Are R53 JCW clutches stiff/heavy?

[cknotty]

I'm going to be using my JCW a bit more in the near future, being in the process of moving house. The one thing that lets down my driving experience is the clutch feels heavy/stiff when engaging, and I certainly feel it in my left foot when in traffic! So the question is, is a heavy clutch feel normal in a Cooper S JCW (I'm pretty sure the clutches weren't uprated in any way?)? If not, what are the likely causes? Entire new assembly or pivot arm bush or similar?

I've had my JCW for 3 and a half years now, and the clutch feel hasn't got any better or worse, there is no juddering on take-up, nor any noises from the release bearing.

Thoughts appreciated!

[nottyash]

Its the same as a standard S.
My Wife's had JCW and now has a normal S, and neither have a heavy clutch.

I had a similar problem on an E46 M3, clutch worked fine but was heavier than a previous M3. Changing the clutch sorted it.

[si_xsi]

they are just heavy unfortunately, same Getrag 6 speed gearbox as e46 3 series which may explain the similarities with the clutch as said in the post above ^^^

[cknotty]

Thanks for the info. Main thing I'm concerned with is shelling out for a new clutch, only to find that it's no different!

[Hyde]

Out of the 3 R53s that I have driven regularly, one had a very heavy clutch the other two were much lighter

[Zippee]

Mines a 55 plate and has a fairly heavy clutch.

[DavidLScott]

Mine's an 05 JCW dealer conversion.
Clutch seems no different to my wife's Cooper and she hasn't complained about it.
The clutch was replaced by a previous owner at 48k (now on 55k). Don't know the reason though.