New-York tribune., 1919-06-15
Clutch Riding
Is a Very Bad
/ Driving Habit
t Will Make "a Slipping
Clutch for One Thing and
Will Cause Needless Wear
Something About Unit
By II. Clifford Brokaw

Technical Director Automobile School
West Side Y. NJ. C. A.
Are you clutch rider? Does your
foot continually rest upon the pedal
controlling this important part of your
car? If 30 you are unconsciously
wasting power and are helping put the
clutch into Condition where it will
slip permanently. Spend a few min
utes studying your clutch, its makeup
and the principles on which it works;
learn how to keep it in condition, and
likewise learn to keep your foot off the
pedal when it is not required to be
there, and you need never have any
trouble from this device.
Now about clutch riding. The man
who keeps his foot continuously on the
pedal eXerts some pressure-however
slight and though but the weight of
the toot-whlch has tendency to re-
tease the spring tension and make the
clutch slip. Slipping is a waste of
power, and there is a friction which
wears away the contact surfaces. add
ing all the while to the slipping pro-
pensity. You should not act as though
fearing need to release the clutch all
| the time. With practice the foot
should go automatically to it's place.
On some cars clutch riding will in
Varably burn out the thrust bearing,
due to the mechanical construction,
There are some other cars, however.
where careful driver may safely rest
ms n loot on the pedal, if pressure suf-
hclent to release the clutch is not
eXerted.
Clutches are of two general types,
the cone and the multiple disk, the
latter being either dry or running in
oil bath, commonly called wet, and this
KIND Will not go dry on July l if YOU
care anything about the power of YOUR
car. The cone clutch usually is built
into the flywheel, the inside of the
rim forming one of the friction sur
faces. Very often the wet disk clutch
is integral with the crank case and % its
oil bath is part of the general oil
supply carried therein.
What the Clutch Does
The purpose of the clutch is to con-
meet and disconnect the engine and the
rear (drlye) wheels, so lat the engine
may continue running without driving
the car, and to relieve the load from
the transmission gears when thew are
shifted to the various positions and
speeds. If the load were not taken off
the gears when shifting it would be
impossible to make the shift in many
cases, and if the shift were by chance
affected there would be excessive
strain put on the gears, and very like
ly teeth would be broken off.
When the load is off the gears at the
time of the shift the teeth engage be-
tore the load is applied. If it were
rot so the full load would be on the
instant the gear teeth touched. Gears
are made to stand severe knocks and
strains, but teeth break with the best
of care, and shifting under load would
leave few corners on the teeth
All the clutches in use, except per-
haps the magnetic, are of the friction
variety; that is, the power is trans
mltted by the friction of the parts.
which are held together with a spring.
And all provide for the load to be
picked up, gradually. If the clutch
were positive in action, by the engage
ment of lugs or otherwise, the car
speed at once would be that of the en-
gine, and it would start off with jerk,
with all its discomfort and strain; it
would be the same as though there
eTere no clutch intervening. And the
clutch must be kept in shape to allow