RKA

and burns the living crap out of the clutch.

*shakes head*

I hope he's saving for a new clutch at this rate.

Jretal

but you're probably right... lol. I haven't done it once since I did it on my car 3 yrs ago. It made me sick when I did it. Didn't think the clutch was engaged, then I noticed my RPMs going up. Let off the gas and pushed in the clutch immediately, but the damage was already done... lol. That horrid smell then started wafting into the cab area, and it was then I knew I just burned my clutch like no other.

ModifiedA4

the clutch is on its way out.

phoneyman

ive smelled my clutch plenty of times just due to being stupid, even though i usually know how to shift/launch right. this is my first car so i learned on it. burned/glazed it a decent amount of times. but i changed it about 5k ago just cause it used to belong to a woman and she held the car with it and seared the bitch very deep. my mechanic said it was the worst clutch he'd seen on an audi, and it was at 68k...oh well.

I have APR chip and feathering works beautifully still, but usually i just engage properly then floor it

KMHPaladin

And the RPMs weren't very high. I heard a 'thunk' noise from the rear and the car didn't really launch. I swiftly resolved never to do it again. I've toasted my clutch once in the snow, though. Not enough to glaze it, it didn't slip after that, but more than enough to get a pleasant clutch smell in the cabin.

greggers

I was wondering why my a4 clutch wouldn't grab like any other standard I drove. Great explanation.

phoneyman

haha yeah. i had a long lecture from my dad the day after i tried my first launch. still stunk...

A4SilverT

I've owned seven vehicles with clutches. With all due respect, the A4 clutch differs from other clutches only in so far as it engages much further out than most, i.e. it has much more "free play." And it shares a master cylinder reservoir with the brakes.

No clutch made will hold up very long if you rev the engine high, then dump (or pop) the clutch. Neither will your tires and the rest of the drive train.

What makes the A4 hard to get accustomed to for people who drive or have driven other clutches is due to the free play. Clutch drivers are accustomed to start giving gas as soon as they start to release the clutch. If you do that on an Audi, you end up having your RPMs up fairly high when the clutch starts to grab. You have to train yourself to start giving gas later in the process.

Because no two clutches and shift mechanisms are alike, you have to re-learn the finer points on each one.