how to make clutch pedal stiffer? (other than new pressure plate)

Hey all, could not find any threads on this so I figured that I would start one. i just had my clutch replaced on my '04 4x4 and the new clutch is SIGNIFICANTLY lighter than the old one. i really preferred the stiffer feel of my the old clutch and would like to get it back. plus, I wear boots most of the time and want to be able to feel the clutch. it was bad enough with the old clutch and vibram-soled work boots so, as you can imagine, the new one is awful. I'm not ready to go so far as to replace the pressure plate with a stiffer one but i was wondering if there was anything i could do to make the clutch stiffer. i'm sure i will get used to it but it feels like there isn't a pedal there right now which, to put it bluntly, just plain sucks to drive.

thoughts? or am i stuck with what i got

 

Add a spring from an early Tacoma clutch pedal to increase the tension.

 

on the pedal? when i did the master cylinder i found that the thing that controlled the pressure was the hydraulic pressure instead of the return spring.

 

Some of the Tacoma's had are return spring. If yours doesn't have one you can add it for more resistance.

 

thx, i might give that a try. my taco doesnt have one but the retaining pin on the clutch pedal-master cylinder plunger has a groove for one. i'll need to check whether there is a spot to mount the other end of the spring. otherwise it might be a fun "fabri-cobble-ing" project. do you happen to know the part number?

 

thank you sir

 

You might be the only person I have every heard of that wants more clutch tension. I wear thorogood boots everyday and have no problem. But more power to ya!

 

In my experience a new clutch always feels super light for the first few hundred miles, then it stiffens up a bit.

 

After driving Tacoma for few years I went to rental Corolla with MT. The first time I pressed the clutch my boot almost went through the floor. That Corolla clutch felt like nothing. After driving that Corolla for 3 weeks I stopped thinking about it - felt normal. Then I returned to my truck. And again, first time I tried to press clutch , that thing did not budge. WTH - is it stuck after sitting for 3 weeks? No, it was me got used to Corolla clutch. After one week of feeling like I was doing quite workout with my left foot all went back to normal. I adjusted.

The point is, just don't do anything. You will adjust in no time and all will feel normal again, like it was before the replacement. Not worth to fix what ain't broken.

 

yeah, i know it's a little strange but i like to have a little bit of something pushing back on my foot. i miss the way that the clutch on the OBS ford i learned to drive stick on felt. stiff as hell and it felt great! mind you, i never drove that thing in Seattle rush-hour traffic, but i still prefer stiffer to lighter. the Original clutch on my 99 and the original one on this one felt just about perfect. not too stiff to drive in traffic, but you could tell it was there.

let's hope that's the case. did you notice the same thing when you had your clutch done?

based on how it felt this afternoon coming home i have a feeling that'll be the case. it still felt too light but it wasn't as noticeable as before.

funny story about adjustment, I've got a friend who's got an 80s Yugo GVL for a project car. the clutch on that thing is really weird. bites just fine and doesn't slip but it's light and the biting point is at the end of the clutch when you're letting it out. anyways, we drove the thing around the field behind his house like a go kart for about 2 hours. he didn't know how to drive stick yet as he'd just bought it so i taught him a few things, and etc. at the end of the day when i hopped back in my truck, i started her up, backed out of the driveway, tried to drive off and... stalled it right off the bat. as much as i had complained about the clutch in that little POS, i'd gotten used to it and I ended up having to re-learn the clutch in my truck for the first 20 minutes of the drive home.

part has been ordered. for $8, i figured why not. supposed to come in on Tuesday so i'll see if it makes much of a difference. who knows, maybe i'll be used to the new clutch and prefer it by then, but it's worth a shot to get some of my beloved stiffness back in the pedal.

 

Yup, had it replaced on this truck and once on my last vehicle - both times felt like it was light as a feather right after it was replaced.

 

huh, and it ended up right back around stock stiffness within a few hundred miles? I'm still going to keep the spring for a rainy day since the part's only 8 bucks but maybe I'll hold off and see if it improves.

 

I'm wondering if it was really the clutch that changed or the left foot got used to it.

 

Unless you have some sort of problem The hydraulic pressure is always the same

Non hydraulic clutch is

You want to increase the feel of your clutch ?

Just give yourself time to get adjusted to me all my new clutches felt the same !

Hydraulics always put out the same amount of pressure till the fluid gets to much water or air

 

I go back and forth from my Mazda 3 to the pickup. Gets me every time - the difference in clutch release, pressing etc. The car is nice and smooth. I almost always start out jerking the pickup when I go from car to pickup.

 

well the clutch felt stiffer today when i got in it this morning. some of my buddies at school hopped in to see how the clutch felt and both responded with "oh shit that's light!". i suspect that, as numerous people have said, i am getting used to it and will continue to do so as i drive it more. still might try the spring but we'll see.

do you mean that they all felt light and then you got used to them?

funnily enough i've driven a MT 06 Honda civic from time to time and i find the opposite. it's impossible to keep the car from jerking when i shift but almost never happens in my truck. maybe it's just the car. the owner of the Civic says that it happens to them too so i know it's not just me.

 

Nope the new clutch felt the same as the old one that was just replaced !

Going to the F250 the Toyota feels like it is not even there

 

hmm, so in other words I'll just get used to it.

 

For 5 years I drove 2012 Mazda 5 (6-speed MT) I used for commute. The clutch feel was almost the same as in my Tacoma. So the clutch did not feel funny, but the throttle was. The feel on the throttle by wire pedal reminded me the feel of throttle in my Tacoma when the throttle body was sticky (dirty). It was almost impossible to take off smooth at low rpm - When I was touching the throttle it was was like: idle, idle, idle, wrrrrrrrooom.