chrisandro

I am new to the performance car scene. I recently purchased a 1989 Formula with 305 TPI & 5 Speed. This is my first stick shift car. I live in Ny & there is alot of bumper to bumper traffic here sometimes. What can I do to avoid burning out my clutch at stop & go traffic. I tried starting in first gear at about 2900 rpm in slow traffic but the temp guage started to rise? Does anybody have any tips on how to drive a stick in heavy traffic.......Also what are signs of burning my clutch? Sometimes I dont pres on the gas long enough & I feel the tranny buck. Will that destroy the transmission?

Thanks

NTChrist

I've heard that just quickly dumping the clutch at low revs is best for it. It limits the slipping, which is what burns friction disks, etc. I think in bumper to bumper NY traffic, you're pretty much screwed. Dumping the clutch will put you right into the back end of the guy in front of you. The one time I had to drive my Fbird over the Geo. Wash. Bridge in rush hour, I limited the amount of times I moved ahead. If the guy infront moves twice, I moved once. I would wait until there was enough room between us to justify moving. It means that somepeople may cut in front of you and fill in the gap, but it saves my centerforce for a little while longer.
Define "buck". Is it a chatter, or just one movement?

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No guts, no glory.

chrisandro

when i say buck as in that shaking jerky moving before going forward no chatter or sound. Letting up on the clutch too soon I think. I never smell a burning smell yet though ( Burning the clutch? ). What is dumping the clutch?

Thanks

NTChrist

Sometimes it's hard to actually smell the clutch burning from inside the car. Basically, what I mean by burning is the friction surfaces of the three main components reaching a temperature higher than recommended. Nothing actually combusts, it's not really that obvious.
Dumping the clutch means quickly letting the pedal off the floor, without dwelling too much around the clutch friction point.
My car used to shake really badly leaving a stand-still too. Especially when it was hot. Some people think that it means there's hydr. fluid on your dry-type clutch, but in this case it was just that everything was worn so bad. Time for a new clutch, friction disk, etc.
Have it inspected.

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No guts, no glory.

MikeS

Yeah, traffic sucks with a manual. I live in Atlanta, and we've got a decent share of it down here too. As far as I know, the only thing that wears out a clutch is when it is at the point when it can slide on the surface of the flywheel (either not fully engaged, or just plain overpowered). So that would mean that the clutch gets worn with the clutch pedal partially depressed. The less time you spend with the pedal partway up/down, the better. That would mean "dumping" it, but that's not too great on the rest of the drivetrain, or the front bumper. I'd say don't worry about the traffic and what it does to the clutch. There's nothing really to do about it, short of getting an automatic or a different clutch setup. Its worth the extra wear for the times when you get out of the city, at least for me. Later, Mike