I got a JHM stage 3 clutch and LWFW about 2 and a half weeks ago. I know the break in period is 500 street miles, can’t count the freeway unless it is stop and go. The problem I got myself into is a few days after I got it installed I drove to Arizona from SoCal(about 800 miles plus driving around), so I lost track of how many break in miles I have on my clutch. What I want to know is there any indicator you can tell while driving that it is broken in? I got the JHM tune about the same time and I haven’t got a chance to use LA and I really want to.
Sounds like you have around 400 miles of break in left to go. Don’t cheat the break in process. Its critical for the long term health and performance of the clutch.
There really isn’t any definite indication if its broke in. The clutch engages smoother but I’d stick to the mileage count method than just trying to feel if its broke in.
Yeah, or you’ll end up like that guy on quattrofail who broke in his clutch by doing 750 miles of highway driving and doing some downshifts…then took it to a track and it is now vibrating lol.
are you serious. Are people really that fucking stuipd?
Your clutch is the major link between your motor and your wheels. WOW its almost appauling how stupid some people are.
I know this may have come off harsh. I just keep having a hard time not believeing that people would think that you don’t have to treat the breakin of the part that holds and transferrs all the power from the motor to the driveline. On that note let me be the first to congradulate TravsS4 for asking the question and knowing better then to just assume.
When people get a new motor they are very careful on how the motor gets assembled and installed. When people get high performance breaks they make sure to take the time and add all the needed lines and fluid along with the extencive break in and bedding of the breaks.
Yet you see people do just the opisit when it comes to the most crutial part of the power delivery. You see more people skip on the TQ procedure and the need for proper loctight on the bolts. Then the fact that the break in is skipped over on such a crutial part to the car. Just seems to be funny. the people who do everything right never see any issues. the other people who kinda skip over everything and then try to simplify the install and break in alway have issues and they always are happy to point the finger at the parts and never themselves
Just start again. I messed up my calculations at various points. I kept a written record of actual city driving but lost the piece of paper once. So I started again. I found it again recently and I reckon I went about 125 miles over but too much is better than too little. I only counted miles in stop start traffic and under 50kph. I ignored any high speed driving or driving in a continuous gear for more than 5 minutes (using the trip counter).
It took AGES and was very annoying but I took a long range view on this. I missed out on a dragstrip day in November. I was super anal. I thought to myself that JHM could make a killing on “pre broken in” clutches lol. But it was worth it. saki will vouch that the thing drives like stock. And it didn’t miss a beat on Friday, which I reckon was probably more brutal than a road track day.
As an aside I changed the name of JHM’s launch assist - to “stop sign mode”. lol.
I got my new clutch at the same time I got my supercharger. One doesn’t know what “annoying” and “frustrating” is until one has 100+ hp suddenly at their disposal but has to drive like a granny for 750 city miles lol
That said, I did it properly and my clutch is super smooth. No chattering of any kind either.
I have never broken in a clutch it seems like a stupid idea to me, ws6 no break in for clutch, cobra with 643/580 never broke in clutch… Within engine yes break I vey important, rear end and tranny flush the fluids after 1500-4000 when new then good but a clutch engages and disengages and there is really nothing to break in that I can see…
Only a fool would not break in a clutch that uses the SAC like the audi uses.
before I go on a rant here. know I have worked at the top GM performance facility for over 10years I have seen the JHM clutches and installed one on my personal car From what Ive seen if you have a problem with the JHM clutch your the problem. Not saying anyone is intentionally trying to make an issue. Just saying The Parts are OEM++ you don’t see this many clutch issues when JHM and the factory install them… seems the equation always seems to be the lack of comitment to the install or the break in.
The JHM Audi clutches are baised off the concept that you own a luxury car and you don’t want to drive your car with a stiff left leg. If you have ever drove a domestic car with big hp and a big hp clutch. The LB force it takes to push down a domestic clutch for big power can be over 200lbs.
Now emagin pusing in your clutch pedal and each time your one leg needs to push the equivient of 200lbs. Most clutches are 75lb clutches in the domestic line. So you will have to push the clutch pedal just like you were leg pressing 75lbs.
NOW with the JHM clutches and driving an audi who in there right mind is going to want to do thta. Everyone that talks about the JHM clutches talks about how they hold like no other and that they are very streetable almost like stock.
How do they do this? well its a combination of materials and a proper Pressure plate. While A domestic Pressure plate takes 75+lbs to release the clutch the JHM clutch might take 20lbs of pressure to release. The clamp load is going to be less on the JHM unit this is why ITS SO CRUTIAL TO MAKE SURE YOUR BREAK IN AND BED IN THE MATERIALS. You need and want your clutch to be litterly matted with your Pressure plate and flywheel.
This is how your going to get the most out of it. I don’t mean to be a dick but 99% of the people that post on Qfail know less then jack shit about any of this. 70% of most shops have no clue how this even works. Its clear most shops are like the “elete” shop that know shit about performance and clutches.
When you get a shop that can install a exhaust and a cold air intake most people think that that shop must know about intakes and exjhaust systems. Fact of the matter is 80% of most shops are nothing more then a guy with a munkey rench and a guy that can repeat back to you what the parts supplyer said to them.
In the end lets have AudiRevolution be the site of facts and proper figgures. Lets stop the DeEducation of the enthusats and start the Proper education of the public.
100% of everyone on the forum needs to stand up and applaud Sakimano. This guy has made such great strides to help keep the people in formed. Most of the time the gold fish dont want to know or they don’t want to learn. Sakimano has a 90+% rate for being right. Yet people like me him and others get called names and are not revieved well when we try to tell the general public they need to liosten to better reason.
Don’t take what I said the worng way. The Audi clutches that have self adjusters are much much different then the domestic clutches. The clamp load is different and the entire clutch system is much different then the domestic systems. So the NON self adjusting clutches are different.
Learning the difference of the OEM clutch and JHM have been pretty difficult for me. This is my first manual car and never used to rev match on my OEM clutch but my mechanic taught me how too. If i make a few mistakes here and there will it affect the break in of the clutch and the life of it?
X 20 don’t slip it. The aggressive nature of the disk and thus the entire Idea of getting a more aggressive clutch is so it won’t slip. You slipping it will cause massive hot spots and cause a failure of the flywheel surface and then the ability of your material to grab and do its job.
