When I am stuck in stop and go traffic, should I shift into neutral, or just keep clutch pedal depressed? Also, should I downshift as I slow down or just put in neutral and use brakes?

I was always taught to keep it in gear and use the transmission to help slow the car down. BUT, at stop lights I put the car in neutral because I'm lazy and don't like to keep the clutch pushed in. The other thing I've learned is that it's much cheaper to replace brakes than it is to replace clutches. Even with all that, I still use the transmission to help slow the car down.

remember this:
if the engine is running, there is clutch wear every
time you push in or let off of the pedal. might be slight
but there is still wear.
never ever ever ever (except for one exception -- you
pick yours) use the clutch to keep you from rolling backwards
on a hill. yspert

Thanks YSPERT. How long should my clutch last and what will it cost to get a new one? Thanks Ryan for the advice.

The length a clutch lasts depends on the driver. The one in my 4Runner has 155k on it and I'll be replacing it next week. I paid about $300 in parts and $300 for labor. I'm sure the one in our Yaris will go at least 150k.

Clutch life depends on how you operate the clutch. If you launch the truck gently and gradually from a stoplight by releasing the clutch slowly at low engine rpm your clutch could last as long as mine has (471,000 miles and counting). You also need to downshift early on hills to avoid lugging the enigne and clutch. You also need to keep your foot off the clutch pedal when waiting for a stoplight to turn green to prevent wear on the clutch throw out bearing.

Four hundred and seventy one thousand??

I dont downshift into 1st gear when stopping at a light; Used to do it when I was younger cause I thought I was Emmo Fittipaldi. Good practices: 1) I would down shift to 3rd and get off the gas then dump it into - N - when the revs lug to 1200 or so. back-torquing through the tranny will cause premature wear on the gears and the CV joints beacuse they are moderately-highly loaded when stopping. 2) I would also not let the car rev higher than 3000 rpm when you dump from 4 to 3 and 3 to 2. Now if you're racing, all bets are off - you got to do what you gotta do to stay on the track ( ;->

. 2) I would also not let the car rev higher than 3000 rpm when you dump from 4 to 3 and 3 to 2.
Double clutching when downshifting from 5th to 4th or 4th to 3rd at high road speeds is another way to save clutch and transmission wear. Example: to downshift from 5th to 4th gear at 60 MPH to go up a freeway hill, press the clutch in, blip the throttle so engine speed is momentarily around 3000 RPM, then shift into 4th and fairly rapidly release the clutch pedal. When performed correctly, you can downshift in this way without feeling hardly any drivetrain shock or distress.

kathyricks (more on the rick's than the kathy I suppose?): What you explained above is not double clutching - its simply blipping the throttle for rev matching purposes and I would assume ANYONE who flogs a manual trans downshifts this way(otherwize, If I were to be your passenger, I would have spilled most of my SOBE drink on my shirt halfway trough the sojourn. Anywho ... I will not explain double-clutching in its boring entireity here, but the process essentially involves shifting into neutral and releasing the clutch before then again clutching to select the next gear. A benefit when driving non-syncromesh lorrie boxes back in the day ;)

deleted by grumpy

I used to be grumpy in new hampshire,, now I'm happy at 81 degrees in florida....

Master -

He he.

Yep she's a bit chilly here today. Single digits. Makes me appreciate spring all the more when she comes.

It is S-P-R-I-N-G!:amen: