What is clutch control?
Clutch control is the act of controlling the speed of a manual transmission vehicle by partly engaging the clutch plate, using the clutch pedal. This can be either instead of or in conjunction with the accelerator pedal.
How does a clutch work?
Very simply speaking, a clutch is two metal plates which can be separated when you depress the clutch pedal. When you separate the plates, you are separating the engine from the wheels, preventing power from passing to your wheels.
Because your car’s engine is always turning, power is always being passed from the engine to the wheels when the car is in gear. When you stop and forget to depress the clutch, your engine is trying to send power to stationary wheels and the car stalls. Similarly, if you try to pull away without getting your clutch control right, not enough power makes it through and the car stalls.
The more you release the clutch petal, the more the plates in the engine are allowed to touch. The point when the plates touch and start to transfer power from the engine to the wheels is known as the ‘biting point’. When the pedal is fully released the plates will lock together and power will be transferred easily.
If you think of the clutch pedal as a sort of valve to allow power through or to shut it off, it becomes a bit easier to use it gently and smoothly.
Clutch control tips
The first step is to find the bite point:
Find a quiet and flat practise area
Release the hand brake
Depress the clutch all the way down and put the car into first gear.
Slowly raise the clutch until the car starts to move forward.
15 сен 2024
