Kinda sad that i had to sell my 8 (it was paid off) as it was fun as hell to drive and the motor seemed to be getting stronger with age.

But like with many things in life other responsibilities can trump your desires. Mainly my now 2 year old daughter and now having a need for a "family" car.

I do actually have a point for posting though.

So i trade in my plain jane 2004 RX-8 MT to a mazda dealer (for a pitiful 12K US) and put that down on a mazda 3 S 4 door (the "sporty" 3 with a 2.3L engine). I lose $ on the deal (6K US) but I got the family car my wife wanted me to get.

I noticed something. The clutch on the mazda3 is a bit weird. (from a dead stop in 1st gear) I notice that there is a shudder / vibration when the clutch is let out but not fully engaged (1/2 way point) and the rpms are below 2k. One way to see it is to set the parking brake and slowly let out the clutch (with no accelerator) until it starts grabbing but the engine rpms have not dropped. At that point there is a noticeable / pronounced shudder / vibration. When the rpms are above 2k the shudder goes away.

I have tested 2 mazda3's (one did it, one didn't). I also tested 4 2008 honda civics (3 did it, 2 didn't). I asked the the honda service tech and he said it was normal for civics to do it. I have not yet asked the mazda techs.

So the question is... is it normal for clutches on these types of cars (small Inline 4 motor) to shudder / vibrate at low engine rpms when starting from a dead stop in 1st gear?

 

????

I never had that problem. Maybe you're just not used to other manual transmissions yet?

 

give it more gas or give it more clutch. under 2k rpm is usually a stall point and that's why you're getting that shudder.

 

Every new car I have owned has done this for the first couple thousand miles. It is very slight though. Not a major shaking, just a tiny chatter
It is almost like the clutch need to break itself in a little bit.


If the problem persists after about 2000 miles, go have it checked out.

 

you might want to consider asking on the 3 forum, they're cool there from what I hear.

 

Is that more a function of the low torque of the 2.3L ? My RX-8 never had this sort of shudder at low rpms. The RX-8 would not shudder until about 300 rpm.


Yeah i Plan on seeing if it gets worse or better with mileage, although if it is somewhat normal for low torque motors to do this then i will just adjust my driving style.

 

my thoughts, too. give it more gas and see if it still does it

 

I tried , my new account over there wont let me post any messages.

 

Yeah, It does not do it at or above 2k rpms. Alternatively if you let the clutch out faster it also stops doing it.

It's just so different from the RX-8 I have been driving for the past 4 years.

 

^ www.streetunitforum.com

Majority of them are "3" and "6" owners... real nice bunch...

They'll take good care of ya'