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Teaching some to drive stick

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EggYolk

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
My friend just got a Focus with a SPEC Stage 3 clutch in it. He has never driven a stick before and needs to learn this week. He's tried, but simply cannot drive the car. Is he going to destroy this clutch in a few weeks? Am I better off just telling him we need to pull the trannies and swap my stock clutch for his. He doesn't care about the clutch, he just needs to start driving. I get nervous that he's going to be out on the road with the clutch in a few days I guess.

PS. <whisper> His tranny also has a Quaife that he doesn't know about and I might swap into my tranny when he's not looking...shhhhhhh </whisper>
 
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#2 ·
I really am not sure about burning out the clutch. However when you think about it how many times does someone usally stall the car with the stock clutch. I would think that the clutch could take a bunch of stalls.(But then again I'm not familar with that clutch.) Did your friend buy the car off someone? Maybe you need to use the force to teach him.
 
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Discussion starter · #3 ·
I do the best I can. Even I had a hard time the first time I drove the car. The problem is the window is very very small when the clutch engages and he has a hard time pulling his foot away so slowly. He doesn't have a problem driving my stock clutch. With the people I've talked to, they said he's going to kill the clutch. They told me to save the clutch's life and put it in mine. I thought I would ask FJ as a whole before we made a decision about it. Because if its not going to really kill it, I'm not going to go through the hassle of swapping trannies.
 
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#4 ·
Well, if you were a really good friend, you would let him get used to driving a stick in your car. Of course, I can count the number of people I would allow to learn stick in my car without taking my shoes off...

That said, from what I understand about aftermarket clutches, he could very well wear it out very fast. I am under the impression (and I can't pin down why I think this way, who told me, where I read it, if it applies here, so this isn't by any stretch a fact) that a high performance clutch material has a great coefficent of friction and the capability to maintain that coefficent at a higher temp, however they wear faster when slipped. So, since when you are learning to drive stick, you are usually scared of stalling and tend to slip more, this could be a really poor combination.

Perhaps a call to Spec, Centerforce, Clutch Masters etc. to see if I am right before you put the dude in a panic....
 
#5 ·
I wouldn't touch it until it dies. You don't want this clutch in your car, and if he kills the thing, it's his own damn fault for buying a car he can't drive.
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#6 ·
Egg, I say, take out everything tranny related.

Box it up, send it to me, and I'll dismantle my tranny and all associated parts and then send them to you.

Its an ATX so he will be able to drive much easier with that then his crazy spec clutch.

and if you want the clutch, feel free to take it and put ur stock in. all i ask is to get the quaife.
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
teamDFL, I did let him learn to drive stick on my car. I'm not that mean
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. The thing is is he can drive my clutch pretty darn good, but as soon as he gets behind the SPEC, he simply cannot do it. The window is so small for him, that he can't control it. I'm just afraid that learning to drive the clutch over the next few days is going to destroy a perfectly good clutch. It if comes down to the fact that it will be pretty bad for the clutch, then pulling the trannies will be beneficial to both of us. He'll have a car he can drive and I'll have an aftermarket clutch and LSD (did I mention the LSD part
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)

Zoomer, why don't you think I want this clutch?

Dis, what's the address? Who really wants a Quaife anyways
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Discussion starter · #10 ·
An LSD.
 
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#11 ·
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Discussion starter · #14 ·
Welcome to the Jet
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Quaife is usually looked alittle bit better but costs little bit more too. They have a lifetime warranty as well.
 
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#15 ·
If his clutch is anything like mine I can see where there would be a problem. People who are used to regular clutches have alot of problems just getting my car moving.

He needs to go to a parking lot and practice getting the car moving in first gear over and over and over and over. With a puck clutch you must slip it quite extensively right at the start of the engagement point to get the car moving to about 2-3mph then you can quickly let it out. Anything less you stall. Anything more it gets grabby and starts shaking the trasmission in a very very unpleasant manner. This I would worry about as it will cause damage eventually. When done correctly the entire getting the car moving process should take 2-4 seconds.
 
#17 ·
gotta understand about downshifting too.. that is a must know
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Well worst case if you don't know how to shift gears.

"If you can't find them, grind them!"
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Discussion starter · #18 ·
He's driving the car now. He's going to keep the clutch and we'll see how long it lasts. The deal has already been made that when he needs a new clutch, we'll swap trannies and I'll put a new clutch in the one I get. That means free Quaife
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DisrupTer911
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