Excessive clutch travel?

Hi to all, going on 3 weeks of 996 ownership now ('04 model). I am settling in and not sure I'll ever be able to drive anything else. Question - my clutch seems to have a relatively long travel such that my entire foot comes off the floor and I cannot pivot my foot while my heel stays on the floor. This can be a little tricky, particularly when the engine is cold as it tends to lead to a jerkier motion. The whole travel seems to be necessary to engage / disengage the clutch. Is this normal? Should I ask dealer to adjust?

I also notice that the clutch catches the gear pretty high, is there any way to adjust it so that it is lower? (less travel?)

Introduce air into the clutch hydraulic system to lower the engagement point to where you want.

don't be mean . . .

I am serious. This has been done for hydraulic clutches since they were first indroduced. On vehicles that do not have an adjustable pedal piston, this is the only way to adjust the engagement poiint and is perminant and proper. My pedal engages about 2 inches from the floor. With a cable controled clutch, you lengthen the cable. With hydraulic, air is the way you lengthen the cable. This does not change the pedal travel, but only the point at which the clutch engages.

Wouldn't the introduction of air create a potential failure point?

Not at all. The system works because the hydraulic fluid compresses a specific amount (this determines the length of the clutch cable) Indroducing air, or another gas or liquid that has greater compression properties, is the same as lengthening the cable. In a closed system, once the mod is complete, the amount of compression in the line remains constant. IMO, there is nothing worse than driving a car where you have to bring your knee up to your face just to get the clutch to engage. Press the clutch pedal down a few inches, open the slave, bring the pedal back to the top and close the slave. Repeat until the pedal is engaging exactly where you want it to.

really? i am worried about trying this, is the '04 996 a hydrolic system? will the clutch feel any different??

Your system is the same. The difference in the feel of the clutch will only be where the clutch begins to engage. Instead of engaging near the top of the pedal travel, it will allow for engagement at some point lower, depending on how much you want. 80% of the clutch pedal travel is wasted and does nothing to engage or disengage the clutch disc. Lowering the point of engagement will not, in anyway, reduce the release of the clutch disc, but will allow for the a much moire comfortable engagement point during your driving. IMO, the clutch should have 2 inches (minimum) of pedal play from the top before the disengagment process begins.

If it is too high it could be a worn clutch, I have never heard of the air trick, but hey one never knows. Tell tale sign of a going on gone clutch in our cars is how high it grabs and releases.

All modern day clutchs that have no pedal adjustment engage at the highest point of the pedal travel. There are few exceptions, of coarse. Clutch disc wear, no mater how much, is almost immesurable as to how it effects the pedal. Put you physics hat on and calculate how much a reduction of 1/8 - 1/4 inch in disc thickness effects the pedal even without hydraulic fluid taken into account. Remember that all disc wear is replaced with hydraulic fluid to the system, taking up all slack. Just like your brake system. People who do not understand the hydraulic setup have incorrectly accepted that clutch disc wear affects the pedal hieght as being fact.

Yea your words sound good, but I am talking in my real world experience. I know when the car needs a clutch by the way it feels, I am not disputing your words, I just know what works for me.I can tell you this when I first bought the car it was grabbing 2 " from the bottom, just before i replaced the clutch it was grabbing around 1" from the top. New clutch and its back to the way it was new. As i said i know by my own past,

Can anyone really depress the entire clutch while still pivoting your foot on its heel? My clutch travel is way longer than that -- and I have a relatively large foot, size 13.

I don't think you'll ever be able to adjust the clutch enough to keep your heel on the floor. In fact, doing the air trick means you have to push it just as far, it just means there is less dead space at the end of the travel. What's the point of the dead space anyways? I was driving a Mustang GT (new model one) and it had very little dead space, so clearly it's not necessary. Actually, that clutch on that GT was even better than the one in the 996. Shorter through shifter too, without being any harder than the stock 996 shifter. (No, I am in no way saying it's a better car, I'm just saying, I wish the 996 had the clutch setup of the GT).

Ya, I want less dead space, I think it will help me shift faster.

They sell little things (I've seen them in the back of Roundel, BMW's club magazine) that bolt into your floor and you adjust them to only let your clutch go as far as it needs to (like an artificial stopper).

interesting, so instead of lowering the engagement point, you raise the floor.. but would this mean that your seat would need to move back? which would make the gas/brake pedals too far away?

Why would you do that? The pedal doesn't come up higher, it just doesn't go as far down.

on cars w/ clutches, I usually measure my seat position based on my left leg pressing in the clutch pedal & my leg fully extended.. so all this means is that my leg will not be fully extended w/ this stopper.

I'm having the same problem...clutch engages about 2-3 inches from the top of the travel. The engagement point seems to be getting progressivel higher little by little. I made some preliminary inquiries and was told that by two Porsche indys that there is no clutch adjustment...and no one has heard of the introduction of air to reset the clutch engagement point. Can you folks tell me how much you consider is reasonable for a clutch for a '99 996 C2? I would imagine the price would be contingent upon whether or not it needed a flywheel and pressure plate? The car only has 23K on it. Seems awfully early for a clutch...I'm the second owner....bought it at 19K.