm pushing the clutch in all the way to the floor anyway. It's super sensitive when starting to push in or out on the pedal and I'm still not used to a smooth modulation between clutch and gas. I HOPE this really improves over time because it's super annoying.

I've been driving manual cars for 14 years, the last 9 with my 2006 RSX. The stock clutch was fine on that car but the aftermarket Competition Clutch Stage 1.5 on it was an absolute dream to use. It engages/disengages right off the floor and the modulation between gas and clutch was smooth and simple, even if that clutch was pretty heavy. It was paired with an 8 lb flywheel.
Sponsored

 

Chief 08

Senior Member
First Name
David
Joined
Jun 20, 2017
Threads
9
Messages
584
Reaction score
345
Location
Germany
Vehicle(s)
2017 Civic Si coupe
Country flag
You will probably get used to it as time goes on. One option for better feel, is to remove the clutch delay valve.
 
OP
OP

CyberCT

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2018
Threads
10
Messages
159
Reaction score
53
Location
Nazareth PA
Vehicle(s)
2018 Civic SI Coupe
Country flag
Not knowing what that was, I searched this forum and wow ... WTF Honda?? I'm going to wait for a few thousand miles but then this is going on my list of to-do's.

I'll probably just order one from Honda, do the removal on the new one, then find someone that can help just do the straight up swap and bleeding the system. Then once swapped I'll sell the one on my car now to someone else that wants to do it the same way.
 

bwsteg

Senior Member
First Name
Kevin
Joined
May 15, 2018
Threads
1
Messages
52
Reaction score
11
Location
Nassau
Vehicle(s)
2018 Honda Civic Si
Country flag
I did the cdv delete and stainless steel clutch line and I really didn’t feel a difference from stock. Just my 2cents
 

tehSteve

GrayBeard McGootch
Joined
Sep 3, 2017
Threads
43
Messages
587
Reaction score
375
Location
NJ
Vehicle(s)
Si
Country flag
I did the cdv delete and stainless steel clutch line and I really didn’t feel a difference from stock. Just my 2cents
Same. Still soft. But you can tell the difference if you jump back and forth between one that had it done and stock.
 


OP
OP

CyberCT

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2018
Threads
10
Messages
159
Reaction score
53
Location
Nazareth PA
Vehicle(s)
2018 Civic SI Coupe
Country flag
I don't care about the soft feel as much as I do about the proper speed and grab feel.
 

coopermidnight

Senior Member
First Name
Brandon
Joined
Jul 17, 2016
Threads
21
Messages
659
Reaction score
745
Location
Florida
Vehicle(s)
19 FK8
Vehicle Showcase
2
Country flag
I don't care about the soft feel as much as I do about the proper speed and grab feel.
I can confirm CDV delete + stainless steel clutch line improves the engagement speed dramatically. For the first hour of driving after the job, it felt like I was trying to keep my car from getting away from me :)

Another thing you'll probably want to do is grab a KTuner or FlashPro unit to (at the very least) disable rev hang. This won't make the revs fall any less slowly, but it kills the delay after clutch-in at higher revs.
 
OP
OP

CyberCT

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2018
Threads
10
Messages
159
Reaction score
53
Location
Nazareth PA
Vehicle(s)
2018 Civic SI Coupe
Country flag
I can confirm CDV delete + stainless steel clutch line improves the engagement speed dramatically. For the first hour of driving after the job, it felt like I was trying to keep my car from getting away from me :)

Another thing you'll probably want to do is grab a KTuner or FlashPro unit to (at the very least) disable rev hang. This won't make the revs fall any less slowly, but it kills the delay after clutch-in at higher revs.
I'd love to but that will void the warranty on the engine or associated parts. These turbos are new for Honda so I'm going to wait a few years to make sure they hold up before going the ECU tuner route. I'd love to tune and add boost as well.

I'm really tempted to do the CDV delete and stainless steel clutchline. The dealership may be a PITA honoring the warranty if there's trans issues down the road but after driving quite a bit over the last few days I absolutely hate the clutch. My foot has to be completely off the clutch before giving gas. So retarded and different from manual cars in the past. We shouldn't have to do ANYTHING to have a properly functioning manual transmission car Honda
 
OP
OP

CyberCT

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2018
Threads
10
Messages
159
Reaction score
53
Location
Nazareth PA
Vehicle(s)
2018 Civic SI Coupe
Country flag
With over a thousand miles on the odometer now I can confirm the clutch feels better. Not as good as the RSX's aftermarket but it'll do for now.
 

Lox9588

Member
First Name
Nick
Joined
Aug 29, 2018
Threads
0
Messages
12
Reaction score
6
Location
New York
Vehicle(s)
2018 Civic Si Coupe
With over a thousand miles on the odometer now I can confirm the clutch feels better. Not as good as the RSX's aftermarket but it'll do for now.
Good info. I'm 130ish miles into my new Si coupe and the clutch is definitely a little weird for me. I felt like an idiot during the test drive because it was so different to me than any clutch I'd used to before. I'm getting more used to it after a week or so but definitely still odd.
 


OP
OP

CyberCT

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2018
Threads
10
Messages
159
Reaction score
53
Location
Nazareth PA
Vehicle(s)
2018 Civic SI Coupe
Country flag
Good info. I'm 130ish miles into my new Si coupe and the clutch is definitely a little weird for me. I felt like an idiot during the test drive because it was so different to me than any clutch I'd used to before. I'm getting more used to it after a week or so but definitely still odd.
It definitely gets better so hang in there. Not getting on it or revving past 4k till 600 miles is the hardest part.
But even now, shifting super quickly and having the transmission shift just as quickly like an automatic is impossible. It's either the rev hang, super heavy flywheel, or the clutch slave delay valve.
 

Design

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2015
Threads
28
Messages
3,329
Reaction score
2,903
Location
Southern California
Vehicle(s)
09 MS3, 17 ABM Si Sedan
Country flag
Engagement definitely improves after about 1000 miles. I'm near 20K with no complaints, though pedal effort is the lightest I've encountered in a Sport Compact.

Case in point; I am driving the MS3 today and will be going back to the Si a little later this afternoon. Every time I switch cars, the MS3's clutch feels way too heavy and the Si's way too sensitive. But after driving a few minutes, either starts to feel normal again.
 
Last edited:

Wilefisherman

Member
First Name
Kris
Joined
Nov 7, 2017
Threads
2
Messages
29
Reaction score
10
Location
Northern California
Vehicle(s)
2017 Si Sedan MSM
Country flag
I have over 18k on my clutch. It works fine and no sign of slipping yet. However, I do not like the fact that it seems to "grab" at different points. Even my wife sitting next to me can tell. The other thing is if I do not push the clutch all the way to the floor while shifting, it wont "willingly" go into the next gear. Kind of frustrating. I had a 6spd in my o4 TL, and I never had any shifting problems.

That said, it is miles better than the 98 S10, 2000 Corolla I used to own. I'll just drive it until it shows signs of an issue.
 

BoostedSiCoupe

Banned
Banned
Joined
Mar 25, 2018
Threads
45
Messages
1,194
Reaction score
1,059
Location
Cesspool
Vehicle(s)
2019 Civic Si
Country flag
it doesnt. im at almost 9k now, hasnt changed at all.
 

tehSteve

GrayBeard McGootch
Joined
Sep 3, 2017
Threads
43
Messages
587
Reaction score
375
Location
NJ
Vehicle(s)
Si
Country flag
I have over 18k on my clutch. It works fine and no sign of slipping yet. However, I do not like the fact that it seems to "grab" at different points. Even my wife sitting next to me can tell. The other thing is if I do not push the clutch all the way to the floor while shifting, it wont "willingly" go into the next gear. Kind of frustrating. I had a 6spd in my o4 TL, and I never had any shifting problems.

That said, it is miles better than the 98 S10, 2000 Corolla I used to own. I'll just drive it until it shows signs of an issue.
Always grabs the same for me after the CDV delete and SS line.
Sponsored

 


 


Top