Discussion
My '98 car was diagnosed with leaking clutch master and slave cylinders earlier in the year. Both were replaced. First gear was becoming a pig to engage when stationary and the leaks meant a near empty master when the cover was removed! (Bad maintenance on my part! 
) Situation greatly improved but clutch pedal is now VERY heavy. (It was fairly heavy before but seems heavier still after new cylinders.) OK most of the time but it does get a little wearing in traffic. Also difficulty with first gear is creeping back again from time to time.
The question is; Does the heavy pedal indicate imminent clutch replacement becoming necessary? Car has covered 43,000 miles and has been in my ownership for only 2500 of those miles. It's quite possibly the original clutch, so sub-question is; Is this a likely time for clutch replacement?
I should add that there are no other indications of a worn clutch. No slipping on hard acceleration and smooth engagement from rest.
Interested in the experience of others with a heavy clutch.
) Situation greatly improved but clutch pedal is now VERY heavy. (It was fairly heavy before but seems heavier still after new cylinders.) OK most of the time but it does get a little wearing in traffic. Also difficulty with first gear is creeping back again from time to time.The question is; Does the heavy pedal indicate imminent clutch replacement becoming necessary? Car has covered 43,000 miles and has been in my ownership for only 2500 of those miles. It's quite possibly the original clutch, so sub-question is; Is this a likely time for clutch replacement?
I should add that there are no other indications of a worn clutch. No slipping on hard acceleration and smooth engagement from rest.
Interested in the experience of others with a heavy clutch.
The replacement slave cylinder is a slightly narrower bore and therefor the clutch will feel a little heavier.
My last standard OE clutch lasted 15K or thereabouts, (a few drag days and a lot of TDs) so if yours was original then it's sure to be near the mark, (unless you've had a super soft driver
).
My last standard OE clutch lasted 15K or thereabouts, (a few drag days and a lot of TDs) so if yours was original then it's sure to be near the mark, (unless you've had a super soft driver
).The clutch on my 400 was starting to slip at 30,000 miles when you really pressed on above 5,000rpm.
But TVR gave me the standard 400 clutch in my 4.0HC, and it seems this clutch is not that long lasting.
The clutch TVR put in the 5.0l cars was much better, but it does have a lot more torque to deal with and it seems if you start modifying things to make more power that one can give out fairly early on too.
I believe the 450 received the 5.0 litre clutch, in theory that means it should have the longest life of the lot as it doesn't have to deal with quite the levels of torque the 500 puts out but the clutch is better than the weedy one you got on the 4.0l cars.
I've heard plenty of people getting over 60,000 miles out of their TVR clutch, not sure if those cars were 450's or not or how the owners drove so that doesn't tell us much.
I have a Helix that came from Rob Robertson, everyone seems to slate this clutch but I think they're all big horse power guys who are killing them.
My Helix has been good to me so far, so I'd say its a genuine alternative to the 5.0l clutch.
Ok so it only needs to cope with 250 ponies in 'Ol Gasbag' but that's probably about what a standard 450 makes on a good day.
I'd advise the OP to wait till his clutch starts slipping fractionally in the upper revs or high gears under heavy load before he thinks about replacing it, ok he's had hydraulic issues but that doesn't mean his current clutch is dead.
It could easily have many thousands of miles left in it yet.
But TVR gave me the standard 400 clutch in my 4.0HC, and it seems this clutch is not that long lasting.
The clutch TVR put in the 5.0l cars was much better, but it does have a lot more torque to deal with and it seems if you start modifying things to make more power that one can give out fairly early on too.
I believe the 450 received the 5.0 litre clutch, in theory that means it should have the longest life of the lot as it doesn't have to deal with quite the levels of torque the 500 puts out but the clutch is better than the weedy one you got on the 4.0l cars.
I've heard plenty of people getting over 60,000 miles out of their TVR clutch, not sure if those cars were 450's or not or how the owners drove so that doesn't tell us much.
I have a Helix that came from Rob Robertson, everyone seems to slate this clutch but I think they're all big horse power guys who are killing them.
My Helix has been good to me so far, so I'd say its a genuine alternative to the 5.0l clutch.
Ok so it only needs to cope with 250 ponies in 'Ol Gasbag' but that's probably about what a standard 450 makes on a good day.
I'd advise the OP to wait till his clutch starts slipping fractionally in the upper revs or high gears under heavy load before he thinks about replacing it, ok he's had hydraulic issues but that doesn't mean his current clutch is dead.
It could easily have many thousands of miles left in it yet.
The heavy clutch is due to the fingers on the pressure plate, getting work hardened due to the heat displacement over the years and miles covered.
My suggestion would be get a complete clutch replacement assembly including pressure release bearing from John Eales, before the heavy clutch pedal wears your knee joint out.
My suggestion would be get a complete clutch replacement assembly including pressure release bearing from John Eales, before the heavy clutch pedal wears your knee joint out.
citizen smith said:
The heavy clutch is due to the fingers on the pressure plate, getting work hardened due to the heat displacement over the years and miles covered.
My suggestion would be get a complete clutch replacement assembly including pressure release bearing from John Eales, before the heavy clutch pedal wears your knee joint out.
Cobblers My suggestion would be get a complete clutch replacement assembly including pressure release bearing from John Eales, before the heavy clutch pedal wears your knee joint out.
heavy action is because the fingers have moved out towards the release bearings as the center/driven plate linings wear thus changing the leverage necessary to disengage the clutch easily proven if your daft enough by replacing just the center plate viola light clutch action once again 
Edited by Sardonicus on Monday 25th November 22:01
citizen smith said:
Sardonicus,
I,ll bow to your greater knowledge on the subject, but why do people get told they need a complete new assembly when a clutch plate is only required!
Would you want to do the job again for free? I,ll bow to your greater knowledge on the subject, but why do people get told they need a complete new assembly when a clutch plate is only required!
(its possible you may have to) you can get away with it but it's not the kind of thing I would recommend on a car like TVR but we did it regular on sales cars when I was at a Honda dealer in the eighties providing the pressure plate was serviceable and Honda OE but always did the release bearing 
profits and all of that Edited by Sardonicus on Monday 25th November 23:09
Mind you I fitted a mcleod rst, feels fantastic but Richards knackered his will be watching what happens next as this a expensive clutch that is supposed to take pasting
Hydraulic might be next century but it's not without its problems, just as the cerbra boys know
will be watching what happens next as this a expensive clutch that is supposed to take pasting Hydraulic might be next century but it's not without its problems, just as the cerbra boys know
Edited by Hoofa on Tuesday 26th November 06:25
Hoofa said:
phazed said:
My twin plate clutch is a tad heavier then my old standard 5.0 but OK.
My previous Helix was undrivable in town, appalling, about the weight of 22 Fiestas!
Yep my helix was pants too, far heavy and really grabby in townMy previous Helix was undrivable in town, appalling, about the weight of 22 Fiestas!
Sure it was grabby for the first 100 miles, but that's the same for any new clutch.
I also wouldn't say my Helix is significantly heavier than my original 4.0 litre clutch that came out, but that was on the way out.
Saying that, when the the boys from Lloyd Specialist Developments drove my car for the first time they felt the clutch was heavier than normal.
However, my mate drove my car for the first time the other day and I asked him if he thought the clutch was too heavy, he said it felt fine to him, and he drives a modern Porker.
So clutch weight and what's acceptable is a subjective thing, whats Ok for one man is a heavy clutch for another.
Personally I don't have an issue with the weight of my Helix, but a lighter clutch would always be nice, did anything ever come of the servo idea John Halstead (Engineer1949) was looking at?
I know Alex keeps banging on about the hydraulic release bearing mod, but is there anyone on here who is actually running this arrangement, and what improvements did they see?
I'm personally not overly keen on having to take the gearbox out if I have a leak on the hydraulic release bearing, as it stands if I have a failure with the current external slave system I could sort it at the side of the road.
And there's a lot to be said for this if you do a lot of touring in Europe as I do.
Are there different models of Helix offered by V8 Developments?
Perhaps Rob supplied the big horse power guys with a different spec Helix to mine?
Perhaps Rob could answer these questions?
All I know is my Helix has been fine so far, no more grabbing after the initial 100 mile bedding in period and a nice firm progressive take up that never slips.
Perhaps I just got lucky?
Thanks for all the feedback guys. As ever, a VERY varied response. Probably the most relevant thing here is ChimpOnGas's remark that it's all subjective. A heavy left boot will need less effort than a size 5 plimpsole.
Personally I don't like the idea of the hydraulic release bearing for the very reason stated; more trouble if it leaks. It seems that clutches can and do last a while longer than 15,000 miles and so perhaps I will continue to suck it and see for the time being. Then again, it's a keeper, so I may just bite the bullet and rest easy that the clutch is one less item to wonder about. It also eases potential worries when on touring duties. I do believe it's prudent to do the job once only though. As said, replace drive plate, cover plate and release bearing - unless your hobby is frequent clutch replacement!
Types of clutches? I have no idea. Helix, 5.0l, etc. My car is a 450 so the 450/500 OE item, currently on offer at Racetech Direct, seems like a good way to go. Certainly the smaller bore slave replacement has a lot to do with the heavy pedal - but it appears to be symptomatic of the breed. I'll have to cogitate over winter.
Personally I don't like the idea of the hydraulic release bearing for the very reason stated; more trouble if it leaks. It seems that clutches can and do last a while longer than 15,000 miles and so perhaps I will continue to suck it and see for the time being. Then again, it's a keeper, so I may just bite the bullet and rest easy that the clutch is one less item to wonder about. It also eases potential worries when on touring duties. I do believe it's prudent to do the job once only though. As said, replace drive plate, cover plate and release bearing - unless your hobby is frequent clutch replacement!
Types of clutches? I have no idea. Helix, 5.0l, etc. My car is a 450 so the 450/500 OE item, currently on offer at Racetech Direct, seems like a good way to go. Certainly the smaller bore slave replacement has a lot to do with the heavy pedal - but it appears to be symptomatic of the breed. I'll have to cogitate over winter.
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