Can you clutch while braking

It produces no harm on the engine or the transmission that is not expected in your car. I agree with the other answers saying that it doesn't make a huge difference for your engine and transmission whether you press the clutch or not while braking normally.

However, depending on the age of your car, it does make a huge difference in an emergency braking situation. The reason is that the braking moment exerted on the live axle by the engine introduces a moment in the opposite direction on the chassis, which results in an upward force on the rear axle FWD or a downward force on the front axle RWD. In both cases, the overall effect is that the front wheels get lots of grip while the rear end becomes light.

If you then try to do an evasive manoeuvre, you'll find that the rear end of your car is going to overtake you at much lower speeds and steering angles than if you would have depressed the clutch. In cars without electronic aids, I would therefore strongly recommend to always press the clutch pedal in an emergency braking situation.

For modern cars, it doesn't really matter. Just hit the brake pedal as hard as you can and point the steering wheel in the direction you want to go, and the computer will try and take care of the rest, using all the grip there is to keep the car going in the right direction.

Just be aware that the computer can't defeat the laws of physics — if you are too fast, you're inevitably going to crash. Electronic driving aids are a massive improvement in driving safety, but they do not perform miracles. Being in the habit of depressing the clutch and then a split second later or simultaneously pressing the brakes would actually be good for two reasons:.

Should you need to perform an emergency maneuver to also avoid an obstacle during breaking, you need your body to be stable, pushed against the back of the seat.

So it is better to keep your foot on the footrest, because it acts as support for your body as it keeps you stable and allows you to move the steering wheel without also using it as support at the same time. Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group. Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more.

Should I depress the clutch pedal when braking to a stop? Ask Question. Asked 4 years, 8 months ago. Active 4 years, 8 months ago. Viewed 27k times. Improve this question. This is off-topic for this site. See "Are driving questions on-topic? Your driving style is a contributing factor into how often these expensive parts need replacing, so using engine braking where possible will improve your car brakes longevity.

Yes, unnecessarily keeping the clutch pressed down can fail a driving test. If you continue to do this on a practical driving test, the examiner is likely to fail your test. Press the clutch when braking: When bringing your car to a stop When changing to a lower gear.

Other than the two examples above, you should avoid pressing the clutch when braking. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Boss V10 Sep 20, Re: Usage of clutch while braking Clutch wears more during engagement and disengagement than at braking. But during panic braking, more load is put on the clutch and it is better to disengage the clutch during panic braking. Re: Usage of clutch while braking If the need of the moment is emergency and quick stopping then brakes should be applied without pressing down the clutch.

Even if we need to just slow down a bit, only pressing the brake pedal is an efficient way of braking. U should never EVER clutch before u brake. Not even when u panic. Braing should be always be done proggesively. In the opposite way of starting off. Do u start in 1st and directly go to 5th?

Then why brake depressing the clutch and go from 5th to 1st? Always brake without the clutch, downshifting appropiately. Hey guys there is no need of pressing clutch, when you brake.

What one has to follow is downshifting the gears and gradually braking. Only while downshifting one should press the clutch and leave so that Engine braking also comes to play.

And while braking if one presses the clutch then there will be no load on engine and vehicle moves with further speed, and the brake pads will worn out soon. Very good thread but to be frank i never use engine braking while stopping the car. Say for example if i am approaching a toll booth or a signal which i see before hand , i just put the car to neutral and apply the brakes softly to bring the car to a smooth halt.

Well then you could be coasting which is making the car freewheel and it could increase speed like this which means you'll have to brake more. You lose engine braking. If you just want to slow down and not stop then release the gas pedal and brake if needed but you won't need to press the clutch unless you have to change gear. You might also like these: Clutch control in traffic uphill FREE essential driving course How to recover from stalling manoeuvres.

You might also like these:. How to change gears. Subscribe for more tips on our YouTube channel. Which pedal first when stopping or slowing down? It all depends on the speed you're driving and if you're going uphill. Driving fast. Driving slowly.