Should You Depress the Clutch When Driving a Manual Transmission Car Downhill?

[SanMalachi]

Driving a manual transmission car downhill by depressing the clutch and coasting is not recommended. Here are the reasons: 1. Coasting in neutral at high speeds is unsafe. 2. It can easily damage the release bearing. 3. It increases driver fatigue. 4. It leads to higher fuel consumption. The clutch is a transmission device that connects and disconnects the engine from the wheels, as the name suggests. When the clutch is depressed, the engine's transmission is disconnected from the wheels, and the car moves by inertia at its current speed. When the clutch is released, the engine's transmission is connected to the wheels, and the car moves at the speed determined by the engine. When driving downhill, if the clutch is fully depressed, it is essentially coasting in neutral. This is equivalent to shifting into neutral, where the car's speed is much faster than when not in neutral. The car's speed is determined by its own gravity and inertia. If the car's braking system fails, the direct consequence is that the driver loses control of the vehicle.