Question about driving stick (manual transmission).

[Woodchuck2000]

You can call me a hypocrite because I keep my foot on the clutch as briefly as possible.
One possible reason to not leave your foot on the clutch while braking... taking power away from the drive wheels or reengaging the clutch would upset the drive wheels would cause your car to do funky things at the limits of adhesion. But that's racing... not real life I hope...

As a general rule, you should keep for foot on the clutch for the shortest possible time. I brake in gear until I'm just about to stop then depress the clutch... Things like traffic lights, I tend to just leave the clutch down and wait in 1st gear so that I'm ready to move. If I know I'm going to be waiting, I leave it in neutral.

 

[LS20]

Originally posted by: Jellomancer

I dunno about you, but I can't downshift into 1st without stopping since there's no synchro for 1st.

That's not true for all cars. It is certainly for mine, as I will have to double-clutch to drop it into 1st while I'm rolling, but I've driven a friends GTi VR6 and S2000 that would just slide into 1st at any speed below 30mph... if you want i can pull up parts no# for the synchro 😉

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Originally posted by: Roger
What year/make and model vehicle do you have Jello ?

1995 Nissan 240sx.

 

When the grinding noise occurs, is the tranny in gear or in neutral ?
If it's in gear, does it only happen in first ?

 

[WinkOsmosis]

Originally posted by: Roger
When the grinding noise occurs, is the tranny in gear or in neutral ?
If it's in gear, does it only happen in first ?

As I recall it happens both in gear and in neutral. I can hear it when I clutch in parking lots in 2nd gear and when coming to a stop at a light, when I'm usually in neutral with the clutch pedal depressed.

 

As I recall it happens both in gear and in neutral. I can hear it when I clutch in parking lots in 2nd gear and when coming to a stop at a light, when I'm usually in neutral with the clutch pedal depressed.

Do this test, start your vehicle, put it in neutral and depress the clutch pedal, if you hear a grinding noise or squealing only when the pedal is depressed, your throw out bearing is on the way out or the fingers on the pressure plate are severly worn, in either case it will be time to yank the tranny and take a look.

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: Roger

As for putting it in neutral or stepping on the clutch when at a stop, from the research I've done, it seems like a wash. You wear the throwout bearing faster if you leave your foot on the clutch, but shifting to neutral and back still involves two complete travels of the clutch, which wears it anyway. Since you would usually replace the throwout bearing whenever you replace the clutch, unless you're the type who doesn't do preventive maintenance, it shouldn't make much difference either way.

Pick which part of the clutch you're going to wear. I do whatever I feel like. If it's a long light, I'll sit in neutral, otherwise, I'll just clutch it.

Releasing then reengaging the clutch at a stop light will result in less wear Jzero, why ?

No, releasing and re-engaging the clutch will ALSO result in wear. You can either wear the throwout bearing by holding it down, or you can wear the plates by releasing and re-engaging it twice.

Either way you will wear down part of the mechanism.

 

No, releasing and re-engaging the clutch will ALSO result in wear. You can either wear the throwout bearing by holding it down, or you can wear the plates by releasing and re-engaging it twice.

You cannot wear the friction surfaces just by engaging and releasing the clutch with the vehicle in neutral, the clutch has to be put under a load to wear the friction surfaces.

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: Roger

No, releasing and re-engaging the clutch will ALSO result in wear. You can either wear the throwout bearing by holding it down, or you can wear the plates by releasing and re-engaging it twice.

You cannot wear the friction surfaces just by engaging and releasing the clutch with the vehicle in neutral, the clutch has to be put under a load to wear the friction surfaces.

But the clutch will be under load when you've are in gear and go to neutral and vice versa. Fine, you can disengage and engage the clutch all you want while it's in neutral without wearing the friction surfaces, but at some point when you are stopped you are going to have to go again.

Something will wear either way. I've seen holy wars on the order or AMD v. Intel or vi v. emacs when it comes to sitting in neutral or just holding the clutch down. No one seems to agree.

Edit:
Or are you saying that doing the neutral thing really only involves one cycle of the clutch that involves any load....?

 

[Windogg]

My 3AM thread that got pushed down

Lots of manual driving fun there.

 

[notfred]

Originally posted by: Jzero

Originally posted by: Roger

No, releasing and re-engaging the clutch will ALSO result in wear. You can either wear the throwout bearing by holding it down, or you can wear the plates by releasing and re-engaging it twice.

You cannot wear the friction surfaces just by engaging and releasing the clutch with the vehicle in neutral, the clutch has to be put under a load to wear the friction surfaces.

But the clutch will be under load when you've are in gear and go to neutral and vice versa. Fine, you can disengage and engage the clutch all you want while it's in neutral without wearing the friction surfaces, but at some point when you are stopped you are going to have to go again.

Something will wear either way. I've seen holy wars on the order or AMD v. Intel or vi v. emacs when it comes to sitting in neutral or just holding the clutch down. No one seems to agree.

There's basically two options here:

1) press on clutch for one second and release. Wait 1 minute for light turn torn green. Press clutch for one second and release.
Total time that the throwout bearing was compressed against the pressure plate: 2 seconds.

2) press on clutch. hold for 62 seconds, relase as lihgt tuns greens.
Total time that the throwout bearing was compressed against the pressure plate: 62 seconds.

Which do you think causes more wear?

 

My rule of thumb is this:
Always take your foot completely off of the clutch and put it on the floor.

Even if you think you're not putting any pressure on the clutch, you might be.


As for putting it in neutral or stepping on the clutch when at a stop, from the research I've done, it seems like a wash. You wear the throwout bearing faster if you leave your foot on the clutch, but shifting to neutral and back still involves two complete travels of the clutch, which wears it anyway. Since you would usually replace the throwout bearing whenever you replace the clutch, unless you're the type who doesn't do preventive maintenance, it shouldn't make much difference either way.

Pick which part of the clutch you're going to wear. I do whatever I feel like. If it's a long light, I'll sit in neutral, otherwise, I'll just clutch it.

I am answering the above statement so this can be clarified.
Declutching does not waer the friction surfaces because there is no load on them, yes there is wear on the friction surfaces when you take off from a start but that is going to happen no matter how the vehicle is driven.