clutch

[blondegirly]

I am belatedly learning to drive. I struggle with the clutch and my fiance is not good at expalining it. anyone know of a good website which expalins it or do I have to buy a book?

[charliebaps]

Do you mean having problems with the biting point - stalling or just how it works?

[andy-hughes]

Clutch control is the hardest thing to master in the early stages.

To start off, press the clutch right down, and engae first gear. Gently press your accelerator until the engine noise 'rises' slightly. Hold that foot there, and gently and smoothly (it comes with practice!) lift your left foot until you hear the engine noise drop, and feel the engine 'bite' as the gear engages. As soon as the car moves, smoothly take your left foot up until the clutch is released.

When you want to change gear - depress the clutch down, and at the same time release the accelerator (again this will smooth out with practice). When your left foot is fully down, change gear, smoothly release your left foot, and smoothly prees your right foot, but leave the right foot press until the left foot is fully released.

It seems complex, but it will come with practice, as you learn to 'feel' the car movement and the engine responses.

Hope this helps - if not, re-post, I have endless patience!

[mibn2cweus]

The clutch operates on a similar principal to the brakes; but instead of stopping the wheels from turning it links the engine to the rest of the drive train allowing the turning motion of the engine to be transferred to the wheels. When the clutch pedal is depressed the engine is no longer linked to the wheels; this allows the engine to continue to run (idle) even while the wheels have stopped turning. As the clutch pedal is released a spinning plate mounted to the turning engine engages with another plate coupled to the drive train and wheels. While this is happening extra power is required from the engine to bring the automobile from a point of rest to motion so speed up the engine a little so that it doesn't stall.

[stanleyman]

Why not go automatic and save clutch work for later when you've got more experience.

[qapmoc]

Well stanleyman, as far as I am concerned I just cannot understand why any car sold today still has a clutch and gearstick, everything you buy or use is modern - up to date with computer control, self diagnosis, adaptive tuning, fuzzy logic etc... etc... and yet the car still has a 1890's design for the clutch and gearbox and with the amount of hazards on the roads and the speed of the traffic you still have to think about what the engine+gearbox is doing.
Unbelievable really isn't it.

[mrbatfink]

Clutches are still there for pepole like me who actually like to drive cars, as opposed to be driven by a car...

Take away the gearstick and you take away the fun of driving...

Go and watch days of thunder or the fast and the furious... then tell me you don't need a clutch and gearstick....

[blondegirly]

thank you mibn2cweus , that was just the sort of thing I needed. Clutch control doesn't really make sense if you don't get that bit, I will read and learn!

[qapmoc]

Well I suppose that depends where you drive, I do a lot of driving all day (industrial service industry) and spend 85% of that time either moving at less than 50mph in lines of traffic or sitting watching traffic lights play games while the traffic stays in the same place.
my vehicle has an auto-gearbox and full time automatic four wheel drive, at least I can relax and let the van take the strain.

[Playaxvx]

hey blondegirly... may i suggest something... (from a fellow blonde girly!) try wearing thin soled shoes (or even flip flops), you will find the "biting point" musch easier to find and control...it worked for me anyway!! Kepp me posted on how u getting on!!

[sense4all]

re above posting, thin soled shoes (ballet style pump) YES, flip flops NOOOOOOOO, that is dangerous!

[spaced]

no book or website will teach you as well as trying and practicing it yourself. Its easy when you finally learn how.

[southwell]

As a driving instructor many years ago, I was able to get my students to be in control of the clutch. Instead of saying "Bring the clutch up slowly" as other instructors did, I used to say "Bring the pedal up to the biting point and whilst still pressing on the pedal ,don't press it quite so hard." By releasing pressure on the pedal you were in fact letting the pedal up slowly which was the intended action. I can assure you that my students never had clutch problems like kangaroo starts etc. Good luck Blondegirly

[blondegirly]

I know I need to practice to learn and not from a book - it is the mechanics of the clutch I wanted to understand, a diagram showing how it all works in the engine so when I am learning it makes sense if I know why I am depressing the clutch etc. Am I being too much of a lawyer about this?

having said all this - thank you for the advice given so far.