Quote:
Originally Posted by mantis
first 2 comments are correct. Dumping the clutch is not "wrong" but obviously you're driving your car hard, so wear and tear and other stuff is attached. but it's not like an incorrect practice.
we're not here to slap anyway 
a) So is feathering the clutch bad also? Or is that the "ideal" way to go? I find that the only way to shift smoothly is to feather just about every shift in gears a lot (except maybe the higher gears) -- Im not sure feathering is bad at all... 
b) Dropping the clutch is bad on the *clutch plate*... i think anyway
c) Riding the cluch is bad on the *clutch plate* |
I'm not sure quite what the difference is between feathering the clutch and riding it.
Don't ride the clutch if you can avoid it - sometimes in heavy stop start traffic it's difficult to avoid.
If you're not changing gear your foot should never be on the clutch pedal - BMW provide you with a foot rest for your left foot so put it there.
As for dumping the clutch I see no point in it nor any need unless you are trying to post a 0 to 60 time when the revs will be high to start with and you want to get the power through to the rear wheels asap. Even then you won't truly dump the clutch. You will still need to feed the clutch in to take up the engine's power - you will just be doing it a lot quicker than normal. By the same token when you depress the clutch it shouldn't be a violent stamp on the clutch pedal.
The key is smoothness on both upshifts and downshifts. One thing I find helps is to hold the gear stick firmly - not with a death grip but not loosely either.