I started experiencing some grinding/hesitation when trying to make the 3-4 shift a few weeks ago. After talking with others I came to the conclusion that my synchros were going bad. About a week before I started having this problem I purchased a reinforced clutch pedal from Charles Hill of BHR. Well, I decided while changing my oil today to go ahead and install it(yeah, i'm lazy, get over it).

Holy #$*&^ what a difference! Shifts are now smooth as silk again. No more grinding/hesitation during the 3-4 shift. I guess I had forgotten what a good clutch feels like. I just unintentionally saved myself from a tranny rebuild in the near future. I never heard any weird sounds, or felt any weird movement in the old pedal. I have @95k on my car. It is an 04. I guess the old pedal just degraded ever so slightly as time went by so I didn't notice.

The thing that really pisses me off is that mazda would manufacture a part so flimsy. The only places where the main pedal bracket is still in contact with the backing that bolts up to against the firewall is where the spot welds are(this is the old pedal). Everywhere else it is bending away from the backing(different directions from top to bottom). The BHR pedal on the other hand has the main bracket completely welded to the backing plate.

I would consider myself a fairly smooth driver when it comes to pedal inputs. If this can happen to me, it can happen to anyone. My suggestion if you are planning on keeping your RX8 for the forseeable future is to upgrade your clutch pedal ASAP. I made no other changes to the car today other than installing my reiforced pedal, and the proof as they say, is in the pudding.

-Yambo

i need to check my pedal too.....

glad to hear you fixed the problem. ray has been saying for a long time now that he believes many of these "transmission problems" are actually clutch pedal related.

flush the system out with some redline synthetics and you'll be a happy camper.

You mean for the clutch/brake system, or the tranny??

^tranny

I heard redline has a very strong smell that will not go away.

I've had redline for the past 25,000 miles. Nope.

Cool. I was just getting ready to "flush my fluids" anyways.

Sorry I took this thread off topic, but it is my thread so suck it. I just wanted to reiterate how important it is to inspect your clutch pedal for premature wear. It is really easy to check, so the only question is what would you rather do.....take a hour out of your day, or have your tranny rebuilt??

Glad to hear you are enjoying the clutch pedal! I was surprised myself how much of a difference in feel it was over my previous assembly and I didn't have any weld problems.

It's a no-brainer purchase in my opinion.

i have an 06, i drove bastages 05, and he had a really short clutch pedal travel and it did feel a little less strong than my own. I don't know if he did anything to it, but my pedal is very different, much longer and smoother travel. We both have similar mileage, just different years. Could have been a change to newer models?

Glad to know, i must admit that i didn't have time to weld my pedal before a couple of track days and this resulted in permanent gearbox damages.
We should all thank Charles for his solid product!

i have an 06, i drove bastages 05, and he had a really short clutch pedal travel and it did feel a little less strong than my own. I don't know if he did anything to it, but my pedal is very different, much longer and smoother travel. We both have similar mileage, just different years. Could have been a change to newer models?

Naw. You can adjust the travel with a couple of wrenches.

Every time I read a thread like this I get a little scared :(

c'mon greg, it's an easy fix. You'll be happy you did.