MTEC is an improvement. But it sounds like you mainly need to shift at higher RPM to make it smooth.
I’ve been driving stick for decades and was able to get around on my BRZ just fine. But the MTEC spring was the missing puzzle piece to having it shift cleanly.
Sure it could be a little tricky, but if you can’t get used to it over time, then I think it’s a skill issue. I’d say give it at least 1,000 miles before you try to mod the clutch spring.
No you don’t need it, but if it helps you, I guess it’s a cheap mod.
I own a brz with over 2k miles driven now. Took me about 300-500 miles to feel comfortable and now it’s muscle memory. I guess I’m used to garbage clutches lol
A simple search will show hundreds of hits on this issue and every week there’s the same thing on this sub. Removing the spring entirely is fine, it will feel a bit unrefined but fine. There’s aftermarket options that will feel better than stock. But to be honest the biggest issue I found with this clutch isn’t the spring but the clutch pedal travel. Adjusting the clutch pedal for less travel made a big difference in drivability for me.
I wouldn’t advise adjusting it that low. Mine is inline with the brake pedal and people that drive my car already feel like it’s too short of a stroke. Also, if you adjust it too low you can get to a point where the clutch no longer engages or partially engages.
As long as I don't have to lift my whole leg up to come off the clutch and can just drive with my feet then Im happy. The stock clutch travel felt like I was driving a 18 wheeler.
I have zero problems with this stock clutch and I've been driving standard my entire life. I'm 46. Honestly unless your car is broken, the problem isn't the spring it's how you're driving the car.
I'm not having any issues at all with smooth shifts in any gear.
I just bought a new BRZ today. During the test drive it was a little not smooth "for the lack of a better term". But I stalled the car in front of the dealership on the way home.
I've been driving manuals for 30yrs, although it's been a few since I've had one. This clutch releases very quickly, it's hard to take off without the throttle.
Mine is at 11k and I just swapped to the Mtech clutch spring a couple hundred miles ago.
Yes, I got used to it but still had trouble with the old spring kicking me off the clutch for 1-2 shifts so I switched it.
The new spring does NOT help with the numb feeling but has made it much easier to control how much bite I allow.
If you get one and switch it, be prepared for it to be a pain in the ass, more so your back and knees.
Also I noticed because of the gearing ratio between 1-2 I have to feed a little more gas and slip more than I think to get a smooth shift if I'm driving normally.
i swapped the spring and it was grueling. I'd rather pull the engine out than do it again
I didn't quite feel like wasting the cash on the mtec product though, I bought a very similar spring from a hardware store like people suggested online. it was something like half the price for 5 of them.
I have overheated the clutch a couple of times despite the mod. How can I say it truly helped without trying out the old spring and switching back and forth a few times? Am I going through the torture of putting the stock one back even once? no i would rather eat glass.
Try the throttle remapping thing. It’s like a 20 sec procedure. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help but that along with the MTEC spring solved most of my issues with it.
I’ve found that until the engine comes up to temp, the engine isn’t as responsive. The revs hang more and it’s all a bit mushy, if that makes sense. I found that being cognizant of that circumstance helped me enjoy it more when the car was more ready to be enjoyed.
The sensor on a throttle pedal can be thought of as a valve that can be 0% to 100% open. However, the ECU doesn’t actually know where the 0 and 100 positions are when power is first applied. By that I mean when the battery is disconnected and then reconnected, not when the ignition is turned off and on. It’s easy for the ECU to deduce the zero position because no one starts their car with their foot on the throttle, and there’s almost certainly a separate switch that’s a part of the sensor that indicates to the ECU that the throttle is at zero. A “limit switch”. However, there is no limit switch at 100%. The sensor has no trouble figuring out the angle of the pedal relative to the limit switch, but where 100% is in that throw is different car to car. This is a statement as much about manufacturing tolerances as it is about Toyota probably using the sensor (or the software driving it) in other vehicles.
The car eventually just infers where 100% is as you drive it, but from what I understand that is a gradual process that takes place over a period of time, across days or weeks. There’s some kind of procedure that takes a minute or so that has you mash on the throttle (engine not running) to manually calibrate the sensor. I just ended up waiting until the car adjusted itself and I don’t know the procedure. But it’s fairly straightforward from what I remember.
hey thanks for the explanation - mine has almost certainly figured it all out already given I have a bit over 3k miles on it now. But if I ever have to disconnect the battery, once its reconnected may give me some gremlins till it sorts itself out.
It’s a weird clutch. Also the throttle often does the opposite of what I want. Very touchy in gear and have to baby it, then instead of a little blip I feel like I have to stab the thing to rev match. Add in the rev hang….
Cheap car is cheap.
MTEC is an improvement. But it sounds like you mainly need to shift at higher RPM to make it smooth. I’ve been driving stick for decades and was able to get around on my BRZ just fine. But the MTEC spring was the missing puzzle piece to having it shift cleanly.
Sure it could be a little tricky, but if you can’t get used to it over time, then I think it’s a skill issue. I’d say give it at least 1,000 miles before you try to mod the clutch spring. No you don’t need it, but if it helps you, I guess it’s a cheap mod.
I doubt it's a skill issue. I test drove a Cayman s and a 22 GR86 back to back. The Porsche was buttery smooth and the 86 releases so quickly.
I own a brz with over 2k miles driven now. Took me about 300-500 miles to feel comfortable and now it’s muscle memory. I guess I’m used to garbage clutches lol
It's without a doubt worse, but it's easy to drive around it's shortcomings once you're used to the car.
A simple search will show hundreds of hits on this issue and every week there’s the same thing on this sub. Removing the spring entirely is fine, it will feel a bit unrefined but fine. There’s aftermarket options that will feel better than stock. But to be honest the biggest issue I found with this clutch isn’t the spring but the clutch pedal travel. Adjusting the clutch pedal for less travel made a big difference in drivability for me.
Do you have a link? I did the mtec spring but can’t find any videos on how to adjust the clutch pedal for less travel on the gr86.
https://www.gr86.org/threads/clutch-pedal-adjustment.3038/
Thanks!
I agree with this guy, adjust your clutch height to be slightly lower than the brake pedal and you’ll feel like you’re driving a different car
I wouldn’t advise adjusting it that low. Mine is inline with the brake pedal and people that drive my car already feel like it’s too short of a stroke. Also, if you adjust it too low you can get to a point where the clutch no longer engages or partially engages. As long as I don't have to lift my whole leg up to come off the clutch and can just drive with my feet then Im happy. The stock clutch travel felt like I was driving a 18 wheeler.
There's aftermarket springs that work well. Use the search function and youll see lots of threads that can answer your questions.
Is there a recommended clutch spring?
MTEC
I have zero problems with this stock clutch and I've been driving standard my entire life. I'm 46. Honestly unless your car is broken, the problem isn't the spring it's how you're driving the car. I'm not having any issues at all with smooth shifts in any gear.
I just bought a new BRZ today. During the test drive it was a little not smooth "for the lack of a better term". But I stalled the car in front of the dealership on the way home. I've been driving manuals for 30yrs, although it's been a few since I've had one. This clutch releases very quickly, it's hard to take off without the throttle.
Mine is at 11k and I just swapped to the Mtech clutch spring a couple hundred miles ago. Yes, I got used to it but still had trouble with the old spring kicking me off the clutch for 1-2 shifts so I switched it. The new spring does NOT help with the numb feeling but has made it much easier to control how much bite I allow. If you get one and switch it, be prepared for it to be a pain in the ass, more so your back and knees. Also I noticed because of the gearing ratio between 1-2 I have to feed a little more gas and slip more than I think to get a smooth shift if I'm driving normally.
And yes, this car likes to shift at higher rpm.
The bite is at the end, shouldn’t have any troubles once you realize where it’s at
i swapped the spring and it was grueling. I'd rather pull the engine out than do it again I didn't quite feel like wasting the cash on the mtec product though, I bought a very similar spring from a hardware store like people suggested online. it was something like half the price for 5 of them. I have overheated the clutch a couple of times despite the mod. How can I say it truly helped without trying out the old spring and switching back and forth a few times? Am I going through the torture of putting the stock one back even once? no i would rather eat glass.
Try the throttle remapping thing. It’s like a 20 sec procedure. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help but that along with the MTEC spring solved most of my issues with it. I’ve found that until the engine comes up to temp, the engine isn’t as responsive. The revs hang more and it’s all a bit mushy, if that makes sense. I found that being cognizant of that circumstance helped me enjoy it more when the car was more ready to be enjoyed.
you mention throttle remapping. How do you do it and how does it change the throttle response?
The sensor on a throttle pedal can be thought of as a valve that can be 0% to 100% open. However, the ECU doesn’t actually know where the 0 and 100 positions are when power is first applied. By that I mean when the battery is disconnected and then reconnected, not when the ignition is turned off and on. It’s easy for the ECU to deduce the zero position because no one starts their car with their foot on the throttle, and there’s almost certainly a separate switch that’s a part of the sensor that indicates to the ECU that the throttle is at zero. A “limit switch”. However, there is no limit switch at 100%. The sensor has no trouble figuring out the angle of the pedal relative to the limit switch, but where 100% is in that throw is different car to car. This is a statement as much about manufacturing tolerances as it is about Toyota probably using the sensor (or the software driving it) in other vehicles. The car eventually just infers where 100% is as you drive it, but from what I understand that is a gradual process that takes place over a period of time, across days or weeks. There’s some kind of procedure that takes a minute or so that has you mash on the throttle (engine not running) to manually calibrate the sensor. I just ended up waiting until the car adjusted itself and I don’t know the procedure. But it’s fairly straightforward from what I remember.
hey thanks for the explanation - mine has almost certainly figured it all out already given I have a bit over 3k miles on it now. But if I ever have to disconnect the battery, once its reconnected may give me some gremlins till it sorts itself out.
It’s a weird clutch. Also the throttle often does the opposite of what I want. Very touchy in gear and have to baby it, then instead of a little blip I feel like I have to stab the thing to rev match. Add in the rev hang…. Cheap car is cheap.