Clutch wear

[mnkiboy]

Well, after 39k miles, the clutch on my Leon Cupra is on its way out. Full throttle at 3000rpm in 4th, 5th or 6th gear will result in the revs rising without much forward acceleration.

I'm quite surprised at this, as i'm not the kind of driver who slips the clutch any more than neccesary. The amount of torque this car has allows me to get the clutch engaged early (at low revs) and pull away.

So... why has my clutch expired early? I've had cars in the past over 100k miles on their original clutch - i've never had to get one replaced.

A number of people on the internet say that it is bad for the clutch if you 'ride the wave of torque' (is this Clarkson speak?). I regularly pull from low revs in high gears - I believe if the car has the torque then you might as well use it.
Why would this be bad for the clutch? Surely clutch wear only occurs when the clutch is slipped. If the clutch is engaged, then no wear is occuring - irrespective of whether you are putting 300lb/ft through it or not?

I bought the car 2nd hand with 23k miles on it, so obviously I don't know how it was driven before I bought the car. Also it was given a Revo software upgrade around 30k miles.

Opinions please.

Edited by mnkiboy on Thursday 30th September 13:14

[jon-]

mnkiboy said:

I bought the car 2nd hand with 23k miles on it

[daz4m]

I don't think the clutches on Leons are that strong tbh. Could be wrong, but I have heard of quite a few that go around that mileage.

[Laurel Green]

jon- said:

mnkiboy said:

I bought the car 2nd hand with 23k miles on it

Exactly what I was thinking - last owner might have treated the clutch with no sympathy.

[mnkiboy]

Laurel Green said:

jon- said:

mnkiboy said:

I bought the car 2nd hand with 23k miles on it

Exactly what I was thinking - last owner might have treated the clutch with no sympathy.

The previous owner was a woman. They don't do things like that!

But seriously, I suppose I have no way of knowing whether it was my driving style, or the previous owner who have caused the premature wear.

Anybody any idea on whether flooring it at low revs would cause clutch wear, or is it, as I suspect, bks?

[jon-]

mnkiboy said:

Laurel Green said:

jon- said:

mnkiboy said:

I bought the car 2nd hand with 23k miles on it

Exactly what I was thinking - last owner might have treated the clutch with no sympathy.

The previous owner was a woman. They don't do things like that!

But seriously, I suppose I have no way of knowing whether it was my driving style, or the previous owner who have caused the premature wear.

Anybody any idea on whether flooring it at low revs would cause clutch wear, or is it, as I suspect, bks?

Women love to slip clutches, rest their foot on clutch pedal and hold the car on hills with the clutch.

As long as the clutch is fully engaged and not slipping there will be no wear.

[ManOpener]

daz4m said:

I don't think the clutches on Leons are that strong tbh. Could be wrong, but I have heard of quite a few that go around that mileage.

One of my colleagues has one and he went through a clutch every 20k miles or so. He drives hard, but not THAT hard, and I've never noticed him riding it in traffic.

He ended up buying a Stage II one from Spec (I think) which has lasted far better and was almost exactly the same price.

[davepoth]

mnkiboy said:

Laurel Green said:

jon- said:

mnkiboy said:

I bought the car 2nd hand with 23k miles on it

Exactly what I was thinking - last owner might have treated the clutch with no sympathy.

The previous owner was a woman. They don't do things like that!

But seriously, I suppose I have no way of knowing whether it was my driving style, or the previous owner who have caused the premature wear.

Anybody any idea on whether flooring it at low revs would cause clutch wear, or is it, as I suspect, bks?

"One Lady Owner" is something to avoid. When it's written like that it usually means "Only driven on 5 mile trips so engine wear is excessive. Lots of parking scrapes, knackered alloys and bent steering from hitting kerbs, and a knackered clutch from unsympathetic manoeuvring."

Honestly, I've seen "Lady Owners" redlining their car while reversing into a space in tesco. It's scary.