Hey guys. I need help in learning how to DRIVE using the ATS dual carbon. I've been driving it for a couple days now, and it still jerks off the line. I've already searched and didn't find too many threads on this, so if anyone could answer my questions, it would be greatly appreciated.

1. Any way to get rid of the chattering at low rpms? I don't wanna have to drive in boost every single time I hop into the car.

2. How the hell do I launch this thing smoothly??? I'm used to riding my clutch at takeoff probably to smoothen the normal launches at the light. I find that I have to rev really high (around 3500 - 4000rpms) to be able to ride the ATS a bit and go smoothly, but once it starts moving and I disengage the clutch, the whole car jerks forward.

3. Drove around 150 miles with the clutch already. Is there a break in time of 200 miles that I saw in another thread? What should I notice after it breaks in?

Thanks...any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

1- No, that is the trade-off for high torque capacity with stock pedal feel.

2- Don't get you clutch so hot. The first time you slip it each time you drive will heat it up... Then, because of the properties of a carbon clutch, the torque transfer goes up and it is damn near impossible to engage excessive slipping. Just go easy on the thing (don't slip it and keep it cool) and you should be fine.

3- I thought it was a little longer than that, but I might be wrong... I know it is longer for regular clutches. You should call ATS and ask what they recomend.

 

thanx ht4. And I'm wondering if anyone can tell me specificly HOW they drive with this clutch on the street? Anyone?

 

I had the exact same problem when i first drove my car with the ATS twin 1350kg. It just takes alot of practise. Once the clutch breaks in, it is a little smoother to engage. The longer you drive with the clutch, the more it smooths out. I have 14k, mostly freeway miles, on my clutch and it has smoothed out a little bit then when it was new.

The main difference in driving with this clutch over the stock one is, you should be on the clutch longer and disengage it slower. The longer your on it, the hotter the plates get and the more they want to grip.

 

thanx for the response enron. That's what I don't get. I thought I would wanna be on the ATS longer too, but it just grabs like crazy after it heats up after I ride it for a bit. So then, when I let it slip slowly, the whole car jerks and shakes violently...

 

Errr doesn't the manual say NOT to half clutch the thing? That you shouldn't ride it because it will wear down very quickly? I was under the impression I was going to have to learn how to NOT slowly unclutch but I was going to have to learn the clutch point and try to half clutch for no more than half a second... It's been a biatch to learn but I've got it down now.

~Josh

 

I doubt the dual carbon will wear out quickly due to riding the clutch...but I could be wrong. Care to let me know in some detail how you are launching normally at the lights now Jergens? It would be greatly appreciated.

 

What turbo kit do you have? If it is a single turbo can you please post a dyno? Thanks.

 

I thought the whole point of the carbon clutches was so you COULD hold them out longer. So you can slip them on a launch.

 

i'm used to driving the tilton street clutch and am hoping going to this clutch and the vortech kit, and the KJR pulley instead of the UR pulley, will ease the engagement a little easier.

I thought the ATS clutch is supposed to be pretty easy to launch?

 

Same here... I was pretty dead set on the ATS dual until this. I was under the impression that it drives exactly like stock as per Phunk and Sharif.

 

the tilton is hard to launch. It isn't hard to do a full out huge launch, but you don't always want to do that at a stoplight cause everyone will think you're just being a dumbass.

Adam at Z1 said the dual ATS is way easier to drive than the tilton. It can only be easier to drive. The flywheel is a wider diameter and is almost 2 lbs heavier so it should carry a lot more momentum.

I actually find the tilton to be too light at times. Meaning for normal laid back driving you just don't use all the reving. If you shift gears at a kinda normal laid back speed, the rpms drop so fast that it's just a jerky ride. So it requires you to drive at least semi-aggressively. I have it down pretty good now. Raising the idle to like 1300 rpms really helps a lot

there was one guy in another thread complaining that the ATS was a little hard to control saying it isn't consistent. Then Peter from APS was saying it's taking some getting used to too. I'm willing to bet for my setup, it'll be lightyears easier to drive than the tilton and UR pulley for NA - which as a daily driving clutch sometimes makes me hate manuals and wish I had an automatic and puts you in a bad mood if you have to deal with it in rush hour or any sorta slow traffic. Holiday season sucks for driving the tilton clutch.

We'll see though. I already have the dual ATS just don't have it put on yet

 

a quick trick for daily driving is to drive with the AC/heater on - that raises the idle slightly and puts more load on the clutch to slow it down a little. It's noticable

 

any kind of race clutch is gonna be hard, is you get a disk clutch like a stage 1, it will feel stock, but going almost full race, your gonna have to learn how to ride the clutch so your car drives smooth. I used to have a ACT 3puck in my old turbo integra, i had to feather my clutch to around 3500rpm to get it out of gear with out the car shaking

 

For daily driving in stock form, i usually get the car going in 1st around 1200rpms.

Now with lower compression pistons and a lighter flywheel, i get rolling in 1st around 1600 rpms. I was getting the car going around 2500-3000 rpms the first few nights because i hadnt driven a manual for 6 months while my Z was down. At lower rpms, the clutch doesnt heat up as fast so it slowly gets more grabby as u let off the clutch. I think nitrouz needs to refind the sweet spot in the new clutch. Its just harder to find it with a lighter flywheel.

 

here's a related thread to this subject

https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....t+clutch+weigh



for me the driving style is a huge difference. If you're driving a little aggressive, the ligher clutches are easier to drive.

On a day by day basis when you're driving to work in a semi-zombie state and just want to get where you're going etc, the light clutch is a real pain cause you're not focusing on it.

So for me, having a 2nd car to daily drive makes the Z much more enjoyable for when you want to get out and drive hard

 

ahh i accidentaly replied to the older clutch post.....but to sentry65 you quoted in the other post "my idle is around 1500rpms and that gets rid of the cement truck sound at idle, but there is no solution for getting rid of the loud vibration sound at 2500-3000 or less if you're in too high of a gear. You'll just have to train yourself to be in a lower gear to keep the rpms high"

Are there any cons to setting your idle that high just to get rid of the noise? Also what's this loud vibration that you mention in 2500-3000 in higher gears? Don't you get the same type of vbration in high gears and low rpms in stock clutches also?

 

Hey Nitrous, are you using the 1350kg pressure plate or the 1100kg pressure plate? We've installed and I have presonally driven a half dozen of these setups, and find that it does take a few days to get use to it. One thing to keep in mind, is that you reallky dont need to slip the clutch much at all to start. I usually launch by twins and now my triple, at 1200rpm or less. If you over-rev it, it will heat up the carbon disc, and start grabbing and chattering...just like it should.

Try lower RPM's, and more practice. The ATS carbons are the smoothest engaging high-trq clutches I have ever used. They do get less noisy and grabby after 1000 miles. ATS recommends being very gentle with the clutch for 1000miles for a thorough break in.

Call me if you have any questions.

 

Well, I have the ATS twin 1350kg w/flywheel kit and it took some getting used to. I was told not to drag the clutch, but at first it was the only way I could get moving without lurching or spinning out. Now after about 2K+ miles it has smoothed out A LOT... It almost drives like normal but gives a lot more stick when I want to hard launch with sticky tires....

As for the noise level, Mine rattles like the dickens at idle (but running the A/C or radio helps keep it from coming close to stalling). My deal is when the clutch is engaged between 1-3 gears and the RPM is between 2700 - 3500 I swear my car sounds like a Mac truck...

 

Thanks for the informative help everyone. Mine doesn't make any noise at all at idle...all I can hear is my SFR HKS Ti true duals purring. But when I try to slip it during launches, it vibrates A LOT and the car jerks sometimes...got a little better today though.

DBZ33: I have a TT.

Sharif: I'm gonna try launching at lower rpms more tomorrow. Thanks for the advice. I'll see what happens. I have the dual carbon with 1350kg p.p.