Is your clutch kit starting to fail? You have no choice but to have it repaired or replaced as soon as possible, as it can pose a significant safety hazard on the road. However, you can avoid needing a premature clutch kit replacement by addressing a few key bad driving habits that are more common than you think.
Before you end up at a clutch kit fitment centre, check out these tips from the clutch kit experts for keeping your clutch kit in good condition for longer:
Riding the clutch is the quickest way to cause damage to your clutch kit. If you don’t know what this is, it’s the practice of depressing the clutch pedal slightly even when not shifting gears, and then not pressing it in fully when shifting gears.
Doing this can damage your clutch because the clutch mechanisms remain engaged, causing unnecessary friction between the clutch plate and the flywheel. This leads to faster wear and overheating.
It’s always better to keep your foot completely off the clutch whenever it’s not in use and engage it fully when necessary.
Although this is not technically considered riding the clutch, resting your foot on the clutch pedal can still cause damage.
You may think that you’re not causing harm when resting your foot on the pedal while driving at constant speeds. However, the slight constant pressure keeps the clutch partially disengaged and creates friction that wears down components over time.
It’s best to rest your foot on the floorboard when you’re not using the clutch and only place it on the pedal when necessary.
If you drive your car roughly and shift the gears too quickly, it can cause abrupt disengagement and engagement of the clutch, leading to damage. Jerky or hard shifting increases the strain on the clutch components, causing excessive wear. The result? Slipping and failure, which means you’ll need to have your clutch kit repaired sooner than you otherwise would.
You can avoid this by shifting gears more smoothly and matching your engine speed with the wheel speed.
When you’ve stopped on a steep incline, don’t balance the clutch and accelerator to prevent your car from rolling backward. Instead, use your handbrake.
Balancing the clutch and accelerator can lead to slipping, which generates heat and causes fast wear of the components. This is a form of riding the clutch.
It’s better to use the handbrake when you’re on an incline, as it will keep your car in place without causing unnecessary damage to your clutch, thereby preserving its lifespan.
If you want a good clutch kit price, contact the pros at Astro Brake. We carry out quick and affordable clutch kit repairs or replacements.