Mr. Zambono brought his V8V in to us for a clutch change. The obvious decision was to upgrade to the RSC Tuning kit. So far, I'm very pleased with everything as I had expected. The build quality of the kit is great, installation was straight forward with no funny business and of course initial performance is solid.

The pedal is noticeably lighter and although the clutch disc has a good deal more bite, engagement is still smooth and acceptable for everyday use. I'm looking forward to seeing some mileage get put on the car for long term wear and performance data. So far we're off to a good start though.

 

Nice work Josh keep us posted. My clutch is stiff and grabs very high...I've been told by the dealer that this is normal and haven't found another 6 speed manual DB9 to compare it to. I dunno if the same is the case for the v8v like Jose's (Zambono) car...

 

6spd DB9's do seem to be far and few between. Your assessment seems to be the norm for the V8V and DB9 cars, especially the weight of the pedal. For a car considered to be a GT, the pedal is very stiff.

The RSC setup has brought the pedal effort down to nearly a Japanese 4cyl feel. I've had Lambo clutches rebuilt with Kevlar, which includes a pressure plate fulcrum adjustment which also often results in a surprisingly easy pedal.

With the aggressiveness of these upgraded friction materials, it is important to have an easy pedal so that the clutch can be modulated and avoid the harsh and sudden engagement.

 

I would like to give thanks to Josh from ECS and Stew from RSC for always taking care of me. Like Josh mentioned the pedal feel is extremely lighter than stock, engagement is very quick. I was able to chirp my Michelin Super Sports. Josh also did some work on the gear shifter to try to reduce notchyness which has improved. I have around 400 miles on the setup and am happy although if I try to engage 1st lightly from a stop, like if I were in a garage I am getting vibration. Based on Josh's assessment this is the clutch breaking in but would like to hear from others and how long till this is supposed to go. I would have thought it taken care of by the 400 miles. Some insight Stew?

 

Josh is right, you're always going to have some break in period on a new clutch & flywheel. I'm sure he gave you some instructions to that effect but in short, don't beat on it but don't baby it either. Somewhere in between.

You should find operation getting smoother as time goes on, and the clutch will be a little less grabby. I just put a Valeo single mass clutch/flywheel in my Audi to replace the dual mass OEM unit, and it took at least 1000 miles before I felt like it really bedded in.

Having said that, although this clutch is not a super high performance aggressive setup, the changes which give you better engagement and longer life do also change the way the clutch engages. It might take a little adjustment in driving style, but the less you 'slip' the clutch when manouvering the better.

 

thanks Stew, i'll give it 500 more miles and report but I do believe that it is doing better.