A Clutch Longevity Checklist in Four Simple Steps

Many motorists in most nations are oblivious to issues that arise inside their vehicles. Research shows drivers tend to overlook vehicle problems for several weeks or months. If a vehicle problem is severe, those weeks may not seem like much. In reality, it may be a game-changer. When anything goes wrong, don’t ever neglect it since the situation will grow worse, particularly the “Clutch”. 

Clutch problems, in particular, may become life-threatening if not addressed promptly or ignored. Clutches are crucial when driving wheels with a manual gearbox since they are delicate and expensive to replace. Natural wear and tear are inevitable, but bad practices may shorten Clutch’s life expectancy by reducing performance.

Even yet, if you’ve ever noticed that when you press the accelerator pedal, your car merely revs and emits a strong burning smell, it’s probably that your Clutch is damaged or malfunctioning. 

Despite the fact that you can probably make it for a few miles in this state, it’s only a matter of time until the vehicle fails miserably. In the event that this occurs on a highway or a running road, you may find yourself in severe difficulty while endangering the safety of other road users. You’ll end up saving money in the long run by getting your Clutch replaced as soon as possible.

Fortunately, there are certain behaviours that you can attempt to change and simple ideas that you can put into action in order to ensure that your vehicle, truck, or van’s Clutch lasts for the most extended amount of time.

Keep Your Foot Off the Clutch (or vice versa).

While this would be the most influential advice, most people know this; yet, getting out of the habit of doing so may be difficult. If you constantly press the Clutch with your left foot (even if you’re barely hovering over it and exerting the smallest amount of pressure), you are still causing needless strain and wear on the whole clutch assembly (no rest). 

Instead of pressing all the way down, keep your foot off of the Clutch pedal. Its endurance will definitely be going to lessen if anything transpires between now and then.

Observe Consistent Stopping Points

In the real-life event of a traffic slowdown or a red light ahead, prepare for a stop slowly and gradually. If necessary, perform a downshift. Occasionally, the green light may turn, or traffic will continue to progress, permitting you to dodge a hard stop altogether. 

As a result, this significantly minimises your clutch slippage between the gear steps, and the vehicle engine runs more smoothly, resulting in improved fuel efficiency, which is beneficial in the long haul for the environment and the driver’s wallet.

Avoid Using Your Clutch When Driving Uphill

If, for instance, you’ve parked your car uphill, the hand/parking brake may help prevent your wheels from unnecessarily rolling back while you engage the Clutch and shift into gear. Now, holding the Clutch down and turning backwards while waiting for first gear to engage is probably a bad idea since it poorly stresses the Clutch and gearbox. 

Concerning wearing down their friction element and Clutch mechanism, it may seem like a nightmare for some novice drivers to drive a manual vehicle in stop-start traffic uphill. 

Avoid Using your Clutch to Assist in Braking.

It’s just a matter of time until the Clutch fails due to the continuous friction it faces. Reduce the load on the Clutch assembly by shifting smoothly and correctly while slowing down or stopping altogether. This is yet another method to prolong the life of your Clutch. 

When it comes to Clutch wear and tear, you never know how long yours will endure until it finally fails. Recall that replacing brake pads cost considerably less than a clutch replacement! Clutch burnout is very unlikely unless you are deliberately attempting to wreck your vehicle.

Conclusion

Driving your vehicle with a damaged Clutch may probably cause further damage to the Clutch, the transmission, the shifter and/or the starting motor.

If it occurred just once and you didn’t notice any change, it is theoretically less hazardous. If it happens a lot and still you are overlooking it, you are doing severe damage to your Clutch assemblies, including the pressure plate, clutch disc, flywheel, pilot bearing, throw-out bearing (or other parts), which is not desirable).

Nevertheless, many factors determine how fast or slow a Clutch wears out, including how the driver uses it and what kind of driving circumstances they encounter on a regular basis.