How do you break in a new clutch?

[It's_SHO_Simple]

Hey guys/gals, I am in the process of installing my new clutch and flywheel and I was just wondering how I am supposed to break it in? The paper from clutch master says for me to break it in for 500 miles, does this mean I have to drive it for 500 hundred miles straight or what and what type of manner should I drive it in? I just want to be sure on how to properly break in the clutch because I put a lot of money on the new clutch, flywheel, throwout bearing, clutch cable etc and I don't want to mess anything up. I search through the forum and I couldn't find anything, I guess I'm the village idiot who doesn't know how to do such a simple thing. O'Well thanks for your help.

 

[1993MTXSHO]

its 500 miles city, you want to go easy on it no hard launches, when i did mine i burned it a little just letting it spin to kinda break it in faster but don't put a lot of strain on it early or it will lose its ho0lding capacity

 

[Ishodu]

Stay out of hard launches and high load situations especially in a high gear.

 

[SuperHO]

:;smirx:: I broke mine in racing my buddy's jetta GLI.....t'would probably explain why it's chattery as ****....

 

[Mike Kopstain]

500 miles of stop and go driving, light throttle, relatively low (4000 or so) rpms. It's a tough 500 miles but it means significantly longer life for the clutch as well as less chance for the disc to glaze.

 

[baySHO_510]

500 miles of stop and go driving, light throttle, relatively low (4000 or so) rpms. It's a tough 500 miles but it means significantly longer life for the clutch as well as less chance for the disc to glaze.

What Mike said... I went ahead and babied my new clutch for 1000 miles, 3000 rpm shifts, I didnt go past 70 mph on the freeway. It really is hard not to drive hard!

 

[Rockledge]

If you're like me, you'll probably be so happy to have a clutch that grabs properly and feels so nice and tight at the pedal that you will resist the urge to wail on it for the first 500 miles or so.

Of course, after that, all bets are off.

 

[dantheman68]

just drive normally, you dont have to be a grandma and you dont have to worry about speed, just dont slam it into gears and dont race it... i recently came about my 500 miles on my new clutch, and i didnt beat on it, and i didnt baby it the car never went over 5500 rpm, but it was above 4000 several times

just be sure to match your revs... even over revving is good, but you can look like an ******** if you always do it

 

[green91SHOPlus]

Hey, this was useful to me. I'm village idiot #2, haha.

 

[93rev2sev]

I think a lot of the reason they say '500 mile break-in' is so that you won't think you have a defective clutch if it chatters a bit for the first 500 miles.