Clutch bedding-in?

[JB21]

What's the deal here? Never fitted a new clutch. I'm reading info a clutch should be bedded in gently over 300-500 city miles, surely not.

The kit is only LUK OE and my car has as much torque as a lawn mower.

[Bossworld]

What's the deal here? Never fitted a new clutch. I'm reading info a clutch should be bedded in gently over 300-500 city miles, surely not.

The kit is only LUK OE and my car has as much torque as a lawn mower.

I've only ever had a clutch changed once (MR2), and one brand new car (Kenwood blender powered 1.2 Clio).

As far as I'm aware it's just a case of avoiding launches (which shouldn't be news) and avoiding riding it (see previous). Perhaps there's more advanced stuff for ones that aren't standard, but I had the same LuK fitted to my MR2 and just drove it normally.

[AdamR28]

This is against all the advice, but is how I see it logically...

- The clutch is basically a 'backwards' brake, made of all the same components and materials. To bed brakes in you just use them normally.

- Have swapped a clutch mid endurance race before and obviously just sent it immediately. No ill effects.

[Alex Knight]

This is against all the advice, but is how I see it logically...

- The clutch is basically a 'backwards' brake, made of all the same components and materials. To bed brakes in you just use them normally.

- Have swapped a clutch mid endurance race before and obviously just sent it immediately. No ill effects.

Just drive it normally. Try not to do any drag racing. Don't slip the clutch (though this always applies).

[Dev]

 It depends on the type of clutch.  Like brakes they need to have some material from the clutch transfer to the flywheel. When you excessively slip the clutch or do hard  performance driving during this period  there is a possibility of glazing the surfaces. In order for a better break in it is recommended that the flywheel is resurfaced every time you change the clutch  because like rotors it scuffs up the surface to make bedding easier. As long as you drive it normally during the break in it should be fine.

 The only clutch material that I know of that is very temperamental is Kevlar.  They insist that it should be driven a certain way for 500 miles which is a crucial period otherwise it will glaze and will have to come out.

[JB21]

Thanks for the replies guys. I scuffed the flywheel with a wire brush and cleaned the plate disc so should be good. There's no judder anyway.

I'll give it a few more miles of low rpm city driving and then start ramping it up.

Just really CBA pulling the box again if I glaze the disc, but as the 2zz has such low torque figures I can't see it slipping at high rpm.

[shnazzle]

I put a LUK clutch in a few years ago.
I broke it in by driving how I normally do. Hard
But easy on slipping the clutch. Just engage/disengage normally and get your foot off the clutch

Wouldn't worry about it. Just don't do launches. They're wildly unsatisfying in the MR2 anyway.

[Ardent]

What everybody else said.

[m1tch]

Yes, bed it in as the flywheel and clutch need to work together, there will be high spots on the clutch when its new meaning that when freshly installed the contact patch won't be over the whole disc and flywheel causing hot spots if all the power is going through the smaller contact points.

I am required to run my Spec stage 3+ clutch for 500 miles of normal driving - ideally more town driving as this will actually bed the clutch in quicker than sitting on the motorway not moving the clutch.

Basically, just drive it normally for say a tank of fuel before any spirited shifting.

[JB21]

Clutch bed-in now complete.

30 miles of low rpm town/b-roads keeping the box moving. Then from 30-50 miles same roads but higher rpm shifts, but still staying out of lift.

50+ miles I started to kick its head in. Pulls hard with no slip into lift with strong engine braking on high rpm downshifts.

Job done.

[shnazzle]

Clutch bed-in now complete.

30 miles of low rpm town/b-roads keeping the box moving. Then from 30-50 miles same roads but higher rpm shifts, but still staying out of lift.

50+ miles I started to kick its head in. Pulls hard with no slip into lift with strong engine braking on high rpm downshifts.

Job done.

Have you noticed the satisfying engine tone when switching gears as well?  

There's more of a "pop" to it when you get back on the throttle as there's no slippage at all. 
So instead of
rrrrrrRRRRR-rrrrrrRRRRRR where the hyphen is the gear change,it should now be rrrrrRRRRR-RRRRR-RRRR

[JB21]

Clutch bed-in now complete.

30 miles of low rpm town/b-roads keeping the box moving. Then from 30-50 miles same roads but higher rpm shifts, but still staying out of lift.

50+ miles I started to kick its head in. Pulls hard with no slip into lift with strong engine braking on high rpm downshifts.

Job done.

Have you noticed the satisfying engine tone when switching gears as well?

So instead of
rrrrrrRRRRR-rrrrrrRRRRRR where the hyphen is the gear change,it should now be rrrrrRRRRR-RRRRR-RRRR

Have you been drinking 😆

[shnazzle]

Clutch bed-in now complete.

30 miles of low rpm town/b-roads keeping the box moving. Then from 30-50 miles same roads but higher rpm shifts, but still staying out of lift.

50+ miles I started to kick its head in. Pulls hard with no slip into lift with strong engine braking on high rpm downshifts.

Job done.

Have you noticed the satisfying engine tone when switching gears as well?

So instead of
rrrrrrRRRRR-rrrrrrRRRRRR where the hyphen is the gear change,it should now be rrrrrRRRRR-RRRRR-RRRR

Have you been drinking 😆

I could record me making the brum brum noises instead if you don't like the rrrRRRs

[1979scotte]

Clutch bed-in now complete.

30 miles of low rpm town/b-roads keeping the box moving. Then from 30-50 miles same roads but higher rpm shifts, but still staying out of lift.

50+ miles I started to kick its head in. Pulls hard with no slip into lift with strong engine braking on high rpm downshifts.

Job done.

Have you noticed the satisfying engine tone when switching gears as well?

So instead of
rrrrrrRRRRR-rrrrrrRRRRRR where the hyphen is the gear change,it should now be rrrrrRRRRR-RRRRR-RRRR

Have you been drinking 😆

He's probably been smoking something