Hi friends, long time lurker first time poster. I am the second owner of a '13 Fit, got it at around 138,000 and now at 144,000, original clutch. This is my first manual vehicle, and I'm expecting that the clutch will go out sooner rather than later. It's my daily, but I like to drive it a little more spiritly.

1) It seems that a lot of clutch kits are out of stock right now. I know Honda doesn't make parts anymore for the fit in the US, but does this apply to every parts company?
2) I'm looking for recommendations for both clutch kit and flywheel. With the Fit being my daily, I'd like to make sure it stays reliable. That being said if there's a kit out there that is generally an improvement on the stock clutch without sacrificing reliability, what is it?
3) I've read about lightening the flywheel. Is this always a good thing, or does it increase the chances of problems later down the road? If I can get 75,000 miles out of the clutch I would be satisfied.
4) Should I replace the slave cylinder or not bother?
5) People mention balancing the clutch and flywheel together so it doesn't throw a CEL, how would I go about this?

Thanks! I will be happy to take advice from whoever will give it.

 

replace the master cylinder through the firewall with an 01-05 civic(non si) so it drives like a real car

stick to "oem replacement" flywheel because weight diffs really throw off the ge8 like no other

 

75k out of the clutch in a Fit would be pretty bad. I’m at 165k on the original clutch and hope to get a lot more use of it yet.

 

Exedy OEM replacement is your best bet. Make sure whatever clutch you get you buy a new release bearing from Honda, they are made way better than anything you will get from anyone else.

 

This is all really helpful, thanks guys! Sounds like exedy kit is the way to go.

 

• I went with an Exedy clutch and Luk flywheel both from rockauto. I also did the clutch delay valve delete. There is a brilliant write-up here if you type the above into a search - be sure to read the replies as there is a direct swap from a civic, but the model year escapes me presently. Your call though, as I believe retaining the delay valve does help protect the clutch from abrupt shock. Some time after doing the swap my original clutch began to fail. It wasn't the friction surfaces, but rather the springs that had become permanently compressed and started to shake in their pockets.. I was learning stick at the time. new clutch is still holding strong 30k miles later.

• Regarding a lightened flywheel, some dudes said it triggered the knock sensor and screwed stuff up. The Luk flywheel is almost a pound lighter though (mine was at least) and it has never caused a problem.

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• Getting the clutch and flywheel balanced together is a nice idea, but I was not able to do it. A machine shop would offer that service, but mine didn't have a small enough arbor to mount it on. If you can weld or know a welder, you can rig up your own low-tech balancer. You just need an appropriately sized (diameter) pipe to spin the assembly on. spin it by hand, and if it keeps stopping with the same spot pointing down (can mark with colored pens, crayons, chalk, whatever) weld a nut or washer on the opposing side and spin again until it doesn't stop with the heavy side by the ground..

If you decide thats too much of a pain, don't sweat it.. as stated, I couldn't get mine balanced and didn't think (or know how) to do it myself. the clutch and flywheel are already balanced individually by the manufacturer, so.. I'd think it more of a fine tuning thing, particularly on a low-output vehicle like our Fit. I don't think most people bother or know to bother.

Uhhhhhh... Oh. don't let the tranny roll off your jack. it's a good way to snap your speed sensor. just drop it onto your legs and return that trash jack to harbor freight.

And foinally - get yerself a short shifter and weighted knob if you're flush with cash.. AND ADJUST YOUR CLUTCH PEDAL HEIGHT.

I don't know how folks do it bringing their knee all the way to their nipple just to change gears. Adjust that thing dowwwnnnn all the way. There's a procedure for clutch pedal height adjustment in the service manual.

EDIT: clutch pedal height adjustment just requires tools. no parts. Free mod.

EDIT EDIT: You can also get a fancy clutch made by a company called SPEC. give GE8 spec clutch a google. I talked to them and they said the stage 1 should be smoother than OEM. but it's pricey! Based on my experience, I wanted a less grabby clutch. So I figured exedy would be the way to go. And it is, at least a little bit.
P.S. The OEM clutch, I was told, was never sold as a kit. Only in individual pieces.

Would also agree with @cutsheal5 on the throw out bearing. Honda uses NTN bearings.. They actually have better specs than Timken. But you could run a timken if the price gap is big.. If I'm not mistaken, NTN is the global top dog when it comes to bearings. When I replaced my serp belt tensioner bearing I think the NTN (OEM) was rated at 20k rpms vs timken's ~18k.

 

A short shifter has nothing to do with the clutch? Also doesn’t have any benefit beyond the personal preference of some users.

 

Great info, Pyts. This was very helpful.