help me settle a debate i'm having with my husband please-car related

[AlCzervik]

Ok we were going somewhere on Saturday and i was doing the driving, so i'm stopped at a light and after a minute my husbands says-"Why don't you use your brakes at a light instead of balancing on the gas and the clutch" i'd never really even thought about it, after 21 years of driving it's a habit i guess. So i ask him what the probelm is and he tells me that i'm wearing out my clutch and maybe the flywheel so i say "I had my nissan for 6 years, never had any clutch problem, same thing with the Mazda and the Acura so i don't think what you're saying is accurate." and he says..."Well maybe you've just been lucky to this point" So am i right or is he?

[Book Lover]

1. It's a machine - there is no luck

Only the laws of physics and chemistry. If you haven't been burning out your clutch over the past 20+ years, you're not about to start.

[AlCzervik]

2. I'm going to quote you on that!

[Worst Username Ever]

3. Well look at it this way

If you get rear-ended with your foot on the brake, you are less likely to ram into the car in front of you, or worse, your car getting launched into a busy intersection. As for the mechanics of is, yes, you are causing some un-needed friction on the clutch, but it is likely marginal. The worse thing you can do is have one foot on the clutch while you are in motion... some people sort of rest one foot on it all the time (called "riding the clutch). That is SUPER bad for it....

[AlCzervik]

6. riding the clutch i dont do but at the light, i hardly ever use the brake

and did mention something about no brake lights visable when i'm stopped.

[Worst Username Ever]

7. That two, your brake lights would not be illuminated.

[mcscajun]

14. That'd be my problem is I was behind you.

Especially as I don't drive a manual. I have to Think about what's in front of me when I see no lights at a stop.

[Redneck Socialist]

4. Conventional wisdom is...

that what you're doing is a bad idea. I have no explanation for why you haven't trashed your clutch so...:shrug:

[trof]

5. He's right.

When the brakes are engaged at a full stop there is no wear.
When you use the transmission and clutch to maintain position on a hill there is wear. If you own the car long enough, it'll show.

[Radio_Lady]

8. Good reason to have automatic transmission...

I hate my husband's shift car. I let him drive it. There are other good reasons to have a marital fight. This ain't one of them... but we fight about other things in the car... like directions!!!!!!!

[jmcon007]

9. I'm with you...

If you were burning your clutch plates, you would smell it. If you have the clutch out just far enough to grab and keep the vehicle from moving either direction there is no problem.
I do this myself, especially if I'm on an incline and the car behind me is about two inches off my bumper. If you're on the brake you're probably going to have some roll back OR alot of gas and a quick clutch which can either burn the plates or send you hopping across the intersection.
Buying an automatic would also solve your problem.

[AlCzervik]

10. i don't want an automatic and yes i'm on the clutch just enough to keep

it in one place. He also drives a manual, i taught him how to drive a stick about 20 years ago.

[Quakerfriend]

11. Honey, if you've had that nissan for 6 years

and you haven't yet replaced the clutch...well, you can't be doing much wrong. He is generally correct. But, if you've got the original clutch then he really can't argue with you.

[AlCzervik]

13. thats what i thought, i don't have the nissan anymore

but i did have one for 6 years and the only thing it ever needed was a tuneup when it 75,000 miles. He on the other i can see needing a new clutch pretty soon and he just had his brakes replaced....again.

[miss_kitty]

15. according to the guys on car talk and everything I've heard

that's the worst thing you can do to your clutch. I have always been told, heard and read about clutch use is anytime you use a clutch pedal, you are putting wear on the clutch. To use it to hold is slipping the clutch which causes worse and faster wear. Eventually, the clutch will slip on its own, and you won't have to do your balancing act. Of course, your car won't be moving anywhere, either.

http://www.cartalk.com/content/columns/Archive/1995/October/07.html

"In your pamphlet "Ten Ways You May Be Ruining Your Car.." you guys mention in "number 13" that if you are driving a manual transmission, you should put the car in Neutral and take your foot off the clutch when you're stopped at a light. You don't say why. Would you explain? Susan

Ray: Sure. There are two parts of the clutch that wear out, Susan. There's the clutch disc, which is the part most people are aware of. That's the component that gets "ground down" every time the clutch is engaged. Every time you make the car move by taking your foot off the clutch and stepping on the gas, that disc is wearing out.

Tom: And you can wear out the disc really quickly by "riding the clutch." That is, letting the clutch out too slowly and using too much gas, or resting your foot on the pedal (and depressing it slightly) while you're driving around.

Ray: But the other, less-well-known part of the clutch that wears out is the clutch release bearing. That bearing does the brunt of the work disengaging the clutch when you step on the clutch pedal. And every minute your clutch pedal is depressed, that release bearing is spinning like mad and wearing out. And eventually, it'll need to be replaced, just like any other part that gets a lot of use. And like all clutch repairs, the part is relatively cheap, but the labor is big bucks.

Tom: So that's one reason we suggest putting the car in Neutral and taking your foot off the pedal when you get to a stop.

Ray: The other reason is to avoid those painful cramps in your left leg!"

Now you probably have a self-adjusting clutch, but that only alleviates the damage been done by a little.

But hey! It's your car. Drive it any way you want. :)

[Xithras]

12. He wins this debate

Clutches aren't meant to slide. They're designed to engage and disengage as you're changing gears, and to slide a little as you're letting off the clutch.

I think you've just been lucky, but floating the clutch pedal like that can cause the clutch plate to overheat, the springs to break, and in one case I saw, the flywheel to warp. The most common thing it causes, however, is "heat glazing" to the clutch plate, which causes it to slip a lot. That hurts your gas mileage, causes the car to pollute more, shortens the lifespan on your engine (because you're driving at a higher RPM), and can cause total clutch failure on hills (been there, it really sucks). It's basically like having a slipping clutch, only with plenty of clutch material left on the disk.

Unless your name's John Muir and you're in an old Beetle, use your brakes!