is there a trick to driving with the ceramic clutch?

[NBowlin]

i havent actually gotten to drive the truck yet. i just payed for it and had my father go pick it up. when he got home i called him, asked how it drove and all that. he told me that in the lower gears the truck would buck pretty good and he would have to push the clutch back in and slip it to get it going. now he has been driving manual diesels since 93, but this was the first on a ceramic clutch.



i go home on leave in 9 days and i was wondering if there is a trick to driving with one. i know time will make a world of difference, but if you could just give me some suggestions i would appreciate it. thank you for the help

 

[csevers]

What clutch did ya have put in? I don't know if anyone can give a good answer to the question. It will just take some practice.



Good Luck

Craig

 

[NBowlin]

the truck is new to me i have never even seen it in person.

i am on the wrong side of the world as of now and i was told is that its a ceramic clutch. i wont know more until i get home and can look through receipts and make phone calls that are at a reasonable rate.



i understand it will be a come with practice and time. just wanted some advice on the subject is all. thanks

 

[GFrance]

I have a ceramic clutch in my big rig towing 105,500lbs. The clutch is in or out there is no slipping. Push the clutch in put it in gear make sure you give her enough throttle to move her when you grab the next gear just in and out, no slipping.

 

[jtisdale]

Not really any trick, just put it in second, and let the clutch out. Not like your smooth factory clutch, where you slide it a little, just let it out. It may take a little getting used to.

 

[Turbo Thom]

GFRANCE is dead on. In or out. I don't think it's made for everyday driving. It won't slip. At any time. Not even backing up. Great for dragracing. Not so good for towing. I took mine out and went to the Con o from Peter.



. . Preston. .

 

[Forrest Nearing]

with my OFE, I basicly dump the clutch in 2nd, and let the pump pull the truck up to idle and drive out of it... not all the time, but a lot of the time... it's not so bad.



if you were to start out in 1st, I would think that you could drive the truck quite smoothly (the people behind you might wish you'd pull away a little more quickly though! LOL!)



bottom line is you'll be used to it in a couple hours of driving

 

[Woodenhead]

On or Off

If I take off in second I'll get a little shaking unless I ride it jusssst right, but usually it'll shake. I've read taking off in second isn't all that good for your clutch, but I'm sure I do lots of things that aren't good for my clutch.



Generally I start off in first it's just a little jerk and I'm going. It takes some getting used to to match the RPMs for 2nd without jerking but it won't take long to get used to it.



Yeah first is a little slow but screw the people behind me everyones always in too much of a hurry anyway. Besides, I'll get em in 3rd anyway



I've towed with it and don't have a problem just takes a little finesse, if you have a 4x4 get a 2 low kit for backing up and you'll be OK.



Like they said, it's either ON or OFF.



Mike

 

[NBowlin]

another quirk with the truck dad was telling me is that even just driving down the road you hit a bump, and it will cause your foot to bounce. this inturn causes the truck to start bucking. i asked him if like driving a backhoe? he said no its like its trying to break your neck. also he is telling me the throttle is WAY sensitive. now couldnt you just put a heavier spring on the throttle pedal?

also the truck has a vallet switch and he has never run the truck with it off. is it going to be worse with it off than it is when its on like he is driving it?



now if this clutch is causing these problems. what other clutch could i run, other than eeps (can swing the shaft and clutch this soon or i would do it in a second) that will hold close to 500hp? on the subject of the twin disc clutch. will it have the same characteristics as this ceramic one? this clutch might have 3k on it so i dont know if it will change with more miles on it or not.



i mean i am really excited cause it took almost a year to find this truck, but the way he is talkin about it. it doesnt sound like its going to be at all fun to drive. sorry for all my questions. i am growing impatient and taking it out on you guys



thank you again

 

[PRout]

The trick w/ the clutch is to slightly engage it to get it rolling. Just before it starts to chatter, push it back in slightly to keep it from chattering, then re-engage it while your rolling. You'll get it down after some practice.



You may not ever get it quite as smooth as an organic clutch, but you'll start to appreciate its holding abilities later. I love mine. Even taking off while towing isnt a problem, just sometimes, you'll get a reminder of what you have .



Another tip you can try until you get the first method figured out, is just slightly raise the rpms to maybe 1000, then slowly let out the pedal. That should make for pretty smooth engagements (most of the time). Its gonna surprise ya sometimes, and theres not much you can do but learn to like taking off like you just drove over a rock or two.



Sounds like you have some pretty big injectors, if the throttle is sensitive. Probably has alot of power



Enjoy!

 

[Forrest Nearing]

Originally posted by NBowlin

he said no its like its trying to break your neck. also he is telling me the throttle is WAY sensitive. now couldnt you just put a heavier spring on the throttle pedal?

YES!!!!



when I first bought my truck the pedal was so sensitive, it was damn near impossible to drive with any symblance of smoothness...



went to Autozone, got a double throttle return spring from the HELP section for $2, popped it on, and it's all good now!!



Forrest

 

[Loren]

NBowlin,



If your dad's foot is causing the clutch to disengage when he hits a bump, tell him to take his foot off the clutch and put it on the floor. This won't solve the abrupt engagement, but it will stop the bucking.



Loren