using clutch to control car speed going down steep hill

using clutch to control car speed going down steep hill

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sdyson31

Original Poster:

156 posts

124 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
Hi,

I am a new driver and driving 1-L small car.

I have been using clutch to control car speed when going down hill, i don't know if its a right way of doing it. Should i use breaks to control car speed instead?


IntriguedUser

988 posts

120 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
sdyson31 said:
Hi,

I am a new driver and driving 1-L small car.

I have been using clutch to control car speed when going down hill, i don't know if its a right way of doing it. Should i use breaks to control car speed instead?
Not quite sure what you mean?

Are you talking about engine braking?

mph999

2,714 posts

219 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
Use a lower gear, so if you approach a hill in say 4th gear, drop to 3rd or even 2nd to use engine braking to help hold the car back, and use the brakes on top of this as appropriate. The actual gear you need will be dependant on your speed and sleepiness of the hill,e.g.. don't go into 2nd at 45 mph ...

FreeLitres

6,039 posts

176 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
You should select a low gear so that the engine naturally prevents the car from speeding up. Depending on how fast you are going and how steep the hill is, you might want 4th gear or even 3rd gear.

You shouldn't use clutch control as such. (i.e. don't keep it at the biting point)

ETA: The reason for doing this is that if you are on the brakes the whole time as you go down a long steep hill, you risk over heating the brakes and decreasing their effectiveness.

Edited by FreeLitres on Tuesday 28th July 21:25

PositronicRay

26,957 posts

182 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
Use brakes, cars behind will see the brake lights.
Brakes are cheaper and easier to replace than clutchs and gearboxs.


Caruso

7,422 posts

255 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
You shouldn't use the clutch pedal to control the speed.

You should select an appropriate gear to give some engine braking and rely on the brakes to control the speed.

It's better to overuse the brakes than overuse the clutch.

JB8

381 posts

144 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
PositronicRay said:
Use brakes, cars behind will see the brake lights.
Brakes are cheaper and easier to replace than clutchs and gearboxs.


Overheating your brakes, and having them fail when you most need them, is the greatest risk when going downhill, it's not really a case of preventing consumables wearing down more quickly.






RobinBanks

17,540 posts

178 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
Lower gear. Only the driver can feel which is inappropriate (based on car and hill) Keep away from the clutch pedal.

Then use the brake to adjust the speed to keep it at the appropriate level (within control and speed limit).

stevesingo

4,848 posts

221 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
OP,

Some tips for you on use of the clutch.

Your clutch should be either engaged/clutched (driving the car) or disengaged/de-clutched (putting in to/changing/taking out of gear).

You should never slip the clutch. Try setting off on flat ground without using the accelerator pedal as a clutch control exercise. Never use more than 1500rpm when setting off.

Never de-clutch when going around a corner. Brake, press clutch,select the appropriate gear, take foot off clutch, maintain speed using the accelerator and negotiate the corner.

Negotiating a hill. Press clutch, select appropriate gear, take foot off clutch, coast down hill and use the brakes to remove excess speed.

Don't want to sound condescending, but these points are common amongst the young drivers I know.


SteveSteveson

3,209 posts

162 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
JB8 said:
PositronicRay said:
Use brakes, cars behind will see the brake lights.
Brakes are cheaper and easier to replace than clutchs and gearboxs.


Overheating your brakes, and having them fail when you most need them, is the greatest risk when going downhill, it's not really a case of preventing consumables wearing down more quickly.
Unless the OP is driving the Col du Turin with his car fully loaded that is not likely to happen. I only say this because the OP is a new driver so might think this is a genuine risk. At sensible speeds you are not going to overheat brakes on anything in the UK.

PositronicRay

26,957 posts

182 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
JB8 said:
PositronicRay said:
Use brakes, cars behind will see the brake lights.
Brakes are cheaper and easier to replace than clutchs and gearboxs.


Overheating your brakes, and having them fail when you most need them, is the greatest risk when going downhill, it's not really a case of preventing consumables wearing down more quickly.
Welcome to the 1950's

PositronicRay

26,957 posts

182 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
I once knew a girl who's granddad told her "using brakes wastes fuel"

So .................. she wouldn't use them on hills but slowed down using the gears.

B'stard Child

28,321 posts

245 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
PositronicRay said:
I once knew a girl who's granddad told her "using brakes wastes fuel"

So .................. she wouldn't use them on hills but slowed down using the gears.
Gears to go

Brakes to slow

tumble dryer

1,996 posts

126 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
B'stard Child said:
Gears to go

Brakes to slow
Righty-Tighty? smile

ferrariF50lover

1,834 posts

225 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
A fully engaged clutch will wear at, what, 0.01% every million miles or so. All this bks about "wearing out" drivetrains by doing bonkers stuff like driving downhill is embarrassing.

Laden Transit van heading down a half mile of one in three to one in two hill on Dartmoor can and does nuke the brakes. What would it do to a gearbox? The square root of fk all, that's what.

OP, shift down with impunity. Wind erosion will kill a gearbox long before engine braking will.

Hamish Finn

476 posts

107 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
PositronicRay said:
Welcome to the 1950's
Welcome the the 1950's what ?


sdyson31

Original Poster:

156 posts

124 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
I am scared of stalling car so on downhill or on sharp turns I leave my foot off the gas and press full clutch and use little bit brake to slow down the car. If I am in 3rd gear and if there is a sharp turn then I use clutch and break to slow down and then speed up again without changing a gear.

B'stard Child

28,321 posts

245 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
sdyson31 said:
I am scared of stalling car so on downhill or on sharp turns I leave my foot off the gas and press full clutch and use little bit brake to slow down the car. If I am in 3rd gear and if there is a sharp turn then I use clutch and break to slow down and then speed up again without changing a gear.
Sounds like a great plan - is that what you were taught when you took lessons??

battered

4,088 posts

146 months

Tuesday 28th July 2015
quotequote all
OK, one thing at a time here. You should only use the clutch to change gear or move off, and *just* before the car stops when you brake to a standstill. That's what it's for. You should have the car in the right gear for whatever speed you are doing, and if you do this then the thing won't stall. If your car is fitted with a rev counter then you will see that the engine runs best between say 1000 and 5000 rpm. The tickover (idle) speed, that it turns at when your feet are off all the pedals, is about 800 rpm.

So when you are going down a steep hill you should have your foot off the clutch and the accelerator and be in a gear where you can feel that the engine is controlling the speed of the car. This is called engine braking. If it starts to run away on the hill then you can brake a little. On a very steep, very long hill, like say an alpine pass or very vey occasionally in the UK, good drivers change down to a lower gear than you might think. This gives more engine braking and means they need to use the brakes less. At no time do they slip the clutch when descending. Not ever.

The same goes for a corner. Get your speed right before you enter, if necessary select another gear, then get your foot off the clutch and drive around the corner. If the engine speed is in the acceptable range (1000-5000 rpm) then it won't stall.

You shouldn't have your foot on the clutch at any point other than changing gear, setting off and just as you stop. If you are putting your foot on the clutch at say 20-30 mph for any reason other than changing gear then this is wrong.

Hope this helps.

PhillipM

6,515 posts

188 months

Wednesday 29th July 2015
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SteveSteveson said:
Unless the OP is driving the Col du Turin with his car fully loaded that is not likely to happen. I only say this because the OP is a new driver so might think this is a genuine risk. At sensible speeds you are not going to overheat brakes on anything in the UK.
As opposed to suddenly wearing out a fully engaged clutch, you mean?