In this study, the performance of a CVT clutch system for a hybrid electric vehicle was investigated. To analyzed the vehicle performance at restart, the restart delay and driveshaft torque was investigated by simulations and experiments. It was found from the simulation results that the vehicle restart response depends on the clutch pressure buildup time to the point where the clutch torque begins to overcome the vehicle road load, and driving comfort at restart is directly related to the rate change of the clutch pressure.