In a manual car (on a hill), is it better to balance the clutch or go into neutral and brake?

(2011-11-30 15:25:03)

1. Drew Says: I haven't been driving stick that long and whenever I have to stop on a hill and someone comes up behind me I'm afraid I might roll back and hit them. Is balancing the clutch instead of braking bad for the car in any way?

2. jimanddottaylor Says: If you mean a 'kind of'' stop in which you go again instantly, that would be OK. But if you come to a complete stop and look both ways and try to decide if there is enough time to get across the intersection before that car on the left arrives and all the while you are riding / burning the clutch......That kind of stop or the kind while you wait for the light to turn green ... those will ruin your clutch quickly.

When all else fails put the car in reverse (so your backup lights will come on ) rev your engine and lean on the horn . The person behind you may think you are crazy, but they will back off and give you some room.

3. Mark Says: Here is a good rule to use when driving standards. "its in, or its out". Any time the clutch is partially engaged, you are wearing the disc. They only time it is okay to slip the clutch is when starting from a stop, between 900 and 2500 rpm depending on how fast your looking to accelerate. No matter the rpm you shouldnt have to slip for more than 2 or 3 seconds.

When on a hill, stay in gear with the clutch in and your foot on the brake. When the light turns green, start bringing your left foot up while you quickly move your rigjt foot to the throttle. In no time at all you will be able to start without rolling back more than a few inches.

4. Krishna Says: Balancing the clutch is not bad in normal conditions. But if you do it for a really long time it could burn your clutch espescially if it is an older model. And also there is fuel loss because you are pumping the gas pedal also. But going into neutral and brake then staring again requires a fair amount of skill so you need to practice that. If you are going to be doing a lot of driving you I advice you to practice the latter method.

5. brock1912 Says: You mean, facing uphill, stopped, and using the clutch to remain stationary and not roll backwards? Yes, that will wear out your clutch very fast. But, when driving downhill, putting the car into gear and fully engaging the clutch to maintain speed will reduce wear on the brakes.

6. syazana k Says: for me, i always balancing the clutch. but if the hill is too steep, or there are many cars on the street, the best way is to pull up ur handbrake and go into neutral. when the road is clear, enter the 1st gear, push the pedal and release the handbrake.