Technically speaking, aren't you slipping the clutch whenever you start in 1st gear

[psteng19]

... or whenever you let the clutch out slowly?

Basically, to accelerate smoothly from a standstill, you have to clutch out slow, and therefore you are slipping the clutch.
Is that correct?

I'm trying to get the most out of my new clutch.
150k miles on my old one and the mechanic said there was still life left on it

 

[scorpmatt]

a slipping clutch, imho, is wshen you accelerate and you aren't going any faster. Hence, you shift into a gear, and after the clutch pedal is fully released the gear isn't making full contact with the engine.

 

[DaTT]

Your thinking of riding the clutch, and yes, in order to get moving from a standstill, you must ride the clutch a little, unless you dump at high RPM.

Although, I guess you could call it slipping the clutch as well.

 

[psteng19]

Originally posted by: scorpmatt
a slipping clutch, imho, is wshen you accelerate and you aren't going any faster. Hence, you shift into a gear, and after the clutch pedal is fully released the gear isn't making full contact with the engine.

The way I understand it, slipping the clutch is whenever the clutch is not fully engaged with the flywheel (clutch pedal partially depressed).

It is possible to still accelerate with the clutch not fully engaged.

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: psteng19

It is possible to still accelerate with the clutch not fully engaged.

In fact it's frequently possible to get more power through a slipping clutch than the engine would produce if the clutch were fully engaged (thus dropping the engine RPM).

Viper GTS

 

[Quixfire]

Yes, the clutch disc will slip while engaging the pressure plate from a stand still.

Congrats on your 150K miles. I have 145k miles on my second clutch.

 

[StageLeft]

Yep. Engine and tranny are at different speeds so even if you gas it up to redline and drop the clutch instantly there will be some slipping as the wheels and transmission match up.

 

[spidey07]

yes. in actualality you are slipping whenever you change gears.

unless of course your revs are matched perfectly.

 

[wasssup]

hmm so is it ok to sometimes rev to like 1k-1.25k rpm's and then let the clutch out? i've only been driving stick for a month, and i was told that no "slippage" is ideal (so basically accelerate like an auto would)..i've been trying to master that, but i was "allowed" to rev a little and then clutch out it would be so much easier...

 

[JulesMaximus]

Affirmative.

Edit-Keep doing what you're doing. 150k on a clutch is excellent.

 

[psteng19]

Originally posted by: Quixfire
Yes, the clutch disc will slip while engaging the pressure plate from a stand still.

Congrats on your 150K miles. I have 145k miles on my second clutch.

Well, I drive 90% highway so it sounds more impressive than it actually is

 

[scorpmatt]

ya know, sometimes i'm glad i drive a pickup with a 5speed, i dont have to rev the motor up before i take off.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: wasssup
hmm so is it ok to sometimes rev to like 1k-1.25k rpm's and then let the clutch out? i've only been driving stick for a month, and i was told that no "slippage" is ideal (so basically accelerate like an auto would)..i've been trying to master that, but i was "allowed" to rev a little and then clutch out it would be so much easier...

You have to slip to a degree. With practice you'll be able to minimize time spent with the clutch slipping. If you mean revving high and then letting revs fall as the clutch engages, it may help with you learning but ultimately it's not your goal. When you're good enough you will see the RPM remain stable as you let the clutch pedal out because you will be giving throttle as it grips, and then when the clutch is fully engaged you can give it throttle. Or, if you're aggressive, you can do what viper said, which is give excess throttle before the clutch is fully engaged and you will get some power immediately.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Heh, my first one only made it 50k, the flywheel looked great, but considering that it was effectively the learner clutch, I expect my current one to last atleast twice as long.

 

[Kalvin00]

Originally posted by: wasssup
hmm so is it ok to sometimes rev to like 1k-1.25k rpm's and then let the clutch out? i've only been driving stick for a month, and i was told that no "slippage" is ideal (so basically accelerate like an auto would)..i've been trying to master that, but i was "allowed" to rev a little and then clutch out it would be so much easier...

Yes, you want to minimize it as much as possible if life is what you're going for...but revving it to 1.5K rpms to get going isn't going to shorten the lifespan of your clutch..

 

[psteng19]

Originally posted by: wasssup
hmm so is it ok to sometimes rev to like 1k-1.25k rpm's and then let the clutch out? i've only been driving stick for a month, and i was told that no "slippage" is ideal (so basically accelerate like an auto would)..i've been trying to master that, but i was "allowed" to rev a little and then clutch out it would be so much easier...

That is the foolproof way of starting the car without stalling.
It's a good beginners technique to focus more on getting the car going rather than focusing on not stalling.
It's a little harder on the clutch, but not too terrible.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Best I could manage with mostly city/stop and go driving is 60-70k miles.

 

[nakedfrog]

I work with a guy whose brother bought a Kia Rio a little over a year ago. They just paid $600 to have the clutch replaced since the warranty on the clutch is only a year. I don't know if they were just being really hard on it, the clutch was a POS, or a bit of both.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
I work with a guy whose brother bought a Kia Rio a little over a year ago. They just paid $600 to have the clutch replaced since the warranty on the clutch is only a year. I don't know if they were just being really hard on it, the clutch was a POS, or a bit of both.

I see a distressing number of people who use their clutches to hold themselves on a hill, so it's quite possible that it's all driver error. I've seen a clutch on a corolla burned out at 30k, and this was a guy who lived in a suburb of a fairly uncrowded city, but he just couldn't drive for beans, burning away the clutch all the time.

 

[jalaram]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
I work with a guy whose brother bought a Kia Rio a little over a year ago. They just paid $600 to have the clutch replaced since the warranty on the clutch is only a year. I don't know if they were just being really hard on it, the clutch was a POS, or a bit of both.

I see a distressing number of people who use their clutches to hold themselves on a hill, so it's quite possible that it's all driver error. I've seen a clutch on a corolla burned out at 30k, and this was a guy who lived in a suburb of a fairly uncrowded city, but he just couldn't drive for beans, burning away the clutch all the time.

It always made me cringe to see drivers riding the clutch while stopped on a hill. I was lucky to have friends to taught me how to handle hills and a stick shift. A lot of those driver errors could be minimized if they taught stick shift in high school driver's ed.

 

[Ausm]

Clutch who needs one if you know how to shift properly

Ausm