DIY Clutch Adjustment Kit

This walk through is for those who want to get rid of the unnecessary free play (approximately 1”) that all WRX and STI vehicles have between the pedal/clutch engagement point and the very bottom of the depressed pedal.

This mod essentially moves up the pedal’s ultimate depressed position so that it’s closer to the driver. This mod will help even the size of your left and right legs since you won’t have to push down the clutch as far in order to engage or disengage the gears. It also will make shifting faster and driving in traffic easier. I do a lot of heel toe shifting and when I first did this mod, it really messed up my driving. Give some time for yourself to get used to it.

I currently have my set up ghetto rigged to work with some zip ties and a leftover piece of my FSB bushing to see if I like it. I will have pix of the permanent set up in the upcoming weeks/months. However, I am confident that this walk through will be enough to make your own clutch adjustment kit.

So…let’s get started!

Basically, when the clutch pedal is depressed, the middle portion of the clutch pedal shaft eventually hits the stock clutch stop (Item 1 in pix), which consists of a 1/8” (maybe 3/16”) metal piece that’s covered with a rubber pad (Item 2 in pix). The point of contact is always hits at the same vicinity (Item 3 in pix).

Here is what you need for this mod:

-          M8 (or 5/16”) bolt or bigger. Grade 8 or equivalent is preferred but not necessary. The bigger the bolt head the better.

-          Nuts (a few of them) and washers (few of them) corresponding to the bolt size

-          Drill and a drill bit that accompanies the selected bolt size.

-          Scissor or blade to cut stock rubber pad.

-          Adhesive to glue rubber pad to bolt top.

Step 1. Remove stock rubber pad from clutch stop.

Step 2. Drill out the hole that the rubber pad is affixed to with the drill bit.

Step 3. Thread nut(s) and washer(s) onto bolt. The amount will depend on how much free play you want to get rid of. For instance, say the bolt head is ¼”, the nut is ¼” and you want to get rid of ¾” of play, then you would use 2 nuts. For smaller increments, use washers. The washer and nut also provide more support for the bolt.

Step 4. Insert bolt/nut assembly into drilled hole, with bolt top side facing the driver. Thread on a washer and nut on the otherside.

Step 5. Adjust your starter switch accordingly using a 14mm bolt.

Step 6. Cut up stock rubber piece and glue to top of bolt. I’m working on something right now that involves using leftover bushings and heating up the bolt head and pressing it into the bushing for a perfect fit and would need glue!

Step 6. Go out for a test drive. Make sure there is no grinding, etc. when you engage.

The advantage of this DIY kit is that it’s FULLY ADJUSTABLE! Whether you have a stock clutch or aftermarket baller clutch, it doesn’t matter. Best of all, it’s FREEEEEE!!!

Disadvantage is that it’s ghetto.

Some may say that the bolt isn’t enough to handle the stress from the pedal shaft…I would ask them to check to see how rating of a grade 8 bolt with minimum 5/16”. They may also comment about the clutch pedal missing the bolt head. Well, this is why we choose bolts with the biggest bolt head we can find! Also, if the clutch pedal is so worn that it wiggles from right to left…I think you need to change the bushings.

Anyway, hopefully you appreciate the money I just saved you!