Clutch Slipping in 5th Gear...
 

The car has just over 74,000km (+/-45,000 miles) and in 5th gear when I roll on it the tachometer starts coming up a lot quicker than the speed. I am a little concerned that my clutch may be wearing out.

The car shifts smoothly and I have not noticed the clutch slipping in any other gears yet. It seems as though the motor is making more torque than the clutch can hold?

Has anyone experienced this or have any suggestions? The car has probably sat for months but I wouldn't think this would affect anything.

Is this a tell tale sign that my clutch is on its way out? Could it be something else?

Probably just a worn out clutch disc. Not that uncommon for a sports car with 50k miles on it. If you need help getting another one let me know, I can usually beat any price you can find on line.

David

Yes, your clutch needs to be replaced. Basically, the load on the clutch is much higher in the upper gears. So typically you'll start noticing the clutch slipping in 5th gear first. As it gets worse, it will start slipping in the lower gears (i.e. 4th 3rd and moving it's way down).

Do you think I would be able to get another season out of it without doing any damage? When I am in the car by myself driving normally, it does not seem to be an issue. Its when I have a friend or two in the car it becomes noticeable. I don't plan on putting many miles on the car this summer. It will not see a track, but I would prefer to do the work on it over the winter next year when I have time...?

Thanks in advance for the info.

It will likely run for several thousand more miles that way, just cant really enjoy the car too much if it starts slipping badly.

Like David said, you have some time. Avoid letting it slip (use higher RPM in 4th gear).

Do be careful, because a slipping clutch will tend to do it's worst when you're trying to pull out in traffic and you don't have the luxury of gently driving in a lower gear.

Dave

Thanks for the info guys. I figured I'd be ok for a while but it is something I'm going to look into. I know there are hundreds of opinions on what is a good replacement clutch and flywheel but you guys seem to know a fair bit. What are your opinions on the Exedy set up? The car has not been modified so I will probably replace it with an OEM equivalent or something close without breaking the bank.

Are there brands to avoid or something specific I should look at? I have been going over the repair procedure and it seems pretty straight forward. I think I might wait until the fall and replace it then unless things get worse. At this point only fifth seems to be starting to slip.

Do forum vendors have some good prices on what I am looking for/need?

A new stock clutch will hold more power than most think for the non drag racers and non track racers. I put near 20k miles on a fd that made 300rwhp with the stock clutch driving the car pretty hard when I was in it those 20k miles and it never gave me a problem. However, if you decide to upgrade go with the ACT Street/Strip.

Any suggestions on who I should be calling for the best price on an ACT? If I'm pulling the tranny I want to take care of everything at once. Clutch disk, pressure plate, flywheel, throw out bearing, rear main seal, re torque studs etc... Who would be best to deal with that ships to Canada for reasonable prices?

I should be able to get you the best price on ACT, however, on a stock clutch I am sure there are people out there offering lower rates than what I could provide.

PM sent...

Let me know when you have some numbers put together. I am leaving for Fl in a few days and won't be back until the middle of May. Thanks in advance.