Compared to my good friends S4 the clutch pedal on my +2 is far heavier and also heavier than how I recall the clutch pedal feel to be when I first had my car.
Error 1 was to inadvertently fit a “competition clutch” during an engine out rebuild. That has now been replaced with a standard item supplied by Classic Team Lotus along with a new slave cylinder.
Pedal pressure is now slightly lighter but still not as good as the S4.
Master cylinder was replaced in the last 5. -7 years and a nylon flexible hose connects everything together.
Car is a 68 four speed with the smaller pedal box.
I would welcome any suggestions as to how to lighten the pedal feel.
The master cylinder should be 5/8" bore and the slave should be 7/8". I once
inadvertantly put on a 3/4" slave it made the feel very heavy. A 3/4" master will do the same.
You may never be able to replicate the feel of the clutch pedal in somebody else’s car, even if you bought what you thought were the same components, ie the pressure plate, as old manufacturers such as Borg & Beck, Lockheed etc, are not the same companies today as they were 20 years ago. They have all been bought out by different entities, and as a consequence, I am quite sure that tollerences and thicknesses have changed slightly over the years, and therefore things like clutch feel has also changed.
It would just be pure luck if you found a pressure plate that matched in feel, your friends clutch. All the clutches in my cars feel slightly different to each other in some small way, be it weight of the pedal or take up etc.
If you still have the old rubber flexi hose in your clutch line, replace it. On my Plus 2, the clutch was awful until I did this. I used a braided one piece clutch pipe.
Jon, the hose I have is the nylon type and relatively new-ish but I will certainly look into it. I should have my car back in the garage next weekend so I will start to run through double checking each component.
I have a feeling Leslie’s wise practical words will turn out to be the case and it will be something I have to get used too.
Thank you to you both and your input which is much appreciated.
Pressure plate materials have changed a lot in the last 20 years and it may be that new material needs a higher pressure from the cover plate to avoid slip
If the standard item from Classic Team Lotus is the Borg&Beck branded clutch parts, I had these fitted to my +2S in 2022 (supplied then by Paul Matty). I spent ages trying various suppliers who all sold the Helix parts (which I understood to be heavy duty). Firstly, was both the clutch plate and cover replaced?
I’ve not tried another Elan so I’ve only got the previous clutch feel to compare with, but I can’t say it feels any heavier (if anything it’s lighter, but the old clutch used to stick over Winter which this one doesn’t do).
This link also suggests an incorrect slave cylinder:
Who supplied the new slave cylinder? I bought a NOS slave cylinder from ANG parts, which on measurement was only 3/4" instead of 7/8" so it does happen…
It was supplied by Paul Matty back then, but will check the diameter this weekend. BTW the Lotus Marques slave cylinder looks a well made piece of kit.