Is my driving wearing out my clutch?

birkee

fred7777 wrote: »

Not sure about this one based on experience in the ice before Christmas. We had several sections of very icy road (think ice rink type ice) nearby and I tried this.

The car still skidded sideways and lost steering. I believe too much engine breaking caused the wheels to loose contact with the ice. They were not locked and were still turning but were turning slower than they would need to be to keep up with the car. Dipping the clutch resolved the problem and from then on I let the ABS prevent the wheels locking which worked in all but the most iced conditions at very low speed.

Sensible letting the ABS manage it as best it could, but the simple fact is, that you can drive on ice at 100mph with no problem, but it's when you make changes to your speed or direction that the problems occur.
Using the engine to slow down tries to reduce the speed of the wheels, which have insufficient grip to slow the car which continues at it's previous speed, so the wheels lose traction and skid.

Have to ask! How did you know the wheels were going slower than the speed of the car suggested?
Implication I guess, but I have visions of you hanging out of the drivers window to check.

Inactive

Brakes is for stopping, gears is for going..;)

peterbaker

maryke wrote: »

I think you might have a good feel for equalling your engine revs to the clutch, that could definately add years to your clutch.

Clearly that is the secret number one to long life of the clutch plate and rules out any heavy acceleration.

Sitting with you foot on the clutch when stopped?... Nobody has mentioned wear on the clutch release bearing either. In the old days these used to be a carbon ring on some cars, but are probably mostly bearings now. You would have killed a carbon clutch release bearing in no time flat. Soon learned to not sit with your foot on a clutch.

And that is the other part of the clutch which is just as expensive to get at generally - so secret number two is be kind to your clutch release bearing (and cable if you have one) and spring .

Someone said they always sit with their foot on the clutch if first at the traffic lights so they can be away quicker. Quicker than what or who? It sounds like it is a recipe for doing the clutch in both ways

Mustard_Dave

Inactive wrote: »

Brakes is for stopping, gears is for going..;)

Correct - "Gears to go, brakes to slow" is the expression they use.

You should use engine braking by keeping the clutch engaged until you are about to stop but shouldn't be dropping gears to slow down. Dropping a cog to slow down at low speeds may work okay but doing it at speed in something with a bit of performance will have you into the central reservation if you don't match the revs properly.

DaveF327

I'm glad the "brakes for slow, gears for go" had been mentioned. Also consider what your brake lights are for. Slowing with the gears doesn't give ample warning to following traffic, especially a concern with the number of muppets who drive whilst on the phone / yelling at the kids in the back etc.

Have a look at this photo I took on a suburban road in Canada recently.

Why do you think they put that sign up?

vikingaero

Inactive wrote: »

Brakes is for stopping, gears is for going..;)

Unless you are getting rid of the car after the warranty expires.:p:D

fred7777

birkee wrote: »

Have to ask! How did you know the wheels were going slower than the speed of the car suggested?
Implication I guess, but I have visions of you hanging out of the drivers window to check.

Because the car started to spin around when first gear was engaged and came back under control when the clutch was depressed I assumed the wheels had lost grip although they were still turning.

Too cold to hand out of the window and look:)

A._Badger

I was waiting for someone to trot out the fashionable 'gears to go' cliche.

In the way of things, no doubt in years to come the driving 'experts' who invent this stuff will revert to how it was when a BBC TV programme I recall watching a thousand years ago followed Stirling Moss driving round Hyde Park Corner (it may have been some other London nightmare of the time) and approvingly remarking on how his brake lights didn't come on once 'because he is always in the correct gear'.

Oh, and good luck to the chap who said he relied on ABS in the ice. We had lots who thought that way round here, neatly parked in the ditches, early last December. Usually stacked beside indignant 4x4 drivers.

Inactive

A._Badger wrote: »

I was waiting for someone to trot out the fashionable 'gears to go' cliche.

In the way of things, no doubt in years to come the driving 'experts' who invent this stuff will revert to how it was when a BBC TV programme I recall watching a thousand years ago followed Stirling Moss driving round Hyde Park Corner (it may have been some other London nightmare of the time) and approvingly remarking on how his brake lights didn't come on once 'because he is always in the correct gear'.

.

I wouldn't put forward Stirling Moss as a good road driving example, he actually failed a motor cycle test long after he became famous for driving around closed circuits.

A._Badger

Inactive wrote: »

I wouldn't put forward Stirling Moss as a good road driving example, he actually failed a motor cycle test long after he became famous for driving around closed circuits.

Possibly not, but that wasn't the point of the story.