We love our cars. We love our turbocharged engines. We love our big wheels and fat tires. We really love our loud, rumbly exhaust systems. But most of us never give much thought to the clutch, until it is too late.
It is never too late to learn to love your clutch. Read on, learn to spot the symptoms of a bad one, and save yourself an unexpected repair bill.
Don't Know What You Got 'Til It's Gone
We are not sure whether Cinderella was singing about a bad clutch or an empty can of Aqua Net back in 1988, but the sentiment holds. When you are banging through the gears you are paying attention to the engine note and the exhaust growl, not to how the clutch is behaving. Understandable. The clutch is not the sexiest part of the car.
But when it goes you will be extremely aware of how vital it was. And here is the uncomfortable truth about owning a manual car: your clutch is dying a little every time you drive it, and one day it will need replacing. Estimates vary with parts quality and driving style, but expect somewhere between 40,000 and 100,000 miles.
A little awareness of what is happening under your car lets you see it coming and start saving your damn money before it becomes an emergency.
1. Pedal Is Too Soft or Too Hard
We will spare you the full hydraulic lecture, but a soft clutch pedal is a prime symptom that things are heading south. Really, any weirdness in the feel and resistance of the pedal counts. It might feel spongy. It might vibrate as you engage or disengage. It might suddenly need noticeably more effort than it used to.
Whatever the change is, it is not a good one. Get it looked at.
2. Different Bite Points
When you release the clutch you feel it bite as the transmission engages. You know what that feels like on your car. So any change in where it happens is worth taking seriously.
On a healthy clutch the bite point sits somewhere near the middle of the pedal's travel. As the clutch wears, that point creeps higher and higher. Eventually you do not feel it grab until the pedal is almost all the way out. That is your clutch running out of material.
3. Can't Get It In Gear
A properly functioning clutch and transmission shift smoothly. Shifting should not require elbow grease. If you have the pedal fully to the floor and still cannot find the gear, or you are having to force it in, the clutch is not fully disengaging.
That is a warning sign, not a quirk to drive around.
4. Can't Find Reverse
Related to the last one, but worth calling out separately, because reverse is often the first gear to go difficult. Selecting reverse puts a heavy load on the transmission and driveshaft, since it is reversing the direction the whole driveline wants to turn.
It is one of the hardest things you ask a clutch to do, which makes it a useful early-warning gear. If reverse has started fighting you, pay attention.
5. Slipping
This is the most commonly noticed sign of clutch failure, mostly because it is impossible to ignore. You put your foot down, the engine revs, and the car does not accelerate the way it should. Or at all.
You may also find you cannot shift at all, or the transmission appears to shift and then falls back into the gear you were leaving. That is the clutch failing to properly engage or disengage, and it is a clear signal that replacement is coming sooner rather than later.
6. Grinding
An audible grinding sound when you shift could mean you do not know how to drive stick, you knucklehead. But we know you. You are on the Lethal Performance site because you care about cars and you know how to drive one.
So that metal-on-metal sound is probably a bad clutch. Trust your ears. If you hear something ugly going on under the car, get it in front of a mechanic.
7. Burning Smell
The evil twin of number six, and so obvious we almost feel silly listing it. But we are listing it, because people ignore it.
If you smell something burning anywhere in your car, go find out why. It may be the clutch, it may be something else. Either way, nothing good smells like that.
What to Do About It
Now that you can spot a dying clutch, the question is what goes in its place. If you are pulling the transmission anyway, this is the moment to stop replacing and start upgrading. The labor is identical either way.
| Your situation | Where to start |
|---|---|
| Stock or near-stock, just want it fixed | A quality replacement kit rated at or slightly above stock torque |
| Making real power now | Step up to a kit rated well above your current torque number, not just above stock |
| Planning power later | Buy for where the car is going. Doing this job twice is the expensive path |
| Flywheel is scored or glazed | Replace or resurface it while you are in there. A new disc on a bad flywheel will not last |
Matched combinations, not guesswork
34 options
Big torque capacity with street manners
18 options
McLeod Kits by Mustang Generation
Driving a GT500? The 2007-2014 cars have their own clutch kit lineup. Need the small parts rather than the whole kit, look at clutch accessories and clutch actuation components.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a clutch last?
Roughly 40,000 to 100,000 miles. The range is wide because it depends heavily on parts quality and how you drive.
What does a slipping clutch feel like?
You put your foot down, the engine revs, and the car does not accelerate the way it should. You may also find the transmission appears to shift and then falls back into the previous gear.
Why has my clutch bite point moved?
As the clutch wears, the bite point rises. A healthy clutch bites near the middle of the pedal travel. If you are not feeling engagement until the pedal is nearly all the way out, it is worn.
Why can't I get into reverse?
Reverse puts a heavy load on the transmission and driveshaft, so it is often the first gear to become difficult when a clutch is not fully disengaging. It makes a useful early warning.
Is a burning smell always the clutch?
No, but it is always worth investigating. A burning smell anywhere in the car needs a cause identified.
Should I replace the flywheel at the same time?
If it is scored or glazed, yes. A new disc against a damaged flywheel surface will not last, and the flywheel is right there once the transmission is out.
Should I upgrade instead of just replacing?
If you are making power or planning to, upgrade. The labor to get in there is the same whether you fit a stock replacement or a twin disc, so buy for where the car is going rather than where it is.
Can I keep driving on a slipping clutch?
You can, but every pull glazes the disc further and heats the flywheel surface. On a powerful car that can turn a clutch job into a clutch and flywheel job quickly.
Keep Reading
Not sure what your car needs? Call 877-2-LETHAL or email us. Tell us the car, the power and how you drive it, and we will point you at the right kit.
Fix It Once, Fix It Right
The transmission has to come out either way. Put something better back in than what came out.
