Cost-Saving Clutch Tips

Downshifting

Avoid excessive downshifting, especially into 1st and 2nd gear. If you need to slow down, use your brakes.



You subject the clutch to unnecessary wear whenever you downshift, removing miles from its life. Remember, your car has one clutch and four brakes. Brakes are engineered to stop your car, while the clutch transfers power from the engine to the transmission, enabling the car to move.

Left Foot Placement

When the car is in gear and moving, take your foot left foot off the clutch pedal.



If you even slightly rest your foot on the clutch pedal after shifting, you are causing unneeded wear to your clutch components. Taking your foot off the clutch pedal after shifting will extend the life of your clutch, saving you time and money.

Traffic Lights

When you come to a traffic light, put your car in neutral and take your foot off the clutch pedal



Even though the clutch pedal is depressed, the clutch will still wear because the components are engaged. Each time you sit at a traffic light with your foot on the clutch pedal, you are removing miles from the life of your clutch.

Entering a Parking Lot – Feel the Shakes?

When entering a parking lot, always be in the proper gear for your speed. You should be in first gear when traveling less than five miles per hour.



If you are in a higher gear than the vehicle designed for you will feel a “shake.” When you feel that “shake,” your clutch is hammering against itself, taking miles off of your clutch system.

Shifting Technique

When you start in 1st gear, you “feather” the clutch pedal for a smooth start. Do not “feather” the clutch when shifting through the rest of the gears. The clutch pedal should be “in” and “out” in gears 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th.



If you “feather” (letting the pedal out gradually) the clutch between gears, you will cause excessive wear to the clutch components. When shifting between 1st and 2nd, 2nd and 3rd, 3rd and 4th, and 4th and 5th, the pedal should be “in” and “out.”

Hill Holder – Traffic Light or Stop Sign

Do not use your clutch as a hill-holder when you are on an incline (uphill) waiting for traffic to clear or light to change. Hill-holding is keeping the car in 1st gear, feathering the clutch to hold your position at a light or for traffic to clear.



Using the clutch as a hill holder, you can wear the clutch for 5,000 miles in just one intersection.

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