ok so I am just cracking a 100k on my clutch with heavy city/gridlock commuting.

(chicago, 40 miles each way and every inch is under nasty construction)

So how long are people getting out of their clutch?

(everything still feels find but trying to plan if this will be good for 125k, 150k, or much more. I am finally starting to like this car...)

 

Chicago is flat... commuting in an empty car... not the heaviest use of the clutch.
Try pizza delivery in San Francisco hills (or bricks, would do it even quicker).
Bottom line, it depends.
Inspection would give u a definitive answer.

 

yes chicago is flat but I also spend 3 hours a day sitting in gridlock traffic. over ten years of only driving stick cars, there are still days I get home and my clutch leg is sore as hell. I know it is entirely dependent and I've kept an open ear on here for years and have yet to hear any discussion on it. Truth be told, I've never had a motor last long enough to have a clutch go out before I preemptively replaced it. I don't even know what a slipping clutch feels like, I just kinda feel like a 100k is the mark where I should start feeling concerned about that.

 

Don't replace it until it starts slipping. I don't know that mine will ever get replaced.

 

My car has 125k on it and the clutch seems fine. I have noticed several people on this board posting about their clutch going out and I've noticed that it was always around 170-180k, but like others have said, it depends on the use. I would guess if you are driving around in traffic like you are, you will get less life out of it.

 

There is no easy way to check a clutch for wear. Indications of need to replace are slipping as mentioned. Slipping is easier to detect when going uphill a medium speed in top gear.

Usually heavy traffic is hard on the throw-out bearing because most people keep the pedal depressed while waiting on traffic. I always take my foot off the pedal when stopped in traffic, and don't ride the pedal when driving.

If you take care of the clutch it can probably go up to 200k miles. I know a few cars in my family have gone over 150k without a clutch replacement.


Clifton

 

My friends at the dealership says that the easiest way to check if the clutch needs to be replaced is by dropping the clutch in 1st gear at idle with your foot off the brakes. If the motor stalls, the clutch is grabbing enough, if the motor bogs hard but eventually the car picks up enough speed for it to not stall, then the clutch is worn too much and should be replaced.

 

This sounds like bolony.... Too many variables that can sway the result either way.
1. slight incline
2. heavy person inside
3. low tire pressure that increases resistance
4. low idle to start with
5. how quickly the clutch was let go
6. junk in the back of the vehicle

Etc...Besides, even 95% worn out clutch should creat enough drag on the engine to stall it at idle. Very dubious.

 

Of course you'd want to do this on a horizontal surface. Some variation in weight and tire pressure should be negligible. This is a good test to show that the clutch is indeed fried and should be replaced immediately.

If you are looking to measure variance in clutch slippage, you would need more data to calculate the percentage slip. You could log engine speed, gear selection, wheel speed, and clutch line pressure to accurately calculate this. This is a similar method to calculate slippage in LSDs.

Source: I am a former motorsports engineer, now working for an OEM.

 

really depends if ure riding the clutch or doing dumps.