Hard clutch vantage v8

[Buzzi77]

Hi everyone, this may seem like a silly question. My 2005 Aston has 37,000 miles on it. My knee is bad from several knee surgeries, and I get tired in the city with the clutch being too hard. Sometimes I get under the pedals and put some WD 40 on it, and it gets better, but then it becomes hard again. Can I add grease or something similar?

[Jon39]

An expensive solution, but if your car still has the OEM single clutch with the heavy pedal, then having a twin plate clutch fitted, would instantly give you a far lighter pedal.

[Nigel_O]

The problem is almost certainly at the clutch end, not the pedals. Squirting WD40 at the pedal pivots will make very little difference.

The pedal pressure for the twin plate clutch is probably about half of the standard clutch. It makes a huge difference.

[LTP]

In fact to confirm this, Rich over at Redpants (who used to post on here) says he has a bad knee from his time in the Marines and would be in pain driving his V8V with the standard clutch, but with a twin plate he can drive it all day without issue.

Have a look on his website - or it may be on the VelocityAP site

[Minglar]

Pretty much what Jon and Nigel have said really. The single plate clutch in VH V8 Vantage was always heavy, and it was a noticeable change for me when I changed to V12 Vantage. The V12 has a twin plate clutch as opposed to the single plate in the V8. Lubricating the pedal will give you a little respite, but the problem lies with the clutch itself not the pedal. The only long term solution is to have a new twin plate clutch fitted, although there have been reports of some light gear chatter when they are fitted to V8 cars. The pedal will definitely be lighter, and it should let the engine rev more freely too. But it’s an expensive change so only you can decide if it is worth the expense. Take a look here.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

BRM.

ETA ..and what LTP said too.

Edited by Minglar on Thursday 18th December 08:53

[Jon39]

It has occurred to me, that if the required effort to press the clutch pedal has increased, could that be one indication that the clutch will soon need replacement.

Maybe try the low revs, high gear, uphill test, to see if there is any clutch slip.

[Buzzi77]

LTP said:

In fact to confirm this, Rich over at Redpants (who used to post on here) says he has a bad knee from his time in the Marines and would be in pain driving his V8V with the standard clutch, but with a twin plate he can drive it all day without issue.

Have a look on his website - or it may be on the VelocityAP site

Thanks everyone. I just read your story and didn't know how you solved it. Thanks for your feedback.

[Buzzi77]

Jon39 said:

It has occurred to me, that if the required effort to press the clutch pedal has increased, could that be one indication that the clutch will soon need replacement.

Maybe try the low revs, high gear, uphill test, to see if there is any clutch slip.

I can prove it.
I understand that it is a problem with the clutch itself. Me. I thought that the double clutch was only used for the automatic transmission, improving the effectiveness of the shifting. Instead, it also concerns the manual
I've been with 19 years of lotus elise s1... If someone has tried it, they will be able to understand why my knee was mistreated. It was hard as marble!

[Handyman2009]

when I first got my new twin plate clutch I thought the pedal wasn't connected to the clutch that's how light it is from the single clutch

[LTP]

Buzzi77 said:

I thought that the double clutch was only used for the automatic transmission, improving the effectiveness of the shifting. Instead, it also concerns the manual

If anything it's the other way round. AML will officially sell you a twin-plate clutch for a manual transmission, and any main dealer can fit it for you (as well as the specialist independents). In fact, the last I heard the twin-plate from AML was cheaper than the single-plate originally fitted - go figure. AML will not sell you a twin-plate clutch for a V8 SportShift car and they don't sanction it, so you have to use independents if you want one of those (as I shall be doing in January)

[Buzzi77]

Handyman2009 said:

when I first got my new twin plate clutch I thought the pedal wasn't connected to the clutch that's how light it is from the single clutch

Hajahahhahag

[Jon39]

Buzzi77 said:

I thought that the double clutch was only used for the automatic transmission, improving the effectiveness of the shifting. Instead, it also concerns the manual

The twin-plate clutch refers to two friction discs.
With double the surface friction area, the result is longer life and a smoother bite point, together with (for some reason) a lighter clutch pedal..

Sorry to hear that your knee is painful. I like many, encountered worn cartilage, but modern medical engineering is wonderful.
Glad that I did not need help in the pre 1970s era, when little could be done with much success.
Hope you soon have an improvement.

[Buzzi77]

Jon39 said:

Buzzi77 said:

I thought that the double clutch was only used for the automatic transmission, improving the effectiveness of the shifting. Instead, it also concerns the manual

The twin-plate clutch refers to two friction discs.
With double the surface friction area, the result is longer life and a smoother bite point, together with (for some reason) a lighter clutch pedal..

Sorry to hear that your knee is painful. I like many, encountered worn cartilage, but modern medical engineering is wonderful.
Glad that I did not need help in the pre 1970s era, when little could be done with much success.
Hope you soon have an improvement.

Thank you. I'm quite young I am 48 years old but my knee has been operated on 3 times. The cartilage is now finished and the solution may be the prosthesis but they are not yet at a serious level to put it on. Then let's face it it will also hurt but what a joy to drive the Aston