Avantgarde

Picked up my K04 wagon saturday. Will post impressions and detail on this later.

I have a RS4 cltuch and pressure plate and a LWFW (from Piggie) installed.

On my first drive, I took it easy on shifts, but on the highway in fourth gear when i started to dip into boost slightly aggressively the clutch totally let go.

I quickly got off the gas and disengaged, but it spun up from 3,000 to 4,500 or 5,000 rpms.

1. is this normal during break-in or did the installer either screw up or glaze it during their test drive?

2. based on this one slippage, have I glazed it to the point that I am screwed, or should I just keep on breaking it in and eventually it will hold?

3. The bottom 2" of the pedal travel is very stiff, but the engagement / disengagement point is smooth. Does this sound normal?

I am usually not so nervous about this stuff, but I have so much time and $$$ into this project at this point I really want to get this right.

Thanks for any thoughts, advice, flames etc.

Tim White

BTW - the DTS and snub makes a HUGE, HUGE, HUGE difference in the smoothness of my gear engagement.

ajrettke

I don't think that it's normal for any clutch to slip once it's fully engaged and matched up...even for new ones. I was always told with new clutches take it easy for bit...i.e. no fast launches...I drove like a 80 year old for the first 200 miles, but once its engaged you can go WOT no problems

2000s4biturbo::Uli

as for pedal feel... as of right now its softer than stock, but i was told that as it wears in it will get stiffer.

zhenya

I just had it installed a couple of weeks ago when Piggie did a stage 3- install for me. The pedal engagement was VERY stiff at the bottom couple of inches. So much so that starting the car was difficult because of how hard I had to push the clutch. It also slipped under load (say uphill in 6th and floor it) for over a week of driving. I was really nervous because I was going to be at the track for 5 days, and my clutch wouldn't hold. I almost made the trip to Autospeed to have Mark pull the clutch to check for defects.

Fortunately it got better. I went out to bed in new pads and rotors, and all that shifting seemed to break it in. I also ran the first day on the track at 12psi, the second at 14. By day 3 it was holding at 17psi. It never slipped once at the track. I still can't say for sure that everything is 100% ok, but it is working nicely for now, and the pedal travel is getting better. Interesting to hear of another person with the same issues.

Avantgarde

My concern is that they glazed it during test driving. Hopefully it will it work through this?

zhenya

a whole bunch of times, and still made it out ok. I'd try turning down boost for break in. That was what helped mine a lot, I believe. Even at its worst, it never slipped when set to 12psi.

JasonS4+Festicle

You'll want to granny shift and NOT launch at all during break in but, once you're in gear, you should be able to go WOT without any slippage.

When my RS4 clutch was installed (by Piggie) I drove back to Chicago from MI the day it was installed. I didn't shift hard but did do many jaunts at WOT on the way home with no issues.

40,000miles later, the clutch still feels strong.

OCA::DIY Motorsports

2nd.

Ochlockonee

That happened to my car one and I have the same setup. It just quit after a while.

Avantgarde

Quit as in quit working or as in works great stopped slipping?