Auto Clutch Damage

[ARCTIC]

Good info :thumbsup: that I was not aware of. These fawkers are way more fun in that 7-9,000 range anyway

[Tonga]

Anyone running 3000 rpms must drive Buicks. I own a Miata and never go below 4000 rpms. I find 5000 to be the sweet spot!

[boborgera]

Request print from Service.

That print out was that on your first second or third engine?

[docdoru]

That print out was that on your first second or third engine?

First, no Turbo.

[boborgera]

First, no Turbo.

[78OldRide]

Being fairly new to the spyder I have a RTS SE5 I have learned to keep the rpm up.
I have noticed if I shift to soon I get a little lag time then a jump when it shifts. So I really try to keep the rpm up.
Only real Issue if you have a long ride to work is keeping the speed down.
Gary

[CD8TR]

Most of you know but its worth repeating. We are seeing (via diagnostic reports on our customer units) many Spyders that are being riden below 3000rpms during cruise. This is BAD,BAD and BAD. It can result in complete failure and destruction of the clutch. Critical with the auto clutch that cruise is above 3000rpms to prevent the clutch from sliping which results in heavy wear,heavy heat and failure. We just had one in where the friction plates expolded and it was a mess. After B.U.D.S diag on the machine we found it was run below 3000rpms nearly 50% of the time. NOT GOOD! We are starting to see this of late thus I thought I would send out a little note for those that may not know.


Jeff

So as an outsider who is wanting to purchase a RT LTD, if the 3000 mark is such a bug deal for the SE clutch, why doesn't it just downshift to a lower gear automatically.....? Thank you.

[Bob Denman]

Anyone running 3000 rpms must drive Buicks. I own a Miata and never go below 4000 rpms. I find 5000 to be the sweet spot!

We drive a MINI actually... And it's almost as much fun as the RT!

[Jimmy Neutron]

Most of you know but its worth repeating. We are seeing (via diagnostic reports on our customer units) many Spyders that are being riden below 3000rpms during cruise. This is BAD,BAD and BAD. It can result in complete failure and destruction of the clutch. Critical with the auto clutch that cruise is above 3000rpms to prevent the clutch from sliping which results in heavy wear,heavy heat and failure. We just had one in where the friction plates expolded and it was a mess. After B.U.D.S diag on the machine we found it was run below 3000rpms nearly 50% of the time. NOT GOOD! We are starting to see this of late thus I thought I would send out a little note for those that may not know.


Jeff

Thanks I did not know this and drive mine alot at low rpms.. I only have 500 miles so hopefully I didnt do any damage yet,, New rule 3500 or bust

[NancysToy]

Thanks I did not know this and drive mine alot at low rpms.. I only have 500 miles so hopefully I didnt do any damage yet,, New rule 3500 or bust

Remember, it's not where you shift that means as much as where the rpms end up after you have shifted. That is the place you should be a 3,500 or better.

[Bob Denman]

tapping the paddles at 3900rpm seems to be keeping the revs up where they need to be...

[bmwlarry]

Now here is my question. I spent quite a bit of time in slow traffic. I noticed I stayed below 2500 RPM all the time in first gear with the SE5. How does this affect the clutch and what can you do in a situation like this if you can never get to 3000+ RPM?

[Bob Denman]

low and slow traffic isn't putting enough of a load on it for the issue to pop up...

[Autotechmark]

Well I guess gas mileage will have to take a back seat. Thanks for the heads up.

[zbunker]

OK, I have been thinking of saying this for some time, so here goes. Scotty is right...he, Lamont, myself and many others have posted about riding the Spyder with the trans in the wrong gear (like 5th gear doing 30 mph) and claiming that the Spyder runs just fine. But, like it was posted, it's your ride, so when the trans or whole engine goes belly up, don't complain about how trashy the Spyder is.
A person spends over $20,000 for a Spyder then complains about how much gas it uses, how fast the rear tire wears out, and the cost of the up keep, etc. If you can't afford the tires or the gas or the up keep, why did you buy the Spyder? Like anything else we own, we have to budget our Spyder needs. Complaining about it won't change the fact that the Spyder is what it is.

My spyder is a 2012 ES5. It is the first bike, er trike, er Spyder I have ever driven. The machine will not let me shift below 3K, and if in 5th gear when slowing down to (to a light let's say) within the 35MPH range, will automatically down shift to 4th gear. with the throttle closed will continue to downshift to almost a stop without braking.
But I will say that I used to up shift at around 3K, and the motor seemed to 'like' it.(smooth transitions between shifts) I took a fellow member's advice (Sorry, I forget who,) I started to shift in the 4 to 5 grand range and the machine seems to perform much better. I do not do much highway riding, so I don't always get into into 5th gear around the streets. But when I do, I try to keep it above 3 grand.

[bo9roadking]

Anyone running 3000 rpms must drive Buicks. I own a Miata and never go below 4000 rpms. I find 5000 to be the sweet spot!

5000 rpms is the sweet spot for me also, but I start getting some belt harmonic vibrations around that rpm too. Gets frustrating cruising on the hwy at 70 and the belt starts sending vibrations through the spyder. I may have to get a belt tensioner, but that is for a different thread.

[Kratos]

5000 rpms is the sweet spot for me also, but I start getting some belt harmonic vibrations around that rpm too. Gets frustrating cruising on the hwy at 70 and the belt starts sending vibrations through the spyder. I may have to get a belt tensioner, but that is for a different thread.

So that's what that is!!! I knew something was off when I felt that!! Feels like the road has become rugged or something.

Thanks.

[Sny]

So that's what that is!!! I knew something was off when I felt that!! Feels like the road has become rugged or something.
Thanks.

It's telling you to downshift (RS's like even higher rpms than RT's.)

Lower rpm doesn't always mean better mileage. If you had super tall gears in your car and drove around at 700rpms you would get awful mileage if you could maintain speed at all. Riding your Spyder around at 3500rpms is similar. You're burning more fuel to generate less power.

Rather than tell you what I do and the results...

Try changing your habits drastically. Drop down a gear or two for a full tank. Cruise on the highway in 4th instead of shifting through the gears as quick as possible to top gear. See what your mileage is. Try again in 3rd for a tank. It won't hurt anything. You'll be very surprised at the results.

A lot of the high miles guys have learned the higher, more efficient, rpms are where the good mileage is at. It's also better for the engine (good oil pressure, no voltage drops), avoids excessive clutch wear and damage (on the SE), REDUCES vibration, reduces transmission wear (less downshifting to accelerate) and puts you in a better position to speed up when necessary (safer.)

If you're already a high mpg rider, you won't be tempted to jump on it and accelerate rapidly, which of course reduces fuel efficiency. But give this is a try and tell us what you've discovered.

Afterwards I'll throw around the math that tells you why it's happening.