i just recently bought an 04 rx8 MT and i love it but it will not take off smoothly unless i rev it up to at least 4k rpm. i just recently had the clutch replaced and when i take off lower than that i hear a thud from the rear wheels upon clutch engagement plus it shudders. this is my only car and i am desperate to figure this out. any info would be GREATLY appreciated. thank you.

 

for example if i am on a grassy hill there is no way i can accelerate smoothly when im trying to take it easy. IT JUST KEEPS SHUDDERING!! I HAVE PUT AT LEAST 2K ON MY NEW CLUTCH WITH NO IMPROVEMENT!!!

 

These cars really don't like any sort of driving under 2k rpm, but to really diagnose this problem some more info would be useful... Was the car fine before the clutch was replaced? Have you ever changed/flushed the transmission or diff fluid?

 

no i havent flushed the fluids. the old clutch obviously wasnt bad enough for me to notice. maybe i just have to wear it in more. idk. could a flush help my situation? i have 74 k on the car.

 

it seems to be fine when i rev up to approx. 4k rpm and just ease the clutch out..is doing this bad for my clutch?

 

It definitely is not the best thing for it.

You should change your fluids by about 60k, a lot of people do it much sooner.

 

why are you on a GRASSY HILL? (wtf)

You could have a bad clutch, a bad engine or differential mount, the power plant frame may not be positioned correctly, a bad rear shock, or maybe not be good at clutch operation

 

lol parking at my workplace consists of a grassy hill so im fucked with that.

 

Can you move the car with just the clutch and not touching the gas?

 

i will be changing my fluids then. i have read that it could be the power plant frame. not sure what that is but a little research could solve that im sure.

 

im pretty sure it would just stall

 

could the PPF be incorrectly aligned when they replaced my clutch? im sure my engine is fine.

 

What kinda clutch did you have installed? Different types of clutches engage different. For example a 4 puck clutch leaves very little clutch material and almost immediately connects the tranny and flywheel. This would be very difficult driving at lower rpms since the clutch almost stalls the engine upon engagement, requiring more throttle.

 

If you change fluids and it has no impact on your issue, then under the assumption that you were not having this issue prior to install of the new clutch I would vote to start further diagnosis there. Just for the sake of asking, why replace the clutch in the first place? Was it slipping or were you having some other kind of problem?

 

Take it back to the shop where the clutch was installed.