# How do I get the most miles out of my clutch **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 3, 2004, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-the-most-miles-out-of-my-clutch/227250 "2004-02-03T00:15:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-the-most-miles-out-of-my-clutch/227250/41 "2004-02-11T06:19:02Z")
Yes, on cars with clutch starting switches, you must depress the clutch pedal to operate the starter. If there’s a malfunction where the clutch doesn’t release, depressing the pedal doesn’t make a difference in terms of clutch operation, and the described techniques for getting underway and shifting without using the clutch will apply. Knowing how to do that can be a handy skill in case of such malfunction. Other than having to drive without a working clutch, or briefly practicing how to drive without a working clutch, it’s wise to use the clutch normally. Shifting without using it puts greater than usual stress on some internal transmission parts, especially if it’s not done well. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-the-most-miles-out-of-my-clutch/227250/42 "2004-02-11T06:22:23Z")
> [@TheLoadedDog](#): > > You are quite right. I stand corrected. I was posting from the Australian POV. These “safety” (and I use the term loosely) switches are comparatively recent developments here. I have owned many cars, automatic and manual, and NONE of them has had any such devices. Are you saying you’ve had automatic transmission cars without neutral safety switches (only allows starting in park or neutral)? That would really surprise me. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-the-most-miles-out-of-my-clutch/227250/43 "2004-02-11T06:57:26Z")
> [@Gary T](#): > > Are you saying you’ve had automatic transmission cars without neutral safety switches (only allows starting in park or neutral)? That would really surprise me. No, sorry. Along with inability to shift into reverse or park whilst in motion, I kinda took that for granted. I’ve never driven an automatic which could be started outside of park or neutral. I’m talking more about automatic cars refusing to go into drive or reverse if your foot isn’t on the brake, ignition key not being able to turn unless your foot is on the brake. That kind of thing. I used to break the rules in automatics I drove. I don’t think it did them any harm. For example, I’d reverse out of a driveway, having to go slightly uphill onto the street. Instead of using the brake, I’d just tap the T-bar back into neutral as the car was reversing at walking speed and about to stop. As gravity took over and the car began to roll forwards, I’d tap it down into drive, and accelerate away. ---
**Author:** ![galt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@galt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galt)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2004, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-the-most-miles-out-of-my-clutch/227250/44 "2004-02-11T23:25:54Z")
> [@Gary T](#): > > > [@galt](#): > > > > You mean you put it in gear with the engine off, then you crank the starter motor to start moving the car? > > Yep. > … > Even with an engine that won’t run, a good battery and starter can propel the car slowly in gear for a short distance. Of course it can, but I’m a little confused by someone suggesting that this is how you should normally operate your car. My question arose from the “don’t use the clutch” advice from **AcidKid**. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-the-most-miles-out-of-my-clutch/227250/45 "2004-02-12T00:09:16Z")
I certainly don’t suggest it’s how one should normally operate a car, and I don’t agree with **AcidKid’s** (tongue in cheek?) advice not to use the clutch. I was just following the sequence of questions that arose. The techniques described can be handy to get out of a jam if the clutch won’t release, but I consider them emergency procedures, not normal driving procedures. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2004, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-the-most-miles-out-of-my-clutch/227250/46 "2004-02-12T00:13:01Z")
> [@galt](#): > > Of course it can, but I’m a little confused by someone suggesting that this is how you should normally operate your car. My question arose from the “don’t use the clutch” advice from **AcidKid**. This thread is the first I’ve ever heard of cranking in first as a way of starting in anything other than an emergency. Those who have tried it (even inadvertently), or have seen it done, will attest that it sure ain’t smooth driving. Every nut and bolt in the entire car seems to be protesting as the thing lurches forward like a drunk kangaroo. The sound alone makes you fearful of your next mechanic’s bill. Aside from this thread, the most die-hard clutchless shifters (boy racers and truckers) I’ve ever spoken to will happily admit to using the clutch to get rolling. They just don’t use it for subsequent gear changes. IANAM, but I strongly suspect that if you _habitually_ use this technique to start your car, you’ll be in the mechanic’s shop with it before too long. ---
**Author:** ![spinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@spinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spinky)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2004, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-the-most-miles-out-of-my-clutch/227250/47 "2004-02-13T09:29:01Z")
While I certainly don’t think its _normal_, I do have a friend who has a truck with extra low gearing, and he will put it in granny gear with the engine off while trailering a boat on the boat ramp. Then he just reaches in the open window and turns the key in order to make the whole thing creep forward a little in order to check the boat’s alignment on the trailer. He did, however, tell me he has replaced his starter with an extra beefy one (something about some similar application which comes in handy during four-wheeling). ---
**Author:** ![Will\_Repair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a698b9/32.png) [@Will\_Repair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Will_Repair)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-the-most-miles-out-of-my-clutch/227250/48 "2004-02-27T01:42:12Z")
> [@Gary T](#): > > … **AcidKid’s** (tongue in cheek?) advice … The advice wasn’t tongue in cheek although I should qualify it. The nonuse of the clutch should be confined to easy driving. Not for use when screaming around corners in a sports car. Probably not for constant, a traffic light every half block, city driving. Whenever possible you should use the clutch as little as possible to extend its life. But not at the expense of the transmission if it’s a skill you can’t master. ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-the-most-miles-out-of-my-clutch/227250/49 "2004-02-27T02:21:19Z")
Another sure clutch eater is the practice of using the clutch to hold your position while stopped on an incline. This is done by riding or letting out slightly on the clutch just till it starts to grab to keep your vehicle from rolling backwards. ---
**Author:** ![trabi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecae2f/32.png) [@trabi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trabi)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2004, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-the-most-miles-out-of-my-clutch/227250/50 "2004-02-27T08:09:59Z")
> [@AcidKid](#): > > The advice wasn’t tongue in cheek although I should qualify it. The nonuse of the clutch should be confined to easy driving. Not for use when screaming around corners in a sports car. Probably not for constant, a traffic light every half block, city driving. Whenever possible you should use the clutch as little as possible to extend its life. But not at the expense of the transmission if it’s a skill you can’t master. Hmm, I’d say that using clutchless changes as a part of routine driving is a bit extreme, and has nothing more than pose value. Clutches generally wear out at least once during the life of a vehicle, and have to be changed. It’s a simple fact of life, and it’s deliberate. The reasoning behind this is that it’s far cheaper and simpler to replace a set of clutch plates every 100,000 miles or so than it is to have your gearbox fall out onto the road. I doubt that anyone is capable of consistently matching the engine speed to road speed with enough precision to not put extra strain on the gearbox. Remember, every time you’re out by a fraction of an RPM (something which you may not even be aware of in a modern car with synchromesh), you are saving your clutch at the expense of your gearbox. Oddly enough, I’ve never seen threads on “how to get the best mileage out of my oil filter.” The only possible reasons to change gear without using the clutch: a. to show off b. get the car home/ in the event of a snapped clutch cable My advice to the OP is not to worry too much, keep your gearchanges as clean as possible. If you really want to impress people with your gearchanging technique, learn to double-declutch… 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-the-most-miles-out-of-my-clutch/227250.md?page=2)