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Hey guys, i currently have a FBody camaro with a 6spd and after driving it around i have found in traffic my left leg gets fatigued from pushing/holding the clutch and always seems to be more "Work" so to speak. i never drive manual vehicles and this car is the most i've ever driven a manual.... now the car is pretty much stock but i have a project car i am planning out which is a 71' 240z with a forced induction LQ4/9/LY6. target is about 625rwhp in a shoe box, so my question is as follows. when i put in a clutch that can handle that power/torque am i going to be in for even more of a leg workout? would i be better suited with a automatic of some kind? Are automatics generally less problematic(reliable under heavy abuse) than manuals?
Everyone is going to have a different opinion on this. My remedy is having the best of both worlds. When I'm headed for traffic areas, like Atlanta, I never take my 5 speed manual Mustang just for the reason you describe. Your leg gets tired with the 'stop and go' endless traffic. I take my automatic Trans Am and make the best of it. Shifting is supposed to be enjoyable, and traffic is not the place to be. I really enjoy shifting at times and have had a manual car in my garage for years and years. It's just a pleasurable true driving experience when you have open roads to drive on. If I only had the choice of 1 car to drive, it probably would be an automatic, but I sure would miss the shifting. It's your call, and your location is probably the key.
Hey guys, i currently have a FBody camaro with a 6spd and after driving it around i have found in traffic my left leg gets fatigued from pushing/holding the clutch and always seems to be more "Work" so to speak. i never drive manual vehicles and this car is the most i've ever driven a manual.... now the car is pretty much stock but i have a project car i am planning out which is a 71' 240z with a forced induction LQ4/9/LY6. target is about 625rwhp in a shoe box, so my question is as follows. when i put in a clutch that can handle that power/torque am i going to be in for even more of a leg workout? would i be better suited with a automatic of some kind? Are automatics generally less problematic(reliable under heavy abuse) than manuals?
This surprises me as these cars have a hydrolic clutch so the peddle is way lighter than most other performance cars clutch peddles.
What do you plan on doing with the 240? strickly drag racing? If thats the case you will be quicker from a dig with an auto anyway. I wouldnt say either trans is more problematic than the other, both have their issues with high power. The auto will need a stall and transcooler at the very least and the manual will need a clutch to hold that kind of power and possibly an adjustable master cylinder.
You need to be doing some leg crunches and squats or something if your leg is sore after driving a stock 4th gen. Not making fun. I know it can be a pain in the ***. I commuted in bumper to bumper traffic for at least an hour each way - with lots of stopping on hills - on some ridiculous clutch in my old 5 liter. Which was NOT hydraulic. Clutch didn't even really slip. But you know what? I miss doing it. I DD an auto pickup and shift the thing manually constantly. I'd give my left nut to someone who could magically make it a 5 speed.
I use to get stuck in Austin, TX traffic quite often and i've never had an issue driving a manual. Might need to hit the squat rack a little bit. I'm not even in shape, but at the same time I also don't hold the clutch in for extended periods of time. If i'm sitting for more than 10-15 seconds I just put it in neutral.
Sitting in traffic with the clutch depressed is hard on the throw out bearing and other parts, put it in neutral, you will have plenty of time to get in gear when the light changes because some idiot is probably sending-reading a text in front of you...
I remember being in stop and go traffic in LA in my 68 4 speed GTO back in the '80's. Didn't enjoy it then and would less so now.
But as everybody says, the stock F-body clutch is light and easy. Perhaps there's an aftermarket unit in your car.
For the power you want to put down in the Z car you're going to have to leg it. You'll feel it. Only reason to build a car like that is because you LIKE the raw power, stiff clutch, noise, etc.
You have to have an aftermarket Master. My tick went out on me and when I put a stock one back in temporarily I could barley drive the stupid thing it was so light.
I went auto because of local traffic, but also wanted long distance commuter capable so I used the overdrive 4l80e.
The benefit is: the car is also faster when setup for auto proper, can sit in traffic or do rolling burnouts while trapped behind 3mph traffic on the highway without abusing or heating up any dry friction material.
The downside: fuel economy suffers, it could be a couple mpg, depends on the gearing and weight. With 5.3L, I went from 4.11 to 3.69 (I think this was while still at 3500~lbs, I should be lower now around 3300 and eventually 3000 hopefully) and noted that the injector duty didn't even move or flinch 0.1%, even though the car was now going some 12 to 15mph faster at those same engine RPM. So I think it has more in it, I could go 3.2X I bet.
But as everybody says, the stock F-body clutch is light and easy. Perhaps there's an aftermarket unit in your car.
Agreed. Stock LS1 clutches might not be Honda Civic clutch light, but relatively speaking they are pretty light. Compared to something like a stock Terminator clutch they're a sweet heart. The day my stock Terminator clutch kicked the bucket was a great day as it got replaced with a McLeod RST which was a way friendly clutch. I assume a nice twin disc would also benefit your left leg compared to a stock LS1 clutch but probably not by a lot see as a factory LS1 is pretty light to start with IMO.
You need to be doing some leg crunches and squats or something if your leg is sore after driving a stock 4th gen. Not making fun.
Originally Posted by RevGTO
I remember being in stop and go traffic in LA in my 68 4 speed GTO back in the '80's.
I agree with these. Earlier this year I asked here somewhere if there was a way to make my clutch stiffer. I have an '02 SS and a '95 mustang gt. I like the gt clutch feel. I've since converted the SS back to an automatic with a converter.
And back in the 80's I used to get stuck in the traffic here driving a '75 nova with a 12" clutch I took out of a small dump truck. No a/c either. I don't remember my leg ever getting tired.
This is one of the main reasons why I don't drive my car much anymore. Running the gears and clutch in stop-and-go traffic is not fun.
It depends on traffic patterns/etc., but for most people I recommend getting an auto trans for a daily driver - especially if you live in/around a bigger city.
You need to try losing some weight. And I don't mean the fluid you keep leaving on the driveway.
Also, stop using all my gas just to turn "sprags" and "planetaries", whatever that is.
-owners
response:
Dear owners,
We require more minerals. er... torque.
The fluid you see is me laughing and weeping at what your engine is producing.
also, bite me
When I drove in Chicago traffic in and out of the city daily , I got sick of my 5 speed manual.
So I went to an Automatic. Mind you, I was in gridlock moving 5 feet every few seconds.
However, for a PLAY car, I won't put an automatic in it. I'm even converting my 442 to manual.
Unless you're racing for ET's....., I won't use an Automatic because to me they're lame for driving.
Hot rods deserve to be driven by the driver, not the transmission driving the driver.
If you're NOT driving in deep urban traffic like above, I would drive a 6 speed manual daily in a heartbeat.
To me, there's nothing cooler then driving a stick shift.
I drive a 6 speed every day in Orlando where even the highways and toll roads might as well be a parking lot. I have zero complaints about owning a manual
Agreed. Stock LS1 clutches might not be Honda Civic clutch light, but relatively speaking they are pretty light. Compared to something like a stock Terminator clutch they're a sweet heart. The day my stock Terminator clutch kicked the bucket was a great day as it got replaced with a McLeod RST which was a way friendly clutch. I assume a nice twin disc would also benefit your left leg compared to a stock LS1 clutch but probably not by a lot see as a factory LS1 is pretty light to start with IMO.
I remember the one in my Firehawk being really heavy, but the one in my 2001 Camaro SS is pretty light. My GTO's was light as well. My 2014 Mustang on the other hand was a heavy bastard. I had issues like the OP described when sitting in traffic and I'm in decent shape. My 2016 Mustang GT has basically the same powertrain but they did something to the shifter and clutch. It's not as light as my Civic Si was but it's pretty damn light by muscle car standards.
A friend of mine has a racing clutch in his Viper. You want to talk about a beastly clutch that will give you a work out? That thing is it.
06-16-2017, 12:32 AM
Manual Transmission, Does it get better? 
