I am not the OG owner of my Coop...so I really don't know if there is an after market clutch on it or if this is how clutches were on our generation.

Its stiff. Like, it takes a good amount of effort to keep it engaged. My leg hurts sitting at a light if i don't have it in neutral.

Every other car that I've driven's clutch i've thought "whoa...this is super easy! minimal effort!" this includes other MINIs and a turbo Jetta.

I mean, I GUESS I could have my car dude look, but why when I can just consult NAM?!! So, is your clutch super stiff too? Tell me friends, tell me.

 

How many miles are on it? Does it catch really close to the floor? It may just be worn out and need replacing. When mine died, it was very stiff, and it felt like I needed to have my foot buried in the floor to fully disengage it.

 

I've driven a LOT of cars..and the MCS clutch is one of the stiffest stock clutches i've ever encountered. So it could be normal.

It shouldn't be painful to engage though....it might be worth getting it checked out.

 

54000 miles...i would hope its not worn out by now, sheesh.

it catches really quickly, but i still bury it to the floor out of habit so i dont know what it does if i dont. granny shifter...what can i say.

this by the way isn't a complaint, i quite like a stiff clutch. makes me feel like i'm doing work!

 

I have an '06 JCW with about 25k miles, and it feels really stiff. Especially on cold mornings. My girlfriend also has an '06 JCW, with about 1k less miles, and her clutch seems to be softer. Both clutches seem to catch fairly high.

Both seem a lot stiffer than my brothers '04 Civic with 13k miles though.

*shrug*


-Paul!

 

I've noticed that too. I have a lightweight flywheel and a stage 4 clutch in my Prelude and the clutch in my Mini feels kinda similar to my Prelude....

 

Mine was very stiff, feathering in reverse or creeping in traffic was a chore. I've driven a couple of MC and MCSs with less pedal effort so I knew my clutch was different. After replaceing the clutch, flywheel, and pressure plate, and lubing the input shaft, it became easier. It became buttery slick after replacing the clutch release bearing, release bearing guide tube, and actuator shaft's bushings. Look at post #19 for parts photos https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...52#post1451152

 

This is entirely subjective, so for what it's worth, I didn't notice too much of a difference in clutch stiffness in my MINI versus my old Sentra. Maybe my leg is just super-awesome.

 

My MINI clutch is about 100 x's lighter than the one that was in my '92 Taurus SHO, even after 100K+.

 

Whenever I see a Taurus SHO i always think "fer sho" or "showboat", which doesn't even remotely make sense. ...but i digress.

i think i've come to the conclusion that my stiff clutch is compounded into feeling even more stiff because of my short stature. maybe. that's what i think anyhow.