Should the clutch be fully depressed during hill start?
1 Answers
When performing a steep hill stop, depress the brake and fully depress the clutch pedal to prevent engine stalling. The clutch operation techniques for hill starts are as follows: 1. Gradually release the clutch on slopes: Slowly release the clutch to the engagement point until the vehicle begins to vibrate, then release slightly further until the vehicle starts moving forward, indicating proper clutch engagement. On uphill slopes, since more power is required compared to level ground, you may need to release the clutch slightly more than on flat surfaces - meaning you should release the clutch a bit more and not keep it too tightly depressed. 2. Never fully release the clutch: As long as the vehicle doesn't stall (and certainly doesn't roll backward), you can keep the clutch slightly more depressed. This doesn't contradict the first point. Never completely release the clutch - the slower the speed, the better. Slower speeds give you more time to operate and make corrections. 3. Master clutch release: When inexperienced with hill starts, it's best not to fully release the clutch. The purpose of clutch operation is to control speed. If your hand-eye coordination can keep up, you can increase speed slightly (by releasing the clutch more).