hey guys
just wondering if there are any ways to improve clutch life on a sportshift? since there is no clutch pedal, im not sure what you can do to imporve the life

 

From what you guys are saying, i think the problem is in all of the V8 vantages. its not normal, but a strong clutch and a low 1st gear , all compound the issue. like i said, i can dump the clutch, with and without PSM, (or whatever its called) and its fine. I can really feather the throttle with low rpms and with a slow start, its smooth too. (but you have to be very careful). BUT, a normal start at a stop light, is a little rough. it grabs after a few feet and buck you .(almost stalling the engine).

what was suggested, was to start out in 2nd, and that actually works, but will wear the clutch more. what also was suggested was to avoid 2nd. the 2nd gear shift is rough, but thats not the issue here. its rough due to a large rato change from 1st to 2nd. 4000rpm shift drops to near 2000rpm and with the engine RPM electronics, high mass clutch, the RPM falls slow, so you have to wait and then shift. 2nd - 3rd, and 3rd to 4th and onward, are effortless. As was suggested (and i dont do this) you can go from winding out 1st to 4th without issues and avoid shifting all together, but keep in mind, thats a huge RPM drop and it can wear out the 4th gear synchro if you are not waiting for the RPM to drop for a clean meash. it will feel clean, because the synchros are now slowing the engine down.
2nd is a tad too tall for all level stop and starts, but if rolling, taking off in 2nd is doable. remember reverse is somewhere between 2nd and 1st ratio wise and is very smooth. that should have been 1st gear ratio (my opinion 8:1 total ratio, is a perfect 1st gear ratio , and 10:1 gets a little tough for smooth starts with a racing type clutch , or one that is grabby like the AM)

same for downshifts. a blip of the throttle is good to keep down synchro wear. otherwise, the raise of rpm to match in downshifts, is done only by the synchros and eventually , they will wear out. and give notchy shifting in about 20 to 50k miles on the drivetrain.

so it sounds like everyone is having this issue, and my clutch is not glazed or coming apart. Ill have to deal with it.

 

The net net.

our 2nd is only 15% off many sports cars 1st gears, so it can be used for starting out, on level surfaces, and a gradual easy launch.

our 1st is about 40% lower than many sports cars 1st gears.

there is a big drop in RPM from 1st to 2nd shift, so be patient. its a near 40% drop in ratio, vs many cars of near 30 to 35%

our 2nd is like MANY other cars reverse ratio . 7.78:1.

vantage total ratios, (these numbers can be used for MPH in any gear based on different tire sizes)
12.31 1st
7.78 2nd
5.62 3rd
4.49 4th
3.67 5th
2.97 6th

4th 5th and 6th are close ratios at or near .80 of each other.
2nd to 3rd is normal spacing and 1st to 2nd is a little extreme. (just an observation)
( reference: reverse on the vantage is 9.3:1)

 

"However, I am still struggling if I am stopped on even a modest incline -- I either stall or over-rev the engine." And that could be pretty hard on the clutch, so try using the Emergency Brake to help out: When you get to a stop on an incline--set the emergency brake, that will hold you on the hill. Now with the right foot on the gas-pedal, the other foot keeps the clutch in. When you get ready to go, coordinate all three--give 'er some gas, just a little, slowly let the clutch out until you can just start to feel the "friction zone", then slowly release the emergency brake while giving more gas and releasing the clutch. Take a little practice, to do all three things at the same time, but it works well and if done correctly, you move away smoothly without rolling backwards at all.

 

Thanks for the detailed instructions Dick. I will try this out. Based on your location, you probably have a lot of experience with this procedure!

 

is this still an issue with 2014 models?

 

In a manual yes
In ASM2 no

 

That's because they are different..The V8V is a single plate clutch, the DBS is a twin plate clutch..the twin plate clutch is uesed in a large amount of high powered cars for the extra clamping force and smooth take off if needed..down side to twin plate clutch is often the "squawk" noise they can make during a take off..

Do you see any fluid leaking at the flywheel inspection plat area? Put your parking brake on, engage a gear and engage the clutch slowly till you see the RPM needle start to lower and you feel the clutch grabbing..How far from the top is the clutch grabbing..near the top, near mid section, near the floor?

 

Ive driven lots of single disc, dual disc clutch cars, and those cars with enhanced clamping force as well. None of them do this, yet not as extreme as the grabbing you get from a racing clutch where the only way to start out is a clutch dump and burn rubber.

im hopeing its just glazing of the discs due to poor use, or lack of use of the car for the past 7 years. Or, due to it having a high clamping force single disc. there is no slipping at redline shifts, so the clutch seems to be fine. It releases smoothly with a very very gentle start (i.e. low rpm, slow release of clutch). but, with 3000rpm start, and a slow release, it will grab mid clutch pedal throw, and almost stall the car.

I thnk i did that test you suggest and it starts to grab, and lower the RPM, about mid pedal, so i dont think the discs are worn at all. just very grabby.

Your point about he DBS is well taken too. Forgot that they had a dual disc clutch set up which can lower rotating inertial due to general downsizing of the overall diameters of of discs and pressure plates, as well as provide more clamping force with less pedal activation force.

Im curious if anyone here can put RPM at 3000 and slowly let the clutch out without it grabbing pretty seroiusly in the first few feet of movement, and keep the RPM at 3000rpm until release. very curious if anyone is seeing the same thing i am.

 

miracle cure to the clutch issue. I was at a party where the driveway was really steep and headed down it and parked. had to reverse all the way back up and it was even steeper at the crest where other cars were parked, so you had to not go fast in reverse up the hill. long story short, I cooked the clutch by the time I safely got up over the crest and went to put it into 1st. man, it smelled so bad, like it was on fire!! anyway, the next day I took the car out and the grabby clutch feeling was gone. I think there might be a break in of the clutch disk that needs to be done to get the grabbiness out of it. or, I cooked, or shredded it and lost clamping force


anyway, it drives much better now so that's a good thing.

 

Have you talked to AM about this? I never had this issue in my 07 Vantage. The V12 has no issues as the dual plate works very well.

 

I mentioned the clutch travel felt odd and I thought it engaged way too high up to the service manager immediately after my test drive when I took delivery of my 2013 V8V. He told me there was no adjustment possible and that I would get used to it. I haven't yet though. I need to get a technician to actually drive the car...

 

I installed a modified clutch pedal that is longer and allows your heel to remain in contact with the floor board. Makes clutch control much easier when getting close to the top where it starts to engage.

With the regular clutch pedal, your foot ends up in mid air at the point where the clutch begins engagement, and unless your foot has some support (like the floor board) control of the engagement is difficult. Clutches that engage nearer the bottom of the travel are easier to control since your heel is on the floor board at that point.

Any way, that's what I concluded as to why these Astons are more difficult to launch smoothly than your typical manual.

 

Geez guys, both my Astons were/are manuals and while the clutch pedal was really still in the 07, I had no stalling problems with it (even after meniscus surgery). The 2013 S is lighter in comparison and the hill-holder clutch a nice addition. I have stalled the new car out on occasion but I'm just chalking that up to the newness of the car and my learning curve, not an issue with the vehicle itself.

 

the main issue here is not really stalling. technique will cure that, but if you try and do a smooth release, and it grabs and makes a huge jerk on the drivetrain, that isnt good. that might be due to my prior owner glazing the clutch discs during improper operation, or a factor of the type of discs used by AM. ive driven about everything, mostly race cars, and this issue is charateritic of a race clutch. good and bad. good for postive shifts and accel, but bad for smooth 1st gear releases. However, as i said, ive driven another V8V and it felt the same. I instructed a guy with a DBS with the dual disc clutch and it was a dream to drive in all catagories.
Now, mine seems to be behaving quite normally.