I guess if you don't have the clutch pedal fully depressed,it is slightly engaged.This could be from having your seat to far back,I don't use my ankle to move the clutch,but use my leg,so that when the clutch is depressed my leg is still bent a bit.And when you do have the pedal depessed,hold it on the floor,and don't use the clutch to hold you still ,thats what brakes are for.

 

SO you mean don't use the clutch to hold you still, not standing in neutral, two seperate things.

 

Push clutch in
shift into gear
go
repeat
Don't put you foot on the clutch unless you are shifting into gear
simple solution to long lasting clutch

 

I am glad someone asked about this because I was confused too! I had always been taught to put the car into neutral when stopped for more than a little bit and just sit, foot on the brake, not on the clutch.

I am grateful that while learning to drive I learned to hold the car still using the clutch/gas because the skill comes in handy for hill starts, but I don't drive holding the car in position with the clutch day-to-day.

Although I see people, some in expensive cars, going this all the time. I think they think it makes them look cool?

 

Holding the clutch in while stopped at a light can cause undue stress on the throwout bearing. thats the part that separates the two halves of the clutch. just a longevity consideration, this is.

Im a total novice with manual transmission, but i have been learning from the best. today is my trial by fire as i drive home from the dealer in my new CooperS. Dont ride the clutch--foot on only while shifting. Dont dump it, but dont let it out excessively slowly either. ok thats basically it.

Patrick

 

Very interesting read, as I am currently trying to teach my cousin how to drive stick. I told her not to rest her foot on the cluth. I was also told by someone that resting your hand on the shifter while you are driving can cause wear/damage to the clutch. Is this true as well?

 

No, resting your hand on the gearshift will not harm the clutch. But it's not good to put much pressure on the gearshift lever while driving, it may push the lever out of gear if you're not careful.

Also, downshifting causes undue wear and tear on the drivetrain, engine included. Under normal (i.e., non-racing) conditions, I hardly ever downshift. The logic behind this is inescapable: brakes are cheaper than drivetrains!

Not as much fun, but significantly less wear for the car!

 

vagt, if you rev-match while downshifting and know proper heel-toe technique it's no more or less harmful than upshifting. It's when you don't rev-match and just let the clutch out while the engine is idling and the RPM soars all of a sudden that you're causing harm.

 

Or you can double clutch the downshifts. That's what I usually do when I'm not on the brakes.

 

so you said you let you kid ride it for 5,000 miles hmmmm and said you never see him riding the clutch, does he take it out on his own? hmmmmmmm

i wonder how hes driving when your not in the car with him, jk i just said this since i took my dads car out once many years ago and always drove it nice but when i had it all to my self i blue the soot out it ya catch my drift, and one day blew the rod, go fig :(

anywho i wonder if some clutches are more prone to giving out than others i have had mine now for about 80,000 extreamley hard miles, i am on the 5th set of tires in just 2 years and its still engaging wonderfully, and i do 4000 rpm drops all the time!!!!!! and leave patches everywhere, hence the 5th set of tires but everyone that drives the car sais it still feels drum tight!!

 

teaching my son to drive & the home choices are
02 S
95 Miata 5sp & 100k on original clutch
03 Element 5sp
79 Austin Mini

which clutch should I choose to replace .... Miata WINS

 

re: Clutch + Teenager = $

Had a Jetta when number 1 son was 16. He had it for one weekend, and the clutch was toasted. He learned his lesson when he had to pay half of the bill to replace it. Consequences have to fit the behavior.
Now I am wondering about the two runflats on the S that are close to bald with 17,000 on them (rotated twice). Hmmmm. Number 2 son is now 16. Anyone see a link here?
Wondering where in the world they ever learned to drive like this....

 

ok since im still a relative novice to manual driving i really want to ask some expert

1)ive been using half-clutch to upshift with alot of sucess at being smooth, but i've had instances where i didnt clutch in properly and cause some nasty vibrations... should i just stop doing it? ive had the shifter pop back out because gears are not properly engaged about 3 times in about 3 months... recently ive tried to fully engage the clutch before shifting, but everytime i lift i seems to be off a bit and often cause a jerk... so should i half clutch and risk that fwe times where i might not do it properly? or should i still engage clutch and work out the timing

2) riding the clutch means basically hodling the clutch at friction point, correct? so even if uphill i creep up a little is that riding the clutch (somewhat giving gas and just let the car almsot reach friction point before depressing again)

3) any good indication when the clutch starts to wear down? ive had some vibrations in the clutch for awhile now, although ive had the dealer drive my car several times and they've always said it's in perfect condition.. i also tried to do that second gear test but didn't find the engine revving on it's own separate from the wheel...

4)when downshifting.. if the revs are not properly matched sometimes it does so on it's own.. is that a bad thing to do consistently? and a followup is that is it better to rev higher or lower before disengaging the clutch during downshifts...if i do miss close.. its usually within 300 rpm of the actual rev needed

thanks! i really need some help in this

 

My MINI was delivered with a faulty clutch fork I think. Finally at about 48k miles, I asked Helix about it. It had always been a bit difficult to depress the clutch pedal - I just thought that's how MINIs were - until I had two loaners with really light clutch pedals. Anyway, it felt like the pedal was rubbing on something half way through the motion. Helix told me to take it to the dealer - it's probably something mechanical like a bearing or the fork. It turns out it was the fork and it was replaced under warranty at 49.8k miles. While they were in there, I had the option to get a brand new clutch (100% new parts) for just the price of the parts plus one hour labor since the fork replacement was under warranty. Although I have never worn a clutch (my previous car is still out there with 115k+ miles on original clutch), I decided to take advantage of this - especially since I added a lot more torque than the S was originally intended for. Clutch is super smooth now.

 

I just bought a used '03. I brought it in for service at 33,000 miles. the clutch was 1mm from the rivets. The dealership replaced it under warranty. I would suggest fighting the fact they don't want to cover it.

 

This whole don't downshift,break instead,talk is interesting.I down shift some of the time,break some of the time,and do both most of the time.Drive the car!!!!

 

Mine just very rapidly took a dump at about 39,500 miles. Didn't drive the car for about 3 weeks (I drive my classic Mini in the winter, better in the snow), got in it a week ago, and the engine just runs up to redline if you give it moderate gas, then starts pulling again when you let off. It's even worse today.

Looking at new clutch options - trying to decide between a SACHS I found on eBay for $195, or a SPEC stage 1 I found on JSC speed page for $245.

Taking it to Detroit Tuned (hope it makes it that far!) to get repaired as soon as I can afford it... Ryan mentioned I should get a flywheel - cheapest one I could find was about $350, which is a lot for someone on a budget.

Does anyone know if performance clutches come with new throwout bearings as well?

 

1. The clutch is ENGAGED when the pedal is fully released. Pressing on the pedal DISENGAGES the clutch.

2. Sitting at a light in neutral is BETTER for your clutch/throwout bearing than sitting at a light in gear. You are just adding heat and wear to the throwout bearing with the pedal depressed.

 

Yea, sitting at a light with the clutch pushed in is just wearing out your throwout bearing. Put it in neutral and get off the clutch. The less time you spend on the clutch, the better. dpilgrim got over 115k miles on his clutch with auto-x and all.

P.S. not all teenagers are bad at driving manuals. I learned to drive when I was 15 on a manual (I'm 20 now) and can double clutch and heel-toe downshift as well as anyone who doesn't race can. Just teach your children to drive right. I'm actually worried about my parents (who have driven stick all their lives) because they sit in gear with the clutch in at stoplights and don't double clutch downshifts.

 

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/clutch.htm

comes with cool little animations and everything. My best friends kids loved this website and if they can figure it out, I know I will understand it too!

 

Sarcux, I've put quite a few Centerforce clutches in vehicles and they
came w/ the throwout bearing, most aftermarket clutches come w/ them.
Not quite sure about the Race/Comp clutches though. Bearings probably
40-50 bucks or thereabouts.

Later

 

And it's based on time to power. At a traffic school I went to (one of many), the instructor said that it was good to be able to get out of the way quickly. This is very true to anyone who has driven a motorcycle. Anyway, at worst it's a comprimize of one for the other...... And since throw out bearings are cheap, but the labor to just replace that is the same as a clutch (pretty much), then people who trash their clutches should keep the car in gear with the clutch in, while those that heel-toe should leave it in neutral

 

Teenagers can do plenty of expensive damage to automatics, too! I know I did!

 

I have seen people that are used to creeping in traffic with an automatic by lifting on the brake, creep along with the clutch slipping.

I showed a family member that was sitting at a light, that by absent mindedly playing with the clutch, she was "starting" 5 or 10 times at that light.

Bumper to bumper traffic puts a tremendous amount of heat on a clutch, unless you are careful how you use it.

I know people that treat a small stick shift car like an old V8, they don't use first gear, they just start in 2nd and slip the clutch.

I have towed "too heavy" trailers with every stick shift car I have owned. I never substituted the clutch for a low gear. My Pinto which spent a lot of its life towing a 1500 pound boat / trailer package needed a new clutch at 80,000.

Clutches are like brakes, change the clutch disk before you cook the plate and wheel, and you only change the plate.

On a rear wheel drive car, changing the clutch is a 4 hour job in your driveway using ramps, less in the shop.

On a front wheel drive car, it is much worse. I have read where people say $1,500 for an installed clutch, and I do not doubt it.

Just my 2 cents.

John

 

Can someone clarify "double clutch" and "heal/toe" for me? My last several vehicles were Dodge trucks and old Darts w/ Torqueflite autos.