Don't believe propaganda about clutch cables

[Darkwriter77]

I also wonder how much of a clutch cable's durability depends on those of us running stiffer clutches. Obviously, a totally stock clutch or something light like a Centerforce are going to put less strain on a cable than, say, an FRPP Heavy Duty or King Cobra clutch. All of that tension it goes through over and over, either through brief shocks during quick stompy shifts, or while you're sitting there at a light or whatever with the clutch pushed in and held for a few seconds, is what contributes to the stretching (and breaking, sometimes).

The pedal tension on mine isn't BAD, but it's definitely stiffer than a stock clutch. I tried lubing the cable with some silicone, and it was slick as snot for about a week, then went back to being just average.

As stated, routing of the cable plays a big part, too. Some folks try to go over, under, or through the driver's side motor mount, and get different results for each. (IIRC, I wound up fishing mine through the mount. I'll have to look again, it's been awhile...)

 

[Redfire 05]

cable could've been binding the way you routed it...

I routed the Steeda the same as the Ford one so I would say it's unlikely that binding was the issue. However, I will admit that the old firewall adjuster might have contributed to the stiffness as I removed it in favor of the OEM style rubber firewall grommet that came on the new cable. Can't know for sure if it made a difference either way without putting it back on.

I just noticed it's not in my signature, but I have a Ram clutch. It's supposed to have a close to factory stiffness.

 

[Speeds8erM-1]

Funny the people on the newer mustang boards with ALOT less miles STILL notice problems when going from a perfectly fine OEM cable to a pos adjustable cable. I have seen new Ford cables fix 3 cars with the adjustable pos's. 3 cars went from feeling like a BRICK pedal to feeling like a Honda clutch.

Im willing to bet there are alot more 150k-200k mile oem cables than adjustable cables that have even lasted 20k-50k miles.

There is NO comparison at all.

 

[ShortThrow50]

OEM cable FTW! There must be some sort of other problem with your car. Ive never heard such a story as yours. So yeah, deffinatly take a look into that buddy

 

[865.0]

My factory cable lasted for about eight years after I replaced my OEM clutch with a FMS 10.5HD. I bought a replacement cable at a nearby Mustang Specific Speed Shop, only to last around 4 months.

After researching and asking questions, I decided to purchase the MM quadrant and Firewall adjuster. The cable (if I remember correctly) is a SN95 unit. Wow, pedal effort was reduced in half. It's become a little tighter, probably needs adjustment again, however it's fine with me for the time being.

*Key note, I originally replaced my OEM quadrant with a aftermarket unit which contributed to my problems on stretching cables*

Buy quality to begin with!

 

[Daggar]

My original OEM cable lasted 18 years through a countless number of clutch swaps and a tranny swap. It's no wonder why I turned right around and bought another OEM to replace it. On a final note... The original cable was swapped out because I figured it was time and not because it had broken or failed. I swapped the quadrant, tossed in a FW adjuster, and a brand new cable, all in the same shot.

I've replaced 3 maybe 4 cables on other cars where their owners had gone to an aftermarket cable of some sort in an attempt to fix a poor pedal condition. Of those swaps, only one showed no improvement. That particular vehicle ended up liking the cable routed in other than the OEM fashion. We might have been able to fix his problem by routing his aftermarket cable the same way but had no reason to go back and try once the fix to his situation had been found.

In other words: There were at least 2 instances where cable alone made a significant improvement, one instance where an OEM cable (routed differently) made a significant imrovement (though we'd never gone back to see if the same could have been done by rerouting his aftermarket cable), and another instance where I don't really recall the circumstances behind the cable change.