Re: Ride the Clutch

[Michiel van Wessem <jmvw@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hello..

At 01:01 AM 11/9/98 -0500, you wrote:
>>From: ernie van nalts <ernievn@domain.elided>
>>Subject: Riding the clutch
>>
>>My wife drives an E36 318 manual transmission and I drive and E39 528
>>manual transmission.  She has told me that at stoplights she holds the
>>clutch in untill the light turns green.  I told her that is wrong but I
>>can't explain why.  Can someone explain why it is wrong to sit on the
>>clutch pedal at stoplights?
>
>
>Ernie,
>
>Well there's the old arguement that this will lead to premature throwout
>bearing failure, but the REAL reason you don't want her to do this is a
>safety reason.  Should her foot slip off the clutch and she does not have
>her other foot on the brake, the car can quite literally jump into the
>intersection and get hit by cross traffic. Ditto if she gets rear ended at
>the light by an upcoming car. Put it in neutral, step on the brake...

I've heard that argument before, but it doesn't seem to hold. If your foot
slips off the clutch, wouldn't your car stall? Unless it's capable of
cannonball acceleration? Having a stalled car in gear seems like a good brake.

>"Riding the Clutch" refers to resting a foot on the clutch pedal while the
>car is underway. A slight depression on the pedal and the friction plates
>will not be fully engaged.  Early clutch failure then.
>
>Duane Collie
>SVR/UUC/Bubba

Michiel

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