SANANTONIO06GT

I have a bad habbit of sometimes "riding" the clutch, not when the car is moving, just when its stopped, like at a light. I dont have the clutch pedal floored, butmy left foot, I guess you can say sitting on it. I was never taught too much about car clutches, but I do work with pneumatic clutches at my work. Tell me guys, am I doing any damagewith having my foot laying on the clutch?? Remember though,its not floored.I dont know how far down you have to push the clutch till you disengage the clutch plates. Is it bad to leave it in gear at a light, in first with the clutch in??
Also, how do you properly slow down in standard transmission mustang?? Do you keep down shifting or do you leave it in the gear your in, and just brake as needed or do you put it neutral, coast and brake??

Johnboy7701

Well I always leave it in gear at a light most of the time.. the clutch is not engaging if you dont feel the car moving so I dont think it would do any damage... as long as your not just rocking the car with the clutch... now I downshift when I slow down its a habbit from being a heavy wheeled vehicle operator in the Army. Bg trucks its better to have the engine slow you down but I know with the stang its better to put it in neutral and coast since replacing brake pads is cheaper than replacing a clutch... jmo

SANANTONIO06GT

That makes sense. I have heard different stories about clutches and I finally remembered to ask about them

wozz

If you are sitting and holding the car in place on the clutch then yes it is bad causing increased wear on the clutch.

Best way to drive a manual when you pull up to lights and is the way you should be taught to drive on the road is.

Keep the car in gear until just before you stop as it helps provide some engine braking. When you are near to the line shift into 1st or 2nd depending on if you can time the lights right so you don't have to stop. If you have to stop go into neutral brake until stopped and put the handbrake on. And then relax your feet but get ready to take off again as soon as you can basically. Sitting with your foot on the foot brake isn't good either. For a start it is more dangerous if some idiot ends up smashing into the back of you. Foot comes off the brake and you go flying forward into possibly oncoming traffic.

It can also cause rotors to wear quicker, Warp them etc due to the heat contained in 1 area being concentrated on 1 section for a longer period. Plus it just blinds people being you.

Sitting with your foot on the clutch is just going to put more wear on the throwout bearing, Cable whatever type of clutch it is it adds wear by putting that part under maximum stress since you have used the full pedal travel.

I was taught to do it the way I described above. By going into neutral and putting the handbrake on etc. How everyone is taught to drive over here. Also now taught to not downshift on the way down but leave it in gear until just before the line then shift to neutral.

mrwglo

Meh. Relax your clutch foot and wait until you are actually making a gear selection before disengaging the clutch. I use engine braking down to third gear and after that I just use the brakes, tranny in neutral, clutch out. If on the level, I don't use any brake to avoid the warp problem (which isn't much of a problem unless you just did some heavy braking). As mentioned above, you're really only doing significant damage if you feel the car moving under you because the clutch is trying to engage. You bought it, drive how you want.

vtmustangs

using the e-brake at a stop light? I have never once done this...I usually downshift just like the post above til 3rd gear. I sometimes do the same thing with leaving the foot resting on the clutch don't know how much damage it does but its a bad habit and hard to break so what gonna do but my clutch has last 50K so far so no problems so far

BlackStang21

Just curious on how this is possible? Not saying its wrong just doesn't make since to me since people who drive autos have to sit with their foot on the brake when in drive at a red light and it doesn't effect their rotors. Is there a difference between auto and manual trannys I don't know about when it comes to braking?

waykooljr

Using the foot brake at a light also alerts drivers behind you that you are stopped. I will go as far as pumping the brake a few times to flash my lights at vehicles approaching from the rear.

As for stopping, I roll to a stop in the gear I was in until stopped, then shift to neutral and release the clutch. If possible and I know the intersection, I observe the lights to prepare for the light change for me to go.

BlackStang21

+1

wozz

If they can't see a parked car at a traffic light they dont deserve to be driving. They should be seeking advice for their eye sight and be getting it checked. I mean how difficult is it to see a bloody big car infront of you?

Our brake lights are brighter than yours to so they just end up blinding the person behind you which pisses me off when I am in front of someone doing it. But once you have stopped and you know you are going to be sat there for a while it makes sense to put the handbrake on and in your driving test over here you would actually be failed if you constantly kept your foot on the brake instead of using the handbrake.

Handbrake on is something that is taught here. And very few people drive autos you get taught to drive Manual from your first lesson here. With regard to the brakes it depends on the kind of driving you do I suppose I tend to drive my cars hard so using the handbrake is better than using the footbrake when I have already got a lot of heat in the brakes as it wouldn't help the rotors with wear helps warping to have all that heat going into just the contact patch and then dissipating.