I had the same problem the OP had with my '03, and thought I was due for a new clutch.

I had my first RallyCross when this was going on, so I put some launches on the car, and lo and behold, the car was fine the next day.

So there's something to be said for giving the clutch a little abuse when it starts getting grabby. Like SilverEvo8owner said, don't destroy it or anything, but burning off a little bit of clutch could solve your problem.

 

I have a twin plate exedy, and my car does the EXACT same thing. I believe this is normal for an Evo. The trick is slipping the clutch (rev up to a higher RPM and slow let go of the clutch pedal)

 

You guys are funny.. There's TWO totally different problems being discussed here.

One: Clutch shudder.
This is caused at low rpm during clutch engagement, and makes the whole car kinda shake quickly. It happens quickly and you can kinda feel it in the clutch pedal. Many cars do this, and the only fix is to use more gas and let it slip more. This feels a lot like having a tire way out of balance on the freeway at 70mph. it's kind of a "wopwopwopwop" feeling.

Two: Drivetrain backlash/bounce.
This has more to do with the engine being cold and you use VERY light throttle (with the clutch fully engaged, this has NOTHING to do with the clutch).. You drive off in any gear and somewhere between 2-4k rpm if you are using less than 20% throttle, the car jerks violently and (sometimes) the exhaust crackles and pops as it backfires. (the backfiring is especially noticable with an aftermarket catless exhaust). The engine seems to buck as it bounces back and forth between two load cells. Usually it's violent enough to cause your right foot to push the gas pedal each time it bucks, which makes it worse. The only way to fix it is to let off the gas and coast. This feels like "WooAH my cAR is GOing to KILL me" kinda thing.


Does that help separate the differences?

 

My car does both of these things all the time (is a little annoying). Both of these problems are definitely evident in all Evo's I have driven. It can be mitigated by changing your driving style. The problem that is being discussed here is obviously problem #1. It is strange that so many people know about this "clutch shudder" yet no one seems to know the exact cause of it, or how to fix it. Maybe it has something to do with the way the tranny/transfer case was designed, because my AWD dsm does the same exact thing.

 

its just clutch chatter. it will do it untill everything warms up and idling for 1 min isnt going to warm it up.

just give it a bit more gas on the first 3 or 4 times you go to take off from a stand still and you wont notice it anymore. problem solved.

 

U'm....no. Clutch chatter is a noise. We are not talking about a noise, but a rather violent vibration of the entire car.

Hey you're from GB!@ I live like 2 miles away =)

 

I think he means clutch shudder. Maybe someone should start a thread with some defined jargon terms. :-)

 

yeah problem two happens to me too and is annoying and embarrasing if it happens in front of people.

or how about if you drive over a speed bump or somethin in the road goin like 5 mph in first gear with your foot on the gas and you accidently step on the gas too rapidly and the car starts the back and forth motion and it wont stop unless you take your foot off the gas and/or step on the clutch pedal, that used to happen to me when i was learning how to drive a stick

 

ok so i might not have said the correct lingo but you know what i mean. chatter , shudder, whatever word describes it. i know exactly what he is talking about because i have it too. just rev higher the first few times to get past it.


yeah i used to live in the dirty burnie but now im back over in the odenten/ ft meade area. where are you?

 

Just up the street in Severn (off of reece road/174). Damn there are alot of Evo's around here haha

 

haha! i call it odenton/ft meade from habbit but im actually in severn too. off disney rd. in lake village.

 

WTF! I live right down the street from you (take disney to reece, and cross reece where it turns into redmore). I never have seen an Evo on disney before, strange!

 

Well, Mitsubishi had other goals for this car than great driveability at low speeds.

I don't want to shame you people who are having problems but I got married a year and a half ago and my wife had never driven a car with a clutch. So, she learned in Evo. Well, she has advanced to the point where her driving is smooth at low speeds (and they say the stock clutch can't take abuse). Evo has to be the worst car in world to use to learn this in but she has done it. Now, if she would just quit driving over the curbs!

 

did she try launching yet?

 

One day last winter she came to my office on foot, walking in the rain. She had locked herself out of her car. So, she ate my lunch and left in Evo. When she picked me up that evening still driving Evo I occupied the passenger seat. I think she launched at every stop sign or so it seemed. I finally blurted out, "Slow down!". She looked at me as if to say, what are you talking about. I guess that is the difference between being the driver and being the passenger in this sort of car.