[MackSteelPrivateEye]

In some cases it not the clutch at all but the electronic throttle which is mushy.

[DC5]

I made a concerted effort to observe the clutch engagement in my Camaro today, and I actually agree with the OP that the clutch engages too high within the clutch pedal range of motion. With that said, I'm certainly comfortable with the progression of the clutch pedal and the corresponding clutch engagement after one year of ownership.

[cbr1100xx]

Get a sheepskin cover. The clutch will feel sooooo good.

[50MileSmile]

Welcome to Camaro6. Sorry you're not getting much help here, but the issue may be one of needing a little time to adjust to a different situation than you have with your current vehicle. OTOH, maybe the car you test drove was screwed up; try a drive in another 1LE. I've had no problems; the 1LE clutch is lightyears better than the Mustang GT and GT350.

[gearhead6873]

Thanks. Yes, I am going to drive another one just to see. Haven't had time yet and the dealer close to me only had the one.

[Cgocifer]

Just sell it.

[the_swiSS]

In my experience, the clutch definetly did take some getting used to. The only clutches I used before were from VAG cars, which had very forgiving and easy clutches. With the Camaro, I stalled 3 times on the drive home from the dealer, finding the exact spot was hard at first.

What is definetly much more annoying to me is how vague/laggy the throttle seems to be at low revs. I'm either over-revving from a red light, or barely keeping the engine from stalling. It's especially bad in Tour mode.

IMO, that adds to the general impression of the clutch feel "sucking" on the 6th gen cars, the throttle is far worse than the clutch IMO. My other car is a 20-year old Diesel E-Class Benz, and the throttle (old-school cable throttle) is way more direct and responsive than my Camaro.

[GrimReaperSS]

I have only experienced a similar concern to yours in one vehicle. As a Mazda Dealer Tech, when the '06 Mazdaspeed 6 came out, the clutch pedal was rather stiff at first, then about half way down there was a "ramp/cam" feel and then it got pretty easy. Same on the reverse during engagement, coming off the floor was ok at first, then half way up (which was actually a little too high), you would hit that "ramp" feeling and this is where the clutch would start to engage. Once you passed the "ramp", the pedal would almost force your leg back. Subsequently Mazda released a bulletin and we had to replace the clutch disc, pressure plate and depending on which type of clutch pedal assembly was in the car, we may have had to replace that as well. Honestly it sounds to me that in order to satisfy your desire for a different feel, you're going to have to add one more manual transmission removal to your resume. You're going to have to install a different pressure plate (so aftermarket clutch kit) .

[nate.the.great]

Originally Posted by TRZ06

The engagement point is a little high in the travel for my liking too, but you get used to it.

+1

Originally Posted by Vtor_ZL1

High engagement... sucks for sure. On/off range is quite small.

+1

Originally Posted by gearhead6873

Everyone please stop saying I'll get used to it.

but you will, I spent a bunch of time researching different options to make the engagement point lower and more linear, and then got used to it.

Originally Posted by WhyUMad1LE

You’ll get used to it

yup.

[Deakins]

I have to ask everyone why they want a lower engagement point? The higher the better! The engagement point is also the disengagement point; the faster you can disengage the clutch the sooner you can start the shift. Just my .02

[TRZ06]

Originally Posted by Deakins

I have to ask everyone why they want a lower engagement point? The higher the better! The engagement point is also the disengagement point; the faster you can disengage the clutch the sooner you can start the shift. Just my .02

For me, the on/off is a very small window and with the engagement point near the top of the travel, it could lead to inadvertently slipping the clutch.

Also, while you do have a point regarding the engagement point, I prefer the feel of a lower engagement point, it just feels more natural. Similar to having a more sensitive throttle mapping. It's all preference of course, but I prefer a lower engagement point.

[Jinkx]

The answer to our prayers.. I agree with the OP.
https://youtu.be/u_U5UcUYlmc
Holley Adjustable Clutch pedal valve for hydraulic Chevy Gen6 Camaros

[jeep_junkie]

OP, you're right that clutch feel is subjective. This gen 6 SS clutch is the best feeling clutch pedal I've ever had and I have driven pretty much nothing but manuals for the last 25 years. I also thought the engagement point was too high off the floor, but usually the master cylinder isn't adjustable on these new cars and I just got used to it, forgot it was ever an issue until now. It's a light effort clutch because GM wants to sell it to as many people as they can, not just diehard gearheads like us who got used to heavy clutch pedals early on in life. Besides, a twin disc clutch doesn't need excessively high pressure plate tension. That's a good thing too, considering that unlubricated crankshaft thrust bearings are bearing all that tension from the clutch every time you start the engine. The only problem I had with mine was bent fingers in the diaphragm spring but the warranty replacement didn't change the feel at all. Speaking of the diaphragm spring, that's what creates the cam/springy action at the engagement point in hydraulic clutches. Maybe a mechanical conversion will increase pedal effort across the board making the springiness less noticeable.

[Norm Peterson]

You're right that a dual-disc clutch doesn't need as much clamping pressure. But I'm pretty sure that most of the "lightness" and nonlinearity that people are noticing comes from the clutch pedal assist spring.

The way I understand them, they work with your foot pressure as you push the pedal down past a certain point, which keeps pedal pressure low - kind of like having a "power-assisted clutch pedal". But for pedal positions above that point, the spring has essentially gone "over-center" and is then working against your foot trying to return the clutch pedal to its highest possible position. You need this to happen with an assist spring, so that it won't be constantly putting the throwout bearing under load, but it can make for nonlinear pedal feel and some difficulty in sensing the friction point for the clutch itself.

At least on the Mustang side of the aftermarket, there are a couple of aftermarket assist springs that don't provide as much help in depressing the clutch pedal, in exchange for a more linear feel around and above the friction point of the clutch. There may be something for the Camaro as well.


OP is probably never going to see these 2020 posts, as he hasn't been seen in over two years as it is and about all he did here was complain about his clutch and about people telling him that he really would eventually get used to it. Don't know if he even still has a Camaro.


I have driven a 6th gen 1SS, and I didn't find its clutch the least bit difficult to use. Pretty easy actually to get used to, didn't even think about it after once in reverse and once in 1st. Then again, we've owned nothing but stick-shift cars since the early 1970's. There's been a little adjusting over the years, going from Z-bars and linkages, to quadrants and cables, to hydraulics, and with minor variations with different hydraulics. Which is something OP should have at least tried to let happen. Soft-soled footwear would probably have helped him with respect to pedal feel.


Norm