Clutch Driver...How to Prevent Being one...

[jtdc]

hi all. here's how i would do it, pls comment if i'm wrong.

#1) Let's say, your car is parked at the basement, for example, in Robinson Galleria basement parking. As soon as you pay your parking fee....you are faced with a Long Deep inclined road way up. If your driving your car, what do you do?

Usually, when i'm at the parking ticket booth naka neutral handbrake ako. Pag aandar na paakyat I depress clutch fully, then rev the accelerator para may momentum, then slowly (NOT very slowly ok) release clutch habang umaakyat na yung car, until its fully released.

#2) Last year I parked my diesel pick-up in a supermarket basement parking, it was raining heavily, as I alighted, you know driving my pick-up van up the runway...inclined eh, the pick-up couldnt go further up. In short, umatras ang sasakyan na pababa. Luckily, there was no car behind me. if not, wreck talaga. Well, after 3 tries, I was able to drive my pick-up way up the runway. Umakyat ang pick-up when I pressed the clutch halfway, hindi naka Full depressed, mga kalahati lang, Naka-akyat na yung pick-up. Did I do the correct way? How do you drive your car?

When you accelerate w/ only the clutch halfway, that's a sure way to quickly use up or burn your clutch lining. As I mentioned in number 1 above, the trick here is revving first before releasing clutch so you'd get power. This situation is just the same as many uphill climbs that involves stopping. Like going up from megamall basement to park at the outside parking but heavy traffic. So mas delikado kasi meron nasa likod ako nakapila din. Here's how I do it (correct me nalang kung mali):

While stopped, naka neutral of course, then naka brake or handbrake. Playing w/ clutch and gas to hold the car in place wastes fuel and clutch so its NOT an option for me. Now, pag pwede na umusad, I step on brake fully then release handbrake. Since naka brake, hindi mahuhulog pababa yung car. Then fully depress ko clutch using left foot. Next, shift the stick to 1st gear. Now, here's the trick. While I step on brake, I move my heel sideways so I can rev up the gas pedal to build some RPM (yung tanchang pwede na, hindi naman yung madiin na step). In this way, my left foot is stepped on clutch fully pressed, and my right feet has its toes on fully depressed brake, and heel revving up gas. While revving is on the proper momentum, quickly remove right toes on brake then rev the gas and at the same time slowly let go of clutch. That's the technique to master. Aahon na yung car, tapos hindi ka nakababad sa clutch. And at the same time, nung naka stop, you don't waste gas nor clutch. Pag umaahon na at medyo mahatak na, pwede ka na mag 2nd gear, depending on the steepness of the incline. I practice this tuwing may ganung situation.

#3) 3rdly, lets say your driving up to the parking runway of SM Megamall, it's a long curve drive di ba...How do you used the clutch and gas pedal and gear shift?

Depending on steepness of slope, basta bitaw ng maayos ng clutch (NOT very slowly and NOT also sudden so as not to jerk you forward). 1st gear, 2nd gear... as much as possible shift then let go of the clutch.

#4) eh kung pababa na, lets say, pababa ka na sa runway, what do you used to go down...clutch and brake lang ba?

Pag hindi ganung ka-steep, naka neutral lang ako tapos pitik pitik lang ang brake. Pag babad ka kasi sa brake, masusunog din ang brake. Pag matindi talaga yung angle (like Talisay in Tagaytay), eh naka 1st gear or 2nd gear ang shift stick ko tapos di na ako tumatapak sa gas, then ganun din, pitik pitik lang ang tapak sa brake.

#5) Kung pababa ka sa isang slippery road, what gear shift is safe? and how do you apply clutch and brake?

Depende sa kapit ng tires mo, pag nakakalbo na eh dapat mas mabagal ka, engine brake din kung talagang malalim.

#6) Lastly, if you are running so fast, lets say, naka 120 ka sa speedometer...then stop light na, within 10 meters ahead...what do you do to properly stop your car? as in from 5th gear...paano mo gagawin...at paano ka mag-preno?

If you can safely beat the red light then do it, masyado ka na matulin eh. Pero baka mahuli ka pa. Kung ako I brake na malakas, pero hindi todo tapak, pitik pitik din, hanggang sa pwede na ako mag-neutral. Masyado na kasi malapit the stoplight to do downshifting. The key here is pag mukhang di ka na aabot, wag mo na pilitin, mag slowdown ka na.