On Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:51:22 +0100, Chris Whelan
wrote:

On Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:32:48 -0700, Heds wrote:

Hi,

I wonder if you could help settle an argument between my wife and I (at
least this one is related to cars!).

She drives with her left foot covering the clutch and says that she was
taught this technique as the correct way to drive and it helps her if
she needs to stop quickly.

I on the other hand say that if you need to stop quickly it is the brake
pedal she should be worrying about and that her left foot should be flat
on the floor or on the purpose built foot rest, unless she is in the
process of changing gear.

She insists that her foot is not on the clutch and just above it so is
hovering and therefore not causing the clutch any problems.

If anyone could help settle this friendly discussion I would be most
grateful. Especially if I could be proved right :-)

thanks
H Phillips

If her foot genuinely doesn't touch the pedal, then I can't see that it
would harm the car. (And is probably way OT for u.r.c.m.!)

However, my brother was taught to drive like this; I ended up replacing
the clutch in his first car before it was 6 months old. He soon learnt an
(expensive) lesson.

WRT the safety aspect, I would find it so uncomfortable to drive like
that for any significant amount of time that I feel that any very
marginal advantage to safety would be negated by the distraction the pain
in my ankle would cause.

In truth, like so many things in life, there's not really a definitive
answer; if she feels safer driving like that, and she is aware that
resting her foot *on* the pedal will kill the clutch, why worry?

Chris



Although pre-engaged release bearings are fairly common, so it does depend
on the car, it won't make any difference to a 205 GTi, I'd be impressed if
you got 6 months out of a Morris Minor:-)