Clutch Control - Riding The Clutch

In a vehicle with a manual transmission, riding the clutch refers to the practice of needlessly keeping the clutch partially disengaged. This results in the clutch being unable to fully engage with the flywheel and so causes premature wear on the disc and flywheel.

A common example of riding the clutch is to keep slight continual pressure on the clutch pedal whilst driving, as when a driver habitually rests his/her foot on the clutch pedal instead of on the floorboard or dead pedal. Although this slight pressure is not enough to allow the clutch disc itself to slip, it is enough to keep the release bearing against the release springs. This causes the bearing to remain spinning, which leads to premature bearing failure.

When shifting properly, the driver "shifts" to another gear and then releases pressure on the clutch pedal to re-engage the engine to the driveshaft. If the pedal is released quickly, a definite lurch can be felt as the engine and driveshaft re-engage and their speeds equalize. However, if the clutch is released slowly the clutch disc will "slip" against the flywheel; this friction permits the engine a smoother transition to its new rotation speed. Such routine slippage causes wear on the clutch analogous to the wear-and-tear on a brake pad when stopping. Some amount of wear is unavoidable, but with better clutching/shifting technique it can be minimized.

Riding the clutch occurs when the driver does not fully release the clutch pedal. This results in the clutch disc slipping against the flywheel and some engine power not being transferred to the drive train and wheels. While inefficient, most drivers routinely use this technique effectively when driving in reverse (as fully engaging the reverse gear results in velocity too great for the short distance traveled) or in stop-and-go traffic (as it is easier to control the throttle and acceleration at very slow speeds).

Riding the clutch should not be confused with "freewheeling" or "coasting", where the clutch is pressed down fully allowing the car to roll either downhill or from inertia. While this is not damaging to the car, it can be considered a dangerous way to drive since one forgoes the ability to quickly accelerate if needed. It is, however, a common practice to roll into a parking space or over speed bumps via inertia.