How to drive a car with a clutch

I subscribe to Woodtrol's answer: "If I know I'm going to be sitting for a while at a red light, I put it in neutral and release the clutch. This minimizes wear and heat on the throw-out and pilot bearing, neither of which is designed to be engaged for long periods (at least on lighter vehicles)." And the "fingers" on the pressure plate.
And, this assures the clutch disc is locked to the pressure plate and thus, not slipping and burning away surface area (although rather minimal). When the clutch is "in", the disc is sorta spinning between the flywheel and pressure plate.
I always used my brakes to slow/stop the car; downshifted for bad corners at high speeds. Only blew my trans once.
When parked, I engaged the parking brake first and made sure it was holding; then popped it into first gear just to be sure ..
All this worked for the 45 years that I owned my 1962 fuel injected Corvette..... I street raced it regularly and never had to replace the clutch (although I would do so whenever I pulled the engine to "refresh" it).
IMHO,
J.

I drove a std for eons until I finally upgraded. Neutral, clutch out, clutch in, ready in forward....pfffft. I really don't think one way or the other will hurt the car. NEVER replaced a clutch once.

HOWEVER, I DO know one thing. In these post covid times if you put it in neutral and release the clutch, the extra time it will take to start moving again will most certainly get you beeped by the genex girlie behind you because she's late for her hair appt. and she views you old boomer as a threat to society.

(excuse my rambling....just an hour ago I was in a 55 mph expressway doing 67 and I almost got rear ended because the girlie behind me could't get around me because cars were blocking all 3 lanes)

I grew up in the muscle car era. Have driven Road Runners, Mustang's, GTO's, Firebirds, Corvettes, Olds 442's & Chevy's SS versions of Nova, Camaro, Chevelle & Impala, plus a Z/28 or 2. All with manuals.
All I learned was; ya revved up the engine, dumped the clutch, & when the engine RPM went to redline ya slapped the clutch, grabbed the next gear & repeated 2 more times, all while holding the accelerator to the floor. You let off the gas when the engine redlined in high gear or you ran out of road.

Some might relate, but seriously,,,,, that's the way it was. Those cars got driven like you stole 'em. Yeah, I can drive a manual.

But can you drive a stick without a clutch. No problem once they are moving, but getting them moving is a whole other world.

I've driven like this for 60 yrs. now. In gear, clutch in at lights, usually my right hand resting on the gear shift lever untill I shift. (floor shift, not column shift) Sometimes I use a little blip of the throttle when down shifting for engine braking. I learned to drive like this on road courses. I've only replaceed two throwout bearings and clutches. One was on a 50 yr. old car I bought with a lot of miles on it, the second one was on my truck when I rebuilt the transfer case after I first bought it in 2000. (Just because I already had it apart) Same clutch and throwout bearing in my truck for the last 24 years.

Jeepnik said:

But can you drive a stick without a clutch. No problem once they are moving, but getting them moving is a whole other world.

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Yep, sure can. It's all in matching rpm's with gear choices. Slap it in to neutral and shut it off when you stop, then use the starter in low gear to get it going.

Jeepnik said:

But can you drive a stick without a clutch. No problem once they are moving, but getting them moving is a whole other world.

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Yup, can even do it with someone else driving. Had to prove to more than one naysayer. They just had to follow my directions with the gas.

I remember testing a 7.3l powerstroke years ago. From a dead stop I dumped the clutch. To my surprise it went ugh, chug.... chug.... chug.. chug, chug and off it went. I thought that was pretty impressive.

When we, Nita and I, got our first vehicle with the gear selector (Automatic transmission) on the floor, she dubbed it the "hand rest" and that was what it was known to her from then on.

Bob Wright

Did y'all ever do this when driving stick shift:

When approaching a traffic light controlled intersection, and thinking maybe a green light is imminent, push in the clutch and shift into second gear and coast toward the intersection. Then, when the light turns green your way, let out the clutch and hit the gas?

Bob Wright.

I have been driving, legally, since 1953. I never owned an automatic transmission car till 2011. I guess I was lucky. I downshifted to slow, kept my clutch engaged but pedal pressed at lights/stop signs. I raced (drag and SCCA SOLO) a number of them. I even learned how to shift without engaging the clutch. In all those years I never had to replace a clutch or throw out bearing. My last three stick shift cars each had over 200,000 miles (Two GEO Storm wagonbacks [actually they were Isuzus rebadged] and an Isuzu Stylus). Drive it like you stole it was my motto. Here is proof of one of them.

I don't own an auto yet. Ford focus, Dodge Ram and Subaru Crosstrek. All 5 or 6 speed. Ram has the optional 4wd stick no electric servo button. Clutch in at stops in 1st gear to be ready to go quick if someone tries to hit me. Park in gear no p brake unless on a hill. Keep hand on shifter unless in top gear on highway. Only replaced a clutch because it got oil soaked due to rear main seal failure.

You guys make me feel bad. I replaced the original clutch at 140,000 miles. I thought I did pretty good. Maybe not, compared to some of your stories. It was about 85% stop and go city rush hour driving if that helps my case. It was our first brand new car, a simple Toyota Corolla, that was beyond reliable.
We really haven't owned that many manual transmission vehicles, just four.
Three were pleasant to drive, but one, a Jeep Cherokee was a tiresome stick to drive.

Depends...on my CJ5, when I come a light, put in neutral, release clutch, foot on brake if neccessary...driving a 70 440 Six-Pack Challenger, sitting next to a 67 427 Tri-Power Vette, then clutch depressed, hand on shifter, in first gear, right foot resting on gas pedal, eyes on the traffic light....

I think I should come clean. While I can drive pretty much anything all three of my vehicles are automatics. Why? Simple, my wife can't drive a stick. It's not that she couldn't learn, it's simply she doesn't want to.

Jeepnik said:

You are worried about the throwout bearing but use engine braking. Yep, clutches are easy. Six of one, half dozen of another.

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Just on long down grades. Instead of riding the brakes.

I call a manual transmission car a "Millenial Anti Theft" device equipped

I wish more cars were available with a manual tranny.

Anyway, I was driving my Fiat and I took a friend who was from Italy to his shop and he asked me why I was holding down the clutch pedal at the red light, I had no good answer. He said it wears the throw out bearing which in Italy will last the life of the car.

Anyway, he then said " approaching the next red light just take your foot off the gas and leave the clutch and gearshift alone" He put his hand on the shifter and as soon as I lifted my foot off the gas, he bumped the car into neutral. I never used the clutch held down again at a light. Then he asked if he could drive and I pulled over and let him. From then on he only used the clutch at a light and shifted without it using the shifter held to the next gear and when the engine revs got to a certain point, the transmission popped into the next gear, no clutch was needed.

He also said a clutch used correctly will last the life of the car and it had to. In Italy they did not have the money to replace clutch disk, pressure plate and throw out bearings because you had bad driving habits. I learned a lot that day.

From what little I've seen of Italian drivers I suspect they were changing out clutches and transmissions pretty regularly.... My first two work vans had manual transmissions and I don't miss them at all... well the first one, a VW mini van I do a bit.... that one twice I had to drive home with no clutch... the cable broke.... yep, you can change gears with out a clutch... My wife's Porshe of course had a 5 speed transmission and I do miss that... then again it was hard to explain to her that she really should not be using 5th gear since we are in the U.S. that was technically for when the car got over about 120mph.

Learned to drive a manual trans hauling hay at 13. At 16 I was hauling lumber and crossties on a R185 International(double clutch city). At 22 I was driving a 1964 B Model Mack with a triplex. At 25 it was a 1967 K Whopper with a 4x4 air shift. Now at 77 it is a 1970 Chevelle with a 383 and a Saginaw 4 speed. More fun than all the previous put together.

CDL school said its the law, it stays in gear at a light, dident like me coasting to a stop, cant be outta gear farther than the length of the rig. Drivers ed hi school said stays in gear, its the law. Hand on shifter will eventually wear out the synchros, faster if heavyhanded. And wearing out a throwout bearing is a real thing, and can be just a hassle, or a real pain to change; you go that deep dont go cheap do the clutch at the same time! parking gets first gear, maybe handbrake. Auto trans, maybe handbrake depending on the slope (and turn the wheel to the kerb). Coasting to lights, a lot of that before cdl school, dosent work so well in semitruck due to massive rotating mass, still do it in "lesser vehicles". Once some grumpydude yelled at me, is illegal to slow w/o using brakes! Ijit nearly hit me, apparently (i dont always pay attention to my mirror when i slow or stop). Lost clutch cable twice in 20 years in my vw van, drove thru traffic across the valley each time to get it fixed (at home). This one will start in gear, go easy. Clutchless, up and down, not a problem once you are used to any particular transmission. Shifter should slip into gear like silk; pop or snap or graunch into gear is bad technique (aka Bad Form) and hard on the synchros, which a semi dosent have but metal will show up ("fines" or finestuff) in oil analysis and eventually take out the bearings. 10-speed semis can be shifted with slow clutch, doubleclutch, and clutchless, plus skipshifted just like a car, i.e. skipping gears, up or down. And two of the very few things i hate is auto trans in semi, especially backing-in, and the nannystate shrouding the traffic-lights so you cannot "read" them.

SamV said:

You guys make me feel bad. I replaced the original clutch at 140,000 miles. I thought I did pretty good. Maybe not, compared to some of your stories. It was about 85% stop and go city rush hour driving if that helps my case. It was our first brand new car, a simple Toyota Corolla, that was beyond reliable.
We really haven't owned that many manual transmission vehicles, just four.
Three were pleasant to drive, but one, a Jeep Cherokee was a tiresome stick to drive.

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Never replaced clutch or throwout in fwd corolla, but brother and friends caused early engine failure at 249,945 miles, by which time the synchros were gone and couldnt use second or fifth (no top gear brought o/a mpg down to 30-35 from prior 35-40+ mpg). I dont mind "rowing" thru the gears in traffic. Refines one's technique, what?