i was looking through this forum and noticed some posts about people having to get their clutch replaced very early. then i saw people warning not to "ride or slip" the clutch. then i thought about the way i drive. when the light turns green i give the engine some gas (to about 1000k to 2000k), then smoothly let out the clutch while giving even more gas. IS THIS WRONG. i have never burned out a clutch in a car before (sentra, saturn and a firebird). i NEVER smell anything weird. where i park for work is on a gravel incline. i have a base Z with no traction control. how in the world can i pull out of a slopped gravel parking spot without gentley letting out the clutch. that is insane. if i just let the clutch out quickly i would just dig myself a ditch in the garvel. but why is this so STRONGLY advised against. what is the proper way to start off with a clutch. just pop it real quick at low RPMs and then gas it up. i tried that before and ended up with a wildly bucking and stalling engine. it bothers me to know that the way i drive my car is causing alot of damage to it everyday, but i can't figure on a better way to drive it.

 

You're fine. Some slip of the clutch (minimally) from a stop is required. If you tried to start from a standstill without it, you'd give yourself whiplash everytime the light turned green. That's what it's there for. But from 1st to 2nd and so on, there isn't any slip required. Some people just have a bad habit of doing it anyway.

 

Seems normal to me...Thats like the way I drive. Of course you have to ride it a little bit sometimes but I think what other people mean is that you shouldnt ride the clutch for a long period of time frequently. Anyone else care to add?

 

yea from a stop you have to slip the clutch. the rest of the shifts do not require it, and depending on driving style, slipping a lot when it is unnecessary is just not good for ur clutch...

 

I actually barely go over 1000rpm when i start from a stop (unless i'm on an incline, then it's harder to do so). When i let the clutch out and gas a bit at the same time... the car usually goes without barely going over idle.

But i'm pretty sure this is only possible on some cars, i think depending on the torque and gearing? (i don't kno for sure, just guessing) Because i drove my friends OLD prelude before, and started using the same technique and just stalled the car... had to rev it a bit higher from stop to get going.

I don't think i'm doing anything wrong either, am i? lol... But for the rest of gears, you guys pretty much just let the clutch right out right, no slipping it.

 

Heh, when I used to rock crawl in my Tacoma, I REALLY learned how to work a clutch. Cost me a stock clutch though.

When doing a severe hill, keep one foot on the break and gently let off the clutch untilt he RPMs drop slightly (dont stall). Then gently but quickly give it gas and let up the clutch fairly quickly. Low RPMs wont burn the clutch, and this will guarantee you dont roll back.

In fact, in some cases I was able to sit with no gas and no brake and just a little clutch for several seconds without stalling or sliding backwards. Hard to do, especially when your facing the sky hehe.

I have an auto now, and I hate it, thats why I will insist on an standard Z when I get it.

 

If you dont smell anything, your ok

 

I dunno about that... I find that 1st through 4th require slipping the clutch to make changes smooth.

1st requires most, then 2nd requires some, then third requires even less, and 4th barely any at all.

I've had it buck in 3rd and even 4th and 5th if I let the clutch out too fast, so I find that you have to feather out each gear to make shifts smooth.

This is how the transmission wants to be driven, because any other way and you get bucking.

She's just really sensitive. Of course, all this slipping stuff goes completely out the window during racing

 

I agree with him, thats how I drive my car too. I have to slip it just a lil or it'll jerk.

 

Yeah, my dad's Nissan Fronteir did that when he had it. I think that sensitivity is a Nissan thing....

peace

 

after a while when you get used to driving stick, you end up working the clutch pretty quick neways. I can see how when you are new at it, and you take too long when you shift, then it could damage the clutch, but a tiny bit of slip shouldnt be a problem if you are doing it fast.
of course in 1st gear from stop, you have to slip it slower or you car is gonna stale or jerk

 

If i'm on a really steep incline, i actually hold the ebrake up (w/ the button pressed in) so i don't roll back too much.
I find 2nd gear is pretty tough to let it straight out, it does jerk for me if i do that... i don't slip it much, sometimes i jus wait for the rpms to drop to the right level then let it out.

As for the rest of the gears... when i let it out it doesn't really jerk that much to be a bother, the rpms are usually just where they need to be that if there even is any jerk, it's barely even noticeable.

 

Thats how i've always driven. I find for the first 3 gears there has to be at least some feathering of the clutch or it will be a rough ride. I think the clutch prefers to be feathered then bucked

 

hmmm what about when i slow down sometimes instead of down shifting or popping it to neutral i just hold the cluth down then after say the turn or whatever i'll down shift or keep it in the same gear. i don't do it all the time but its a bad habit that i tend to do sometimes. is it bad?

 

I think it would be better to downshift before the turn and be in gear (not stepping on the clutch). Sometimes you need to manuver around in case of emergencies. I've had some instances when right after the turn, i had to gas it really quick to avoid getting hit on the side. If I was on neutral, he would of hit me.

 

While we're on the subject.. sorry I don't mean to hijack the thread but i've heard somewhere that holding in the clutch while stopped at a light or wherever instead of just taking it out of gear and putting the stick in neutral for any period of time is somehow bad for the car. I don't do this on a regular basis (its just easier to put it in neutral rather than hold the clutch in) but is that true? It just doesnt make sense to me. Anybody have input on that?

 

ok. just went to lunch with a co-worker. after a few miles of warming up the engine. i gased it hard off a light. hit 90 MPH. got to 6000 RPM on each shift. anyway like 20 seconds later i smelled a horrible burning plastic (wires) smell. then it went away. then came back a minute later. what the hell was that. never smelled that before. what the hell do they do put plastic clutches in these cars. anyway the car has like 2500 miles on it. is that smell normal under hard acceleration. i really just drive my Z like a normal car all the time. i will give it some major juice off the line here and there just to keep the ECU on its toes and blow away a mustang or two. but when you guys take you Zs to the track. do you beat on them. like full throttle 6000 RPMs all day. heavy shifting. if so is that bad for our cars. or are they built for that. keep in mind i came from a 140 horsepower altima. so i am sometimes worried to run it very hard.

 

Flaviaono,

Is your car new?

 

yes one month old. already 2500 miles.

 

when you explore new or not often attained levels of horsepower/acceleration... you will smell something.