for manual drivers POLL

[otispunkmeyer]

if its a short wait, stick it in 1st, clutch pedal down, foot on the brake

if its a medium-ish wait, leave out of gear, and just hold on the brake

if it looks like im gonna be a while, out of gear and use the hand break

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: AdamK47 3DS
You're supposed to let the cluctch out just enough so that if you are on an incline you can balance the car. This allows you to take off right away on green without rolling back. It also saves on the clutch.

Smoked clutch FTW!!!!

 

[BDawg]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Depends on how long I guestimate the red light to be. If the opposing light is stale green, I'll keep the clutch in with the gear in first. If my light just turned red and I know it's a long one, I'll rest my left foot with the gear neutral.

Exactly.

 

[Tom]

If you know how to do it, putting a car in gear and getting moving is nearly instantaneous, there's no real reason to wait in gear to save time.

It can easily be accomplished as fast as it takes to do the same thing in an automatic, ie take foot off brake and hit accelerator.

 

[labgeek]

Originally posted by: jjyiz28

Originally posted by: miri
Neutral

I dunno why here in America the lights dont flash before they turn green. They do this in other countries so you will have your car in 1st gear when the light turns green.

i guess cuz they don't want ppl gunning it right when it turns green, what w/ all the crappy drivers that run red lights

It wouldn't take long for that problem to "work itself out" would it?

 

[EatSpam]

Originally posted by: miri

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
1st gear with the clutch out. There are some who claim this wears the throw-out bearing, but that's what the throw-out bearing was designed for. Driving your car wears the wheel bearings. Running the engine wears the rod bearings. Etc. I've yet to have a throw-out bearing die before the clutch.

ZV

How many miles do you usually get with a clutch keeping your car in gear at stops? How much of that is stop and go city driving and how much of that is highway miles?

I dunno. My clutch was in fine shape at 40K miles when I sold my Cavalier. I kept my car in gear at a stoplight.

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: EatSpam

Originally posted by: miri

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
1st gear with the clutch out. There are some who claim this wears the throw-out bearing, but that's what the throw-out bearing was designed for. Driving your car wears the wheel bearings. Running the engine wears the rod bearings. Etc. I've yet to have a throw-out bearing die before the clutch.

ZV

How many miles do you usually get with a clutch keeping your car in gear at stops? How much of that is stop and go city driving and how much of that is highway miles?

I dunno. My clutch was in fine shape at 40K miles when I sold my Cavalier. I kept my car in gear at a stoplight.

Meh. 40k is nothing. Get back to me when its 130k+

 

[theeedude]

Neutral until cross light turns yellow.
I really don't care if it takes an extra second to get in gear though.

 

[axnff]

In the state of Nebraska, it's illegal to have a vehicle in a traffic lane in neutral. Generally, I agree with that. In order to put the trans in neutral and let out the clutch I have to have nowhere to go (front, back, or either side) and know that I'll be there a while. I've been driving the same car for seven years solely because of that fact - it would have been catastrophically rear-ended at least three time over if I hadn't...

I've never heard of anyone wearing the throwout bearing before the clutch driving it that way. But the people I know to use the clutch to "hold" the car on inclines tend to b*tch and moan about how often they have to replace the clutch.

I've put ~145k on a '90 escort, 35k on a '92 F-150, and 72k on a '00 Focus without replacing the clutch or throwout bearing....

 

[Phlargo]

Who keeps their clutch for 130k? isn't 60k pretty normal, even for a careful manual driver?

 

[alexeikgb]

Originally posted by: Garet Jax
Depends on the length of the light - normally neutral + brake.

Yup depends on the light... if im there for long i will put it in N, if it's short keep in gear

 

[Phlargo]

Okay.. maybe more like 60-90, but still.. not 130k!

 

[zanieladie]

Neutral...I'm lazy and want to rest my left foot.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Phlargo
Who keeps their clutch for 130k? isn't 60k pretty normal, even for a careful manual driver?

If driven properly your clutch lasts a very long time. 150K plus.

Most of my cars I've driven past 100K without replacing (nor needing to replace) the clutch or any transmission component.

 

[SokaMoka]

Giving your left leg some rest FTW!

 

[AdamK47]

Originally posted by: Connoisseur

Originally posted by: AdamK47 3DS
You're supposed to let the cluctch out just enough so that if you are on an incline you can balance the car. This allows you to take off right away on green without rolling back. It also saves on the clutch.

Sorry I'm confused about this. I always just go to neutral+brake at lights. I don't shoot out on greens unless i think the guy next to me is gonna try to beat me.How does having your foot on the clutch wear the clutch LESS than with the clutch completely disengaged?

I was joking, It actually wears it far more. If you see someone rolling back and forth on a hill, then you know they either don't care about their clutch or they just don't know how bad it is on it.

 

[mitaiwan82]

I put it in neutral most of the time, unless I know the light's about to turn green. For those of you who ALWAYS stay in gear, do you have light or heavy clutches? My miata has a fairly light clutch, but I still hate to keep the clutched pushed in for an extended period of time.

 

[AmdEmAll]

Neutral

 

[totalcommand]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Depends on how long I guestimate the red light to be. If the opposing light is stale green, I'll keep the clutch in with the gear in first. If my light just turned red and I know it's a long one, I'll rest my left foot with the gear neutral.

exactly. i don't see reason to do it otherwise, though i suppose leaving it in neutral might possibly be better for the car.

 

[yhelothar]

Originally posted by: AdamK47 3DS
You're supposed to let the cluctch out just enough so that if you are on an incline you can balance the car. This allows you to take off right away on green without rolling back. It also saves on the clutch.

lol I hope you're joking. That's called riding the clutch, and it's one of the worst things you can do to it.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: miri

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
1st gear with the clutch out. There are some who claim this wears the throw-out bearing, but that's what the throw-out bearing was designed for. Driving your car wears the wheel bearings. Running the engine wears the rod bearings. Etc. I've yet to have a throw-out bearing die before the clutch.

ZV

How many miles do you usually get with a clutch keeping your car in gear at stops? How much of that is stop and go city driving and how much of that is highway miles?

Last clutch in the 951 went 150,000 miles. The 914 is still on the original clutch. Those cars are tracked as well as driven.

The daily-driven 924S went 140,000 miles on the original clutch before the rubber center deteriorated from age. Friction material was still good.

You put zero wear on the clutch if you have the pedal fully pressed.

ZV

 

[Ornery]

Oh, woe is me. I'm a 1337 manual driving, boy racer, who has to rest my leg when sitting at a light. :roll:

I wish you pokey fvcks would get the lead out of your ass when the light changes. Old ladies in their "not so 1337" automatics don't take as damn long to get rolling! Christ, and bikers are even worse! :|

 

[Jfrag Teh Foul]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Depends on how long I guestimate the red light to be. If the opposing light is stale green, I'll keep the clutch in with the gear in first. If my light just turned red and I know it's a long one, I'll rest my left foot with the gear neutral.

 

[JoeFahey]

Originally posted by: miri
Neutral

I dunno why here in America the lights dont flash before they turn green. They do this in other countries so you will have your car in 1st gear when the light turns green.

When you see the other light turn red, count the count of 3, yours will turn green. Its what I use dto know when to shift.

 

[Freejack2]

Originally posted by: Tom
If you know how to do it, putting a car in gear and getting moving is nearly instantaneous, there's no real reason to wait in gear to save time.

It can easily be accomplished as fast as it takes to do the same thing in an automatic, ie take foot off brake and hit accelerator.

Exactly. Any decent manual transmission driver can take off as fast if not faster than a driver in an automatic transmission. I've noticed when driving an automatic there is a fraction of a second pause when pressing the gas pedal before the car goes. It seems to me there is no point to sit at a light with the clutch pressed in when I can just relax until the light turns green.