My Baby S2K

Just wondering what is the average life of a clutch in an S2K under normal driving conditions. I have 50,000 kms on the car and thinking of having the clutch replaced eventhough it drives fine currently. I am bringing my car into the dealer next week to have my 4th gear popout problem fixed. They agreed to replace the clutch at the same time, if I pay for the parts. Can the mechanic tell how much wear on the clutch once the transmission is popped open? Or is it time for a new clutch anyway? Any feedback would be helpful.

slalom44

If the dealer has to remove the tranny, he'll be able to see what the clutch plate looks like. But if you are only paying for parts, then IMO it's a no-brainer: get it done. Labor cost is such a big percentage of the cost of replacing the clutch, and if that cost is eliminated (or even drastically reduced), then it is cost effective.

I was told years ago by many people that the so-called average life of a clutch in any car is about 40,000 miles (roughly 65,000 kms). But I've gotten 150,000+ miles on clutches, and I know people that got significantly more than that. But those cars weren't high-performance sports cars. If you've got 50,000 kms on your clutch, then you have done pretty well.

BTW; make sure you replace the throwout bearing while you have it taken apart.

S2kgoat

hehe my moms miata (not high high performance) is at 70000 miles and has 0 yes Zero clutch problems and it has been drove like a bat out of hell alot..and also she has smoked the clutch rather frequently at first.


Replace your clutch anyways if its just parts cost
Heck put a higher performance clutch in


-Billy

xviper

Ordinarily, I'd say, "If it ain't broke, why fix it?" BUT, as you are getting the tranny removed under warranty and with 50K KMs on your clutch, you may as well change it. Yes, the tech should be able to tell the clutch condition when it's all apart. Also have the flywheel checked. I'm sure it'll be fine but that would also be the time to have it machined so it will be like new. As already mentioned, make sure the job includes a new T.O. bearing and make sure the tech lubes the spindle on which it rides. A few factory bearings have failed due to the bearing binding a bit on the spindle.
If you plan on keeping the car for a long time or perhaps are considering adding a blower later, you might well benefit from getting a stronger aftermarket pressure plate. This will help your clutch (even a stock one) last even longer and certainly is advisable with the addition of a S/C or turbo.
You also have the advantage of a couple of aftermarket speed shops in Vancouver who can sell you this pressure plate. I believe 2 of these are even board sponsors.

ps. A Miata has about 100 HP LESS than an S2000 and also weighs several hundred pounds lighter. I would expect its clutch to last waaaaay longer than an S2000 clutch.

My Baby S2K

Hey, thanks everyone for your feedback. It's really helping me make my decision. I agree with you XViper that, "if it ain't broke why fix it". It's also a question of, "pay now or pay later". It's really nice of the dealership to offer me free labour for the clutch replacement. I guess if I replace the clutch now, I won't have to worry about a bigger bill later.

My only concern was with the flywheel, I asked the mechanic if I needed to replace it and he was kind of unsure. He didn't recommend having the flywheel machined for some reason. I know nothing technically in regards to the matter. But if I do need to machine the flywheel, where would be a good place to take it in Vancouver. The dealership said they just send it away to a speed shop named Mopac. Is there anything I should be aware of when choosing a shop to machine the flywheel?

Any suggestions would be of great help

xviper

[QUOTE]Originally posted by My Baby S2K
[B]My only concern was with the flywheel, I asked the mechanic if I needed to replace it and he was kind of unsure. He didn't recommend having the flywheel machined for some reason. I know nothing technically in regards to the matter. But if I do need to machine the flywheel,

Squeezer

i have 45k miles on my stock clutch and its still going great and I even auto-x it once a month

S2kgoat

hehe i know Xviper im not a moron.I was just stating a miata that has had the clutch smoked a few times is still going at 70000 if you drive decent a clutch will last for along time.

-Billy

My Baby S2K

Thanks again for everyones feedback. It's a question of economics more than anything else. Parts and labour are not going to be cheaper in the future, only more expensive. I either pay $800 Cdn now to prevent the problem or shell out $1300+ later to have the same problem fixed.

Squeezer: I could probably drive my car to 45,000 miles on my current clutch, but I figure since they have my car apart already, why not have the clutch replaced.

S2Kgoat: I totally agree with you that if you drive a car decently it will go a long ways. The car drives fine currently, but who's to say that in another 10,000 kms I can make the same statement.

xviper: My apologies to you, I spelt your name wrong in my last message. Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post and all the advice you have given me. It really helped me make my decision to replace the clutch.

Honda

xviper

Billy, I wasn't implying any such thing. I don't know you well enough to do that. You can smoke an S2000 clutch a few times too without severely affecting its lifespan any more so that smoking a Miata clutch a few times, EXCEPT for the fact that driving a Miata "decent" and driving an S2000 "decent" will still produce different results. Even if an S2000 were to be driven ALL THE TIME while venturing NO FURTHER than the Miata's equivalent HP (between 120 - 140 HP), you would still not get the same kind of mileage out of the S's clutch based on the simple fact that the S's clutch has to haul around several hundred more pounds. Throw in the fact that we have 100 more HP and providing that the S2000 driver still drove it "decent" (as you say), the clutch WILL wear out quicker. On this issue, the Miata has the clear advantage.
There is much more I could add to this discussion, but that would certainly be hijacking this thread even more so.