I have heard that when you stop a light, you can save wear and tear on the clutch by shifting into neutral and letting the clutch out. Any truth to this?

I have always sat at a light in gear, with the clutch in. In my old Civic, when I sold it, the original clutch was still going strong after 6 years and a 115,000 miles. The original clutch in our Integra had 13 years and 96,000 miles (mostly local driving) when we sold it to buy our 2k2 6 spd Max, but I suspected it was going to have to be replaced soon. I really can't believe that sitting in nuetral at a light can make that big a difference.

Just curious if anyone else had heard this...willing to change my ways if there is a strong argument to do so...

 

i do it as a habit, always downshift then pop in N at the red... unless im at the dragway

 

For clutch wear, leaving the clutch in will actually reduce wear, and letting out on the clutch in neutral will actually slightly increase wear. That is because even when you are letting the clutch out in neutral, you don't have any output torque, but the clutch will still contact the flywheel and if they are not spinning at the same speed, it will cause some wear due to it having to accelerate the input shaft ever so slightly.

But on the other hand, keeping the clutch in will cause additional forces on bearings that might cause them to fail sooner.

 

I think the clutch material will outlast the throwout bearing.

 

Put it in neutral and let out the clutch pedal. Leaving it in gear, with the clutch pedal in, greatly increases wear on the throw-out bearing, a $25-or-so part that requires removing the transmission and clutch to replace. In contrast, wear on the clutch from releasing it with no load (neutral) is trivial in the extreme.

Buddywh

 

I agree. The throw out bearing is already a problem with these new clutches.

 

Neutral with clutch engaged - it's a shame to do a $1000 clutch job for a $25 bearing.

 

pop into neutral and coast to a stop - let the brakes do the work then rest my left leg

 

if i were you, i would downshift all the way to 1st and keep it in nuetral until liight is green. Then pop it into 1st.

 

It saves the throwout bearing to let out the clutch and have it in N...then light goes green into 1st you go. It does help.

 

I always put it in neutral and take my foot off the clutch at lights (in the Vette).

 

"Holding down the clutch pedal while at stop lights (which nearly everyone I’ve ever observed does) causes the throwout bearing to overheat, resulting in premature wear and failure. It also stresses the pressure plate and causes friction on the clutch disc. Therefore, shifting into neutral and letting the clutch pedal out while stopped will lengthen the life of your clutch by at least 20,000 miles, saving you money and aggravation."

Source: http://wheels.mainetoday.com/caring/000526auto.shtml

 

Excellent point! I imagine racers can effectively use the engine's compression for braking to delay brake fade, but unless you race on a factory team... where someone else pays for the repairs... use the brakes to bring the vehicle down in speed.

Burning up $400 in brakes is a lot cheaper than $5,000 plus in engine/transmission/clutch repairs!

BuddyWh

 

Thanks for the response guys. Looks like it is time to change an old habit! I will be popping it into neutral from now on... you would think this would be written up in the owner's manual...

 

I do believe it is...

 

One never uses engine (compression) braking in a race. Toe/heel to synchronize the engine and the wheels. It's not because brakes are cheaper. It's cause brakes brake better and compression can cause some nasty effects.

Axel

 

so downshifting from 5th to stop at a light is a no-no?

 

Ooooh, you ARE good, MaxRU. In the 2K Owners Manual it's on Page 5-12, to wit:

"When the vehicle is stopped for a period of time, for example at a stop light, shift to N (Neutral) and release the clutch pedal with the foot brake applied."

 

I always leave mine in neutral at stop light. The manual says so too. It's better for your car and only takes a second to throw it in a gear since they made the shifting so soft and easy..

 

Doh! Absolutely right, there it is in black and white, bold nonetheless. I missed it. Thanks again....

 

Escpecially on lights I know, I coast to them in neutral. Otherwise it's neutral and p-brake.

All the while still gaining on everyone in back of me!

Surprisingly, since I have my Max, I am one of those sprint to the next light *******s. :-(

 

I'm like the guy from Jetta commercial-always read my manuals..