Should I replace the clutch...

[carrera4life]

Evening,

I am considering having some work done on my Cayman S which requires the engine to be lowered. Looking back over the various service dockets, it looks like it still has the original clutch 13 years and 39,000 from new

Is it sensible to consider replacing the clutch even though there is no indication it is causing an issue?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Motorhead]

Difficult to advise one way or the other Neil. A lot depends upon past driving history if not owned by you from new, your own usage and driving style, etc., and whether or not the clutch is beginning to feel heavy to operate (tricky to gauge since this is a gradual process). Having said that, I suppose around 40k miles isn’t a bad life for a clutch on a sports car if it’s been driven as intended. []

Removing the transmission requires some extra work compared with just lowering the powertrain, and often it’s necessary to replace the DMF as well as the clutch, so it can become an expensive exercise.

Jeff

 

[David_Watson]

I acquired a Cayman S with 17.5 k miles in October 2020 to use on the road and as a hillclimb/sprint/track day machine.I had to replace the dual mass flywheel and clutch after the first sprint event at a cost of about £2,800. This lasted for another 5 events when the clutch burnt out again and was replaced by a single mass flywheel and uprated clutch - £2700 . A new Porsche GT3 sports front engine mount is also waiting to be fitted - about £900.

All of this is to overcome the fact that the transmission and driveline will not take the vicious starts that are a necessary part of competitive events, and also to overcome the terrible axle-tramp effects that felt as if the car was destroying itself. It has been extremely disappointing and very expensive. None of this should happen to you if you are kind to the car but it may be a wise move to change the clutch now and sleep at night.

 

[JohnCRS]

It rather depends on the use the car has had over its life and your expectation for the future. Obviously town and city driving will take a greater toll on the clutch than longer journeys and motorways. My own clutch seems OK at 49,000 miles. I do not know who is doing the work for you, but a good independent will be able to advise if they think the clutch feels heavy and is worth replacing. As Jeff says, there is still quite a lot of additional work to change the clutch, especially if your engine is just being lowered for access rather than being removed.

 

[carrera4life]

I've checked the map for Leicestershire and there are no hills worthy of the name; that sounds a bit steep (sic). I'm not a mechanically minded driver ( I know where the engine should be.. in the middle[]), so I guess I have always associated consumer, non-race worthy, Porsche with "sports cars". Your description and experience makes me wonder whether my interpretation of "sports" needs to be tempered. Does hill climbing really destroy Porsche clutches that quick?!!

I am going to rely on the local specialist to advise me; looking at various other posts, if I drive "normally" (spirited, but not hill start spirited), 39k miles seems a mere stepping stone on it's projected life (assuming it hasn't been abused in the 13years...)

Hope you are have a better experience following the upgrades.