Proper Clutch Procedure

[akpud]

Good Morning,

1998 Boxster with 65,000 Miles (new clutch at 60,000). NO problems with the clutch whatsoever!

My question is simply to find out the proper procedure for depressing the clutch when shifting. Is it required to depress the clutch all the way to the floor (as the manual suggests)? I can very smoothly shift gears while depressing the clutch only half way - but will this reduce the wear and longevity of the flywheel?

Your advise is, as always, much appreciated!

AK

[Chris_in_NH]

hey AK,

not sure why no-one's responded yet...

but i would say that as long as you're not 'grinding the gears' then you're ok. i usually push the pedal all the way to the floor, but i'm 6'1" so it's not a problem or anything. but then again, you had your clutch replaced at 60K while i'm at 95K on my original (1997) clutch. also, some clutches engage higher or lower in the arc of motion of the pedal. i had a Honda that you only had to move the pedal about 2 inches.

things to keep in mind when using the clutch are:

-make a habit of keeping your foot off the pedal, except for when it needs to be there

-clutches have a limited amount of shifts in them; downshifting thru all of the gears (5th to 4th to 3rd, etc.) to decelerate will cut your clutch life significantly (can be minimized via rev matching)

-brakes are much cheaper and easier to replace than a clutch

-rev matching (blipping the throttle) when downshifting will save clutch wear. once you get in the habit of doing this, it will be automatic. it sounds really cool too! ;)

[akpud]

Many thanks Chris,

Well unfortunately I ain't 6'2" (except in my dreams) and I sit as far back as the seats will allow. So I could actually hit the floor with the pedal but it takes some doing. The clutch shifts very smoothly with no grinding whatever even though it's not all the way to the floor. In my original post I said 1/2 way - but I've been paying closer attention to the movement and it's actually a little further (probably more like 3/4s to the floor but still not all the way down).

In any case you have answered my question and I appreciate your time and the response.

Best regards,

AK

[veshman]

hey AK,

not sure why no-one's responded yet...

but i would say that as long as you're not 'grinding the gears' then you're ok. i usually push the pedal all the way to the floor, but i'm 6'1" so it's not a problem or anything. but then again, you had your clutch replaced at 60K while i'm at 95K on my original (1997) clutch. also, some clutches engage higher or lower in the arc of motion of the pedal. i had a Honda that you only had to move the pedal about 2 inches.

things to keep in mind when using the clutch are:

-make a habit of keeping your foot off the pedal, except for when it needs to be there

-clutches have a limited amount of shifts in them; downshifting thru all of the gears (5th to 4th to 3rd, etc.) to decelerate will cut your clutch life significantly (can be minimized via rev matching)

-brakes are much cheaper and easier to replace than a clutch

-rev matching (blipping the throttle) when downshifting will save clutch wear. once you get in the habit of doing this, it will be automatic. it sounds really cool too! ;)

could you describe the actual procedure on 'rev matching'? I'm not sure exactly what that is. most of the time, I switch into the gear that will most likely be appropriate for the speed I'm going....but a lot of times, for fun, I will shift into a lower gear for a harder stop

thanks!

bhavesh

[heavyarms]

rev matching is tapping the gas to bring up the rpms then down shift, by tapping the gas first it puts less work on the clutch .

Edited August 15, 2006 by heavyarms

[veshman]

rev matching is tapping the gas to bring up the rpms then down shift, by tapping the gas first it puts less work on the clutch .

that was really great! thanks for the description...i've done some of that at times on my own, but didn't really know what I was doing.

sounds like something else that will be fun to practice!

bhavesh