Clutch memorization

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chris850t
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Clutch memorization

Post by chris850t »

Ok, so I've been driving manual for a few months now and I'm confident about getting around town. Just launching I have a question. Do you guys memorize where the clutch engages?

Lets say for example: The clutch usually engages about 2 inches after you start lifting your foot. Do you guys lift your left foot 2 inches as quickly as possible while giving the gas for a quicker launch?

Thanks for your time!
DrNick
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Re: Clutch memorization

Post by DrNick »

chris850t wrote:Ok, so I've been driving manual for a few months now and I'm confident about getting around town. Just launching I have a question. Do you guys memorize where the clutch engages?

Lets say for example: The clutch usually engages about 2 inches after you start lifting your foot. Do you guys lift your left foot 2 inches as quickly as possible while giving the gas for a quicker launch?

Thanks for your time!
I believe there IS a certain amount of clutch memorization, but it's not so much as in inches as it is by feel. It becomes muscle memory after a while.
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Post by blauenlanze »

Most cars have about three zones of clutch engagement:

Fully disengaged: pedal is in about its bottom third. Most drivers let up this zone pretty fast to save time.
Slipping: pedal is in about the middle third. Do this stage smoothly, controlling the throttle as needed, to launch.
Fully connected: Pedal is about the top third. At this point, you can let up all the way quickly with no problems.
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Post by jomotopia »

a bit of muscle memory for how high you can let up the clutch quickly without stalling, but mostly just by feeling how the car responds.
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Leedeth
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Post by Leedeth »

It's muscle memory now for me. But yes, I do let out the clutch quicker when I'm getting to the FP, and go slower through the FP until the pedal is all the way out. Don't do it as quick as possible though, if you do that you might end up with a nasty launch or a stalled engine.
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Re: Clutch memorization

Post by Prodigal Son »

chris850t wrote:Ok, so I've been driving manual for a few months now and I'm confident about getting around town. Just launching I have a question. Do you guys memorize where the clutch engages?
No. For two reasons.

1. The clutch is a friction coupling, which means that it does not engage at the same point of clutch pedal travel each time. The clutch pedal controls the amount of pressure holding the clutch plate against the flywheel. When the clutch engages is a function of the amount of pressure holding the clutch against the flywheel, the torque differential between the clutch and the flywheel (different on a hill, or with a fully loaded car, or when you give more gas), and the amount of time the pressure is maintained.

2. You drive the car, not the clutch. If you are going to memorize something, memorize how the car behaves. The movement of the feet is not absolute: it is, and must always be, relative to how the car behaves in each individual driving situation.
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Post by scionkid »

I did until I drove a vehicle with a twin plate ceramic clutch that engages near the top. Lifting it high and fast and memorizing where the friction point did not help at all. I stalled 20 times a day even with 2 years of clutch experience, until I started to diligently find the friction point. You're better off finding the friction point every time you launch. It'll make you a more versatile and consistent driver.
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Post by Aquiles »

I'd like to think that what I did was not memorization; rather, it's more of clutch familiarization.

Basically, by driving your car regularly, you gain a certain affinity with how your car reacts to what you are doing. Release the clutch to fast, this happens. Not enough gas on your launch? Something else happens. It's kind of like dating a girl, I guess. You say something nice to her, she smiles sweetly. Trying to be a little to "fast" for her? You get a slap on the face. :P

Pretty simplistic, I guess, but that's just the way I see it. :lol:
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Post by phantomD »

When launching, is the idea to keep engine revs about the same while releasing the clutch by increasing acceleration?

I've just realised that I usually let the revs drop quite a bit when I launch, saw somebody driving a 4WD the other day and was quite impressed with their launch.
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Post by rubi »

I think my leg muscles memorized it.

Talking about clutch distance, my car's engagement point was beyond the middle third, it was kind adifficult at first, we made it lower, and it matches blauenlanze description, when I asked why it was so high, they said it's better for the disc. How true is that?

About launching, I inject a little bit of gas( actuall I've to or it'll stall beyonf the bottom third, a car with no gas can stumble over a peddle), but gas isn't what make it go steady, your balance between clutch and gas is what makes a smooth launch, but it's something you get used to it. I cna have very clumsy launches or very smooth steady launches, I am still working on my techniques.

Most drivers around me use the clutch-gas balancing up hill. It's not working for me yet, but I am not sure what are the consquences.
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Post by DrNick »

rubi wrote:Most drivers around me use the clutch-gas balancing up hill. It's not working for me yet, but I am not sure what are the consquences.
Unless you're comfortable with your launches and are very fast on the clutch/gas, you might end up prematurely wearing your clutch doing this. Best way to hold yourself on hills is to shift to neutral, handbrake, clutch out. Then, when you need to launch, clutch in, 1st gear, clutch out and gas, and drop the handbrake as the clutch grabs.
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Post by jomotopia »

phantomD wrote:When launching, is the idea to keep engine revs about the same while releasing the clutch by increasing acceleration?
depends. that's a steady rev launch. or you can hold the throttle pedal steady and the revs will dip down and come back up, that's a steady gas launch. whatever suits you.
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rubi
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Post by rubi »

DrNick wrote:
Unless you're comfortable with your launches and are very fast on the clutch/gas, you might end up prematurely wearing your clutch doing this. Best way to hold yourself on hills is to shift to neutral, handbrake, clutch out. Then, when you need to launch, clutch in, 1st gear, clutch out and gas, and drop the handbrake as the clutch grabs.
I just move my feet quickly to gas(clutch slipped a bit), but I am not quite sure about the balance, tried that today to slow down but couldn't make it stop without braking.
My uncle just plays on hills, back and forth...
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Post by Prodigal Son »

rubi wrote:
DrNick wrote:
Unless you're comfortable with your launches and are very fast on the clutch/gas, you might end up prematurely wearing your clutch doing this. Best way to hold yourself on hills is to shift to neutral, handbrake, clutch out. Then, when you need to launch, clutch in, 1st gear, clutch out and gas, and drop the handbrake as the clutch grabs.
I just move my feet quickly to gas(clutch slipped a bit), but I am not quite sure about the balance, tried that today to slow down but couldn't make it stop without braking.
My uncle just plays on hills, back and forth...
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Post by rubi »

He has been driving for 40 years, sometimes I take his advice, but when they teach you, they tell you it's wrong, but you never know how wrong till you try it.
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