Gear changes with clutch delay valve

[Jonno02]

"But it was fine in my car" - but we're not talking about your car, are we?

That's like saying "my clutch prematurely went once on FWD car, therefore all clutches will go on FWD cars early."

[RWD cossie wil]

MarkwG said:

p1esk said:

I don't think so. This forum is concerned with advanced driving which, IMHO, should include some pretty swift and sprited driving, but that need not and should not entail being brutal with the machinery. Well that's just my view of it, and you may of course disagree.

IMHO too, but it seems to me the discussion revolves around removing equipment designed to protect the clutch so rushed & unmatched gear changes will feel "better"? Sounds like the opposite of advanced to me. In my experience, the quickest drivers are the smoothest, regardless of the machine.

People I let drive my 911 have real trouble driving it smoothly, as the brakes are non-servo assisted, the clutch is uprated & reasonably heavy, and the throttle response is razor sharp... you have to be able to switch between gentle throttle inputs, to fairly hard braking inputs in fractions of a second. Heel & toe is very easy as the pedals are perfectly positioned, the stiff brake pedal is an ideal fulcrum to rock your foot on for throttle blipping.

The clutch is tricky initially, as the bite is quite a short window, but once you are used to it, it's perfect for a snappy gear change.

Most people who drive it stall it initially, then set off like a stabbed rat when they give it a bit too much throttle & are a bit quick on the clutch. Then they panic when the brakes don't work ... push them a bit, you stop a bit. Squeeze them hard, and you can stand the car on its splitter from 180mph with consistent pressure & great pedal feel.....

After you get used to it, the controls are about as perfectly weighed as you can get imho, driving a "normal" car afterwards is quite difficult, as you realize how non-linear most modern cars controls are..

The Mrs Kuga has the most over-servo'd brake system I can recall using, a mild touch of the pedal results in harsh braking, followed by not as much stopping as you expected, it's almost like you have to catch the assistance back up to keep a constant pressure on the pedal!

My long winded point being, that sometimes parts like CDV's are fitted for the benefit of the 95% of people who have zero interest in driving, & no desire to become better drivers.

[waremark]

"People I let drive my 911 have real trouble driving it smoothly, as the brakes are non-servo assisted"

What 911? Your profile says 996 Turbo?

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

waremark said:

What 911? Your profile says 996 Turbo?

"911" is often used as a generic term for the whole series of cars, from the original true 911 through to the current 991. So yes, I assume he's referring to the 996.

[turboflutter]

Had a CDV in my old e46, that coupled with the shocking electric throttle made for a a pretty poor experience with near impossible downshifts. Had all intentions to remove it but in the end sold the car before I got round to it. In the BMWs it's a simple enough procedure, no new parts needed, just a matter of removing the valve (more just a restrictor nut) and connecting the two lines together where it came out of. Go ahead, nothing to lose!

[waremark]

Dr Mike Oxgreen said:

waremark said:

What 911? Your profile says 996 Turbo?

"911" is often used as a generic term for the whole series of cars, from the original true 911 through to the current 991. So yes, I assume he's referring to the 996.

Non-servo brakes in a 996 turbo? I wouldn't expect a 996 turbo to be difficult to drive, I expect he has something more exotic.

[RobM77]

I must admit I was surprised by RWD Cossie Will's statement, as traditional cars like that with cable throttle, non-servo brakes etc, are normally very easy to drive in terms of the basic task of driving slowly - perhaps it's the floor hinged pedals that are an issue for people?

Regarding the OP's predicament, I'm on my fourth car with a CDV and yes, it's extremely annoying. I have to change the timing of my gearchanges to make them smooth, both up and down through the box. This especially applies to downchanges, because if you delay then the rev match fades away. The other annoying thing is when you drive with a proper clutch (as I have to competitively!), it feels really odd because you're used to the delay. I'm afraid I can't offer much advice other than to work on your timing. Slow speed manouvering and pulling away from rest will always be harder; I've yet to find a way round that in 150k-200k driving CDVs.