Corolla 5spd Manual Clutch.... Why does it have such long throw?

[ilikebass7]

So my manual S is the first car i have owned that is manual. The clutch has always seemed long to me but i didnt have mnuch to compare it with so i didnt think much about it. Now after driving an xrs matrix civic si scion tc and just about any other manual car i realize that our clutches feel terrible! They have such long throw, probably twice as much as any other manual car ive driven. What can you do to change this? does it have to do with the clutch itself or the clutch pedal? would the TRD clutch help or some other race clutch? if anyone has fixed this or has any ideas let me know. Im sort of a noob in that area but just wanted to know if i am the only one who notices.
THANKS

[Dimaoala]

Are you talking about the distance from where it stands up and when its fully pressed down with you foot?

[ilikebass7]

That mainly yes. I think also how long it takes to engage. It could just be that there is so much space on each side of where it engages that it feels long. Other clutches feel like they engage much quicker

[ekimnal]

i fully agree with you.
im not saying its on the same level, but i drove my friends honda s2000 and when i stepp on the clutch, the distance is feels like its 1/3rd of what i need to step. same thing with my cousins IS300

not to mention that our clutch is really soft, almost effortless to step on while the other cars i drove feels like im doing a 200lb leg press at the gym (over exaggerating)..

point is.. clutch feels very deep and very soft

[ilikebass7]

You explained it better. I feel like you do long and soft. Not short and had how it should be. So is there any way to make this better?

[RC1]

Yup, just shorten up the clutch pedal, that'll take care of both complaints!

[TFCommanderBob]

Ehh, every clutch is different. The three other manuals I drove were sports cars (rx8, mx6, eclipse gt) and each grabbed a bit differently but definitely quicker. I like the fact that it is a pretty forgiving clutch. A light clutch pedal is also nice in traffic

I hope I'm not the only one who snickered at

I feel like you do long and soft.

[ekimnal]

Originally Posted by tfcommanderbob

ehh, every clutch is different. The three other manuals i drove were sports cars (rx8, mx6, eclipse gt) and each grabbed a bit differently but definitely quicker. I like the fact that it is a pretty forgiving clutch. A light clutch pedal is also nice in traffic

i hope i'm not the only one who snickered at

lol

[Dimaoala]

Originally Posted by ekimnal

i fully agree with you.
im not saying its on the same level, but i drove my friends honda s2000 and when i stepp on the clutch, the distance is feels like its 1/3rd of what i need to step. same thing with my cousins IS300

not to mention that our clutch is really soft, almost effortless to step on while the other cars i drove feels like im doing a 200lb leg press at the gym (over exaggerating)..

point is.. clutch feels very deep and very soft

Originally Posted by ilikebass7

You explained it better. I feel like you do long and soft. Not short and had how it should be. So is there any way to make this better?

Indeed, I have noticed the the clutch when pressed is long and soft. When drive my brother's GT-S or my Sisters IS300, they're clutches seem more stiff and short compared to my Xrs.

[ilikebass7]

How do i shorten my clutch pedal? is it safe to do like it wont mess anything else up. i heard kniterider got this done a while back.

and i sort of did that on purpose....more so i was to lazy to change it. ha soft long short hard

[thestone11]

Indeed the clutch feeling between the S and the XRS is different already. This is something you have to live with...different cars have different clutch feel.

[msncorolla422]

Originally Posted by thestone11

Indeed the clutch feeling between the S and the XRS is different already. This is something you have to live with...different cars have different clutch feel.

x2 I would like the soft clutch if I lived in a very congested area and was in traffic a lot but still wanted a manual. but I have been in cars with much worse clutches....ex: a Hyundai Accent 5 sp was just AWFUL! no feel at all, no resistance, and was slow to retract! I released the clutch really fast and I looked down and it still was retracting
I think the best clutch I've actually used was a 2006 GTI It was perfect!

[kniterider09]

Originally Posted by ilikebass7

How do i shorten my clutch pedal? is it safe to do like it wont mess anything else up. i heard kniterider got this done a while back.

and i sort of did that on purpose....more so i was to lazy to change it. ha soft long short hard

one of the tech's at my dealer thought i played with the clutch and it was engaging too high, i told him i never did anything, they insisted it be fixed, so i paid whatever they charged to get it fixed. ya the throw became quite short after that, like really short, drove my car home, gears locked out, car towed back to dealer, clutch adjusted again, tech forgot to adjust rod or something, clutch back to same height, money refunded.

it is what it is, dont mess with it. clutch on S is totally different from xrs. SI clutch is sweet, crossfire clutch was damn good too, bmw clutch sucks, infinit clutch sucks, wrx is nice.... however after driving all these cars going back to my car, yes the clutch on xrs felt ... wierd, sluggish, mushy.....oh well.

[PhatRoyale]

It has long throws because it's a Corolla. (fine print: not a sports car)

It makes it easier to drive for 99% of the population out there that buy Corollas.

[RollaRed]

To help you answer your question and not just say its a corolla. If you find an aftermarket clutch like say trd yes it will feel stiffer and engage the gear faster because it was made to do so. So now all you have to do is wait for an aftermarket/ perormance clutch to come out. a light weight fly wheel would be nice to....