getting the most out of the clutch

[The_Orange]

Hello all,

My first post on this forum (long time lurker though).

I have a 2008 vantage 4.3. The car has 20.000 kilometers (12.000 miles). So far, all is good.

Is there any way to extend the clutch life on a sportshift? Any tips for starting from a standstill? Any tips for reversing? Tips for when you accidently end up in a trafficjam? Etc.

I'll explain how I drive:

- I always do the clutch learn procedure
- when reversing out of my garage (about 5 meters) I let the car crawl backwards, and give almost zero gas
- when starting from a standstill (traffic lights, ...), I let my foot of the brake, let the car crawl for about a second, and then start giving it some gas. I only give it full throttle when I *think* the clutch is fully engaged.
- Sometimes I change gear at high revs, but mostly I change gear at 3.000, or max. 4.000 rpm)
- I always let go of the accelerator pedal before changing gear

Is this a good way to get the most miles out of the clutch? Any tips from you guys?

The reason I'm asking is this: first, I'm not interested in getting high repair bills, and second, I'm OCD about getting stranded at the traffic lights, and not being able to shift. Then you're that idiot in his fancy car and you end up on youtube, and you'll be know as a a faillure for the rest of your life 'idiot in Aston Martin failzzzz'

Sometimes you read on forums that people only get 15.000 miles or so out of the clutch. But those cars maybe have a lot of miles on a track (shifting at redline revs?) or a lot of stop and go traffic?

Thanks ! And I'm sorry for any errors, because English is not my first language.

Edited by The_Orange on Wednesday 13th July 12:54

[avinalarf]

Welcome Mr Orange,no excuses necessary,your English is very good,in fact other contributors ( Tony Hall ) can learn from you.
I do enjoy hearing from a fellow deviant so your being a lurker doesn't phase me.
Come on you lads,with a knob, help this guy out.

[divetheworld]

We're not allowed to help until he has put up pictures of his shiny toy.
Rule #026
Forum members will be ostracised and scowled at until they put up a pic of their Aston.

Just sayin....

[Jon39]

avinalarf said:

Come on you lads, with a knob, help this guy out.

You got the joke in Steven, but OP is referring to a SportShift, therefore no knob.

[avinalarf]

Jon39 said:

You got the joke in Steven, but OP is referring to a SportShift, therefore no knob.

I knew that....I was specifically asking for replies from only guys with knobs and not any guys undergoing gender reassignment .

[DAMIT]

The_Orange said:

Is there any way to extend the clutch life on a sportshift? Any tips for starting from a standstill? Any tips for reversing? Tips for when you accidently end up in a trafficjam? Etc.

Is this a good way to get the most miles out of the clutch? Any tips from you guys?

Sometimes you read on forums that people only get 15.000 miles or so out of the clutch. But those cars maybe have a lot of miles on a track (shifting at redline revs?) or a lot of stop and go traffic?

I don't believe "shifting at redline revs" is a wear issue for the clutch. Would be a shame not to use the car as it's been designed!

Almost all wear will occur during slow moving traffic/reversing and you appear to be taking the necessary precautions.

The only thing I would add is:- Don't use Auto! Always use the paddles to change gear and when standing stationary at lights or in traffic, put it into neutral gear (pulling both paddles together)

[The_Orange]

I'll take some pictures and upload them in a few days.

It's a Tungsten Silver one.

I had a few Porsches back in the day (still have one), but I was looking for a new toy. I looked for a Ferrari 360 and a F430. I even went searching for a F355, but the maintenance cost on a F355 is a bit high -> complains about service cost on a Ferrari, buys an Aston Martin

Even a Jag XK or XKR was on my mind.

And I was this close to buying yet another Porsche, a 997.

But in the end, I wanted something special. Like Doug Demuro said: i went from being the a$$hole in the Porsche, to James Bond!

So, about the clutch: I'll continue doing what I do now: drive carefully, avoid reversing and never put it in auto.

Edited by The_Orange on Friday 15th July 10:45

Edited by The_Orange on Friday 15th July 11:02

[davek_964]

The_Orange said:

I had a few Porsches back in the day (still have one), but I was looking for a new toy. I looked for a Ferrari 360 and a F430. I even went searching for a F355, but the maintenance cost on a F355 is a bit high -> complains about service cost on a Ferrari, buys an Aston Martin

I think the Ferrari driving experience is pretty different to a Vantage.

[The_Orange]

davek_964 said:

I think the Ferrari driving experience is pretty different to a Vantage.

The Ferrari is more of a drivers car I think. But to be honest, and having had a few Porsches, I was surprised at how badly the Aston drives. I'm talking about comfort here. My old Porsche 993 is perfect for cruising at 120 kph at the motorway, aircon on, some music. But in my Aston, there is a lot of noise, and driving on a bad road is pure horror. I found that odd, because British cars are known for their comfort.

But, maybe if I change the tyres (now Bridgestones Potenza) to Michelins, it's rides a bit better. Or upgrade to a DB9 or Vanquish

But in the end, a Ferrari is al about emotion and show. And speed.

I go to a lot of carshows, and the Lambo's and Ferrari's draw a lot of attention. No one gives a Porsche or Aston a second look. And that's the way I like it.

[davek_964]

The_Orange said:

The Ferrari is more of a drivers car I think. But to be honest, and having had a few Porsches, I was surprised at how badly the Aston drives. I'm talking about comfort here. My old Porsche 993 is perfect for cruising at 120 kph at the motorway, aircon on, some music. But in my Aston, there is a lot of noise, and driving on a bad road is pure horror. I found that odd, because British cars are known for their comfort.

But, maybe if I change the tyres (now Bridgestones Potenza) to Michelins, it's rides a bit better. Or upgrade to a DB9 or Vanquish

But in the end, a Ferrari is al about emotion and show. And speed.

I go to a lot of carshows, and the Lambo's and Ferrari's draw a lot of attention. No one gives a Porsche or Aston a second look. And that's the way I like it.

I don't find that. I've had a few Porsche's myself and I wouldn't say the the Aston is worse than my 996 turbo at all - and is definitely much much more refined than the 964 I had, which is a much closer comparison to your 993.

On the roads, the Vantage attracts very similar attention to a 360, maybe marginally less - but I imagine if it was parked in a sea of Ferrari and Lambos, it probably would look fairly average!

[V8V Pete]

Driving a car fast does not wreck the clutch but driving a car badly definitely does. The clutch will barely notice a well rev matched red-line gear change. Think you need to enjoy your car more and worry about it (and what other people think of you) less.