clutch woes

[V8MUSCLE]

so, we have this strip marked off on my road thats exactly a 1/4 mile. as you would guess i play there every now and then. so...

the fastest ive done it is 13.2 at 106, with a buddy in the car runnin the stopwatch. i realize this time/speed means very little since it isnt on a track being timed correctly, but its close within .2, the speed is by the spedo and is within 2mph.

ive run a 13.4 at 103 at the track, but that was before new plugs, wires, gutted cats, catback, trans fluid, clutch fluid, brake fluid, headlight fluid... so 13.2 probably isnt that far off.

that said, i just put new rims and wheels on it, went with some black machined 17X9.5 Z06 wheels, running the cheap tire rack $89 sumitomos. i didnt heat em up as i had been driving on the highway so they should be warm enough for playing. with the old tires i would launch at 2.5k pretty much hook and go with just a little spinnage of the wheels.

did the same with these it was much slower off the line, the wheels never spun, like the clutch was slipping all through first. the tires chirped second and third and finished the 1/4 at around 96/97mph. after i got on the brakes the smell of burnt clutch filled the car. now when ive braked hard in the past ive smelt a smell that smells like burnt clutch, so i didnt panic, yet... pulled into a driveway to turn around and, oh shit, couldnt get it into reverse. and the clutch pedal was not coming all the way up, but just about every time i get on it the pedal stays down till i "pump" it back up. it wouldnt go in reverse for about 2 or 3 minutes. every other gear worked except reverse, it wasn't hitting the lock out, it was like the syncros wernt matching up.

its done this before if i start it and never release the clutch before i go to put it in gear. its like the "male" lugs on both sides where hitting each other, after you get one side to spin a little, either by moving the car or letting the clutch out in neutral.

on the highway today i took 3rd to 3.5krpms and stomped it to see if it would slip and it did not slip. the clutch has 133k miles on it so if it is going i guess its around that time.

if i messed something up it would still be giving me a hard time, but its not, right?

the car pulls hard from a roll, but out of the hole those new tires are killing me.

any ideas?

[az gt eater]

I am pretty sure you have the same problem I do. I couldn't get mine to go into first at the MCD's drive thru the other night. It grabbed it only a little when I held it against first with the clutch inand started to go even with the clutch in. You need a new clutch and a better one. The stock clutch has no clamping power to hold it to the flywheel and heats up VERY quickly, then the pedal doesnt work right for a couple of shifts, then it cools off and every thing is back to normal. I am going to get a stage2 aftermarket clutch and suggest you do the same. Next time let it cool for a while and keep clamping and unclamping it. You know working the clutch pedal.

[GONZO SS]

there is a sticky u can look at in the manual trans section.