Whats with the clutch pedals???

[Trax]

Hi guys,

I'm new here and in the market for 2000-2003 Boxster S. I used to own a 944 and recently just sold my Lotus Elise. I took out two used boxsters last week and the clutch pedal in both cars required a ton of effort to push down. One was a 2000 S and the other was an 2002 S. Both felt like you were driving a manual truck between the super long travel of the pedal and the hardness of actually pushing it to the floor. I also took a 2001 911 out just two days ago and the clutch pedal in that was a dream. Required little effort to push it to the floor.

So I'm wondering is it just maybe my bad luck I found two boxsters with a bad slave cylinder or something or does the 911 I tried have better components? I'm up near San Fran so traffic can get bad here and with a pedal that hard I may have to look at something else . Anyone have feedback on this? Is this normal for a boxster?

[Marty S]

My 99 with 74k miles on it is the same way...it has been checked and rechecked by my local Indy Porsche mechanic and he claims it is fine and that all the older Boxsters are like this. His advice to me was drive it like you stole it and enjoy.

I do agree, you feel like you got a good work out if you get stuck in traffic or drive in the city.

[Trax]

Ahhhh this is a real bummer. I was always into boxsters and was really looking forward to owning one. This will be a deal killer for me then :/. I'm wondering if I should move into a cayman or 987 instead. Hrmm... I have to have a manual since I was hoping to join PCA and do some autoX events.

[Mark_T]

It's a man's clutch.

[stephen wilson]

The clutch on my '06 isn't stiff, but neither was the clutch on several cars I test drove, including an '03 and '04. How many miles on these cars you drove ?

[Marty S]

Get a PDK or TipTronic

As for AutoX, around here the courses are small, you never get out of second and unless you are an experienced AutoX driver, the PDK or Tip will likely not make much difference on your performance since AutoX is more about driver skill and suspension than anything else.

[Trax]

Thanks for the help guys. Yeah I was kinda dead set on a manual. I miss my lotus very much and was hoping to bridge the gap a little and get another manual car. The 2000 S I drove had 60k miles and the 02 had 85k (believe it or not the 02 was better to drive). Sounds like this is pretty normal for boxsters then. I'm surprised at the difference between the boxster and the 911.

No joke the 996 which had 70k on it and stock everything had the easiest clutch pedal I've ever felt. It shifted perfectly. I would "Man Up", but for real the traffic out here sometimes is a nightmare so having that heavy of a clutch pedal woudn't work and I hate automatics in sports cars.

[trimer]

Bad batch of cars. I have owned two boxsters 02 and "3 and both were very smooth and easy. Nothing like you are describing. Try again and make sure it wasnt just those two.

[edc]

May need a new clutch or a clutch assist spring?

[AKnowles]

My 99 has a very smooth clutch that requires very little effort. If the ones you are using do not, then either the helper spring is shot or the clutch/pressure plate - perhaps - may be non-standard.

[Goodbiketime]

My 98 is hard to depress as well. My BMW almost depresses itself in comparison! I have heard all older 986 have this issue though! My Harley also had this issue until a clutch assist unit was installed on it, now it pulls in like a dream! Maybe the post about the clutch assist spring is onto something!

[welles]

"Stiff" is relative, of course, but clutch pedal effort is significantly higher in the 3.2/3.4 engined cars, as well as the 997, relative to the 2.7/2.9. This is true for all model years. If the car is to be a DD in stop-and-go traffic, you will likely be happier with a Tiptronic. Then again, if you've owned an Elise, you likely are used to your car beating you up...

[jb92563]

My 2001 S is stock and has little effort to move the clutch.

Its the lightest effort I've owned in any manual car.

Really the weight of my leg alone is almost enough to depress the clutch without much extra effort, but I do have muscular legs so others may find otherwise.

I suppose a real measurement to be able to compare would be to measure the force required with a weight scale.

It wouldn't surprise me if the Porsche techies know what that force should be.

Perhaps a dealer knows the answer or could find out.

[Trax]

Thanks a ton guys for the advice! Love this forum.

I'll go look at another boxster and try my luck again. Sounds like a dumb problem to complain about, but I was just surprised. Sounds like it could be a common problem with some of the boxsters out there. I'm pretty sure the 996 I tested would share the same components as the boxster. Maybe I'm wrong. The feeling of the clutch pedal though was night and day.

[BYprodriver]

Trax don't deny yourself the joys of Boxster ownership!

super long travel of the pedal and the hardness of actually pushing it to the floor

You are describing the self adjusting pressure plate near the end of it's lifespan.

Many owners decide this is a good time to sell their Box to avoid the $1,400 clutch job.

Great time to buy a Box so you don't "have" to wait to install the LN IMSB retrofit.

[SeanZ4]

My '00S w/43k is somewhat stiff to depress. My uncle has a '00 base that's smooth as can be. I drove a '02 996 and it was stiff too. soooo?? Keep trying and you'll find one you like!

[Coffinhunter]

I am not sure what you mean by being too stiff, but for my 2c.

The clutch in my 03S does not feel to bad. It gives more resistence to my leg than say a honda civic, but not so much that is wears me out. I DD mine and about half of it is on city streets the other half on the freeway. I don't think it is uncomfortable at all. And certainly not something that would dtop me from buying this beautiful vehicle a second time.

[Steve Tinker]

I agree with BYprodriver.
I replaced my clutch @ ~50,000 miles to install the LN IMS bearing kit. While the old clutch wasn't that heavy (it was approximately 50% worn) the new one felt a LOT easier to use.
I would suspect that the cars that Trax has been trying are on their original clutches and are close to needing to be replaced.
It's probably a good bargaining point if the rest of the car is in acceptable condition - it can help pay for an IMS replacement as well as a new clutch....

[RawleyD]

So get a tip Pansy.

j/k, My clutch was supposedly changed about 1k miles ago, feels just a tad stiff when you start driving, but after you're in the car for a few minutes it feels very smooth.

[Jake Raby]

If the clutch is stiff in these cars, the clutch is worn. Pedal pressure is much greater with worn clutches due to wear debris packing inside the springs of the pressure plate.

Also a heavy clutch can come from a collapsed rubber hose that feeds the slave cylinder.