Bought the Steeda spring two weeks ago - the best $15 I think I've ever spent. Definitely turned up the fun-to-drive factor...hated the clutch feel with the stock spring.
Exactly what I'm hearing/feeling from my car. Gave it a year and almost 15,000 miles before having the dealer check/verify that what's going on is "normal". Never drove a manual this "sloppy". At dealer now...we'll see.
New to this particular forum, but thanks for what looks like a good explanation of what's happening. I haven't heard of any real catastrophes related to this transmission thud scenario so I'm not worried about it anymore. Thanks for the details.