Newbie: Tips for minimizing transmission & clutch wearing?

[bilangewoodwalker]

Hello all.

This is the first question ive been posting here, so bear with me

I have a new (leased) car for a few days now, and this time it is a manual transmission (used to have automatic before). Ive had a few practices runs with a friend before, so i'm not totally dumb at stick shifting, however I fear my current techniques might wear down the clutch quite quickly, althought it does work. That was the point of asking here, to see if my current techniques are actually bad habits that I have to break up before getting used to them.

So my question is pretty much about clutch management, but it's a more 'advanced' question than a "Put in first, release the clutch, you're on!" type of question. It's still a newbie question, i'm just tring to get deeper into that subject.

My question has two distinct points:

1) Starting up from a stop: So the technique that worked for me was to hold the engine at 3000 rpm, release the clutch pedal to position it where the clutch just BEGINS to have some friction, HOLD THAT POSITION for a few seconds so the car actually moves forward a bit. When the car starts to move, obviously the RPM goes down along with the clutch friction... so I tend to keep that clutch even longer at that position and depress the gas pedal a bit. At that point, once I know the engine won't die due to too much friction with that extra engine torque added in, i end up gradually releasing the clutch pedal.

what you have to consider in that last paragraph is that I let the clutch slide along the whole process in a position where there's a low friction. I even add up more torque once I know the engine won't die, but still let the clutch longer at that position without fully engaging it. I fear I may end up wear down the clutch quite faster than normally using that starting up technique. That, and also what i'm doing in the second point just below:


2) Engine braking. Yeah, I can already hear you advise for AND against; ive searched on Y! answers on that, and it seems theres no consensus on that. Some says it will wear down the tranny and/or the drivetrain, others has been doing that for years without problems.

And I thought "What if I gradually, slowly let go the clutch pedal when downshifting?". I thought of doing a very smooth gear engage process to make sure the car doesnt act funny if I depress it outright (and I assume thats where the tranny/drivetrain weardown comes from... well, in part)... But again, I'm putting some of the work on the clutch again, frictionning against the flywheel.

I'm not interested into gas usage while doing this (Hey, that's a Yaris anyway!), just curious if using those techniques will end up having an used, worn down clutch/tranny/drivetrain more quickly.

So, whats your experience(s) on that matter?

Thanks!!

(PS: English isnt my mother tongue, sorry if I may sound 'funny'. I know it won't for the most part, but i'm just mentioning)

 

[tike]

as you lift your foot off the clutch, press on the accelerator. youll feel a 'bite' where the clutch is just about ready to move the car, then accelerate more as you fully lift your foot off the clutch. when slowing down, use just the brake until the car is just about to judder then press the clutch and take out of gear just as you stop.
once you hold the clutch pedal in its wearing down, keep its usage to a minimum. you have the start off fairly ok, just a bit slow. but youll get quicker with exp. by using only the brake when slowing stops the need for continuous downchanging as you go straight from your driving gear to neutral and back to 1 when moving off again.
hope this helps

 

[Melody E]

What your doing is a recipe for clutch plate and flywheel disaster, you really need to get with an experienced driver and learn to find that magic place where rpm and clutch pressure come together in perfect harmony to avoid what your going to pay in clutch replacement and flywheel machining. Your habits will prematurely mutilate the clutch as well as scorch the flywheel, it was a good idea to get a manual tranny for fuel efficiency but if your wasting that much clutch material you will lose money long and short term!!!