What Does It Mean to Fully Depress the Clutch?
1 Answers
Fully depressing the clutch means cutting off the power transmitted from the engine. When the power from the primary shaft is disconnected, the vehicle cannot move forward, similar to being in neutral. Whether to depress the clutch when driving downhill: 1. When shifting gears: In older vehicles without synchronizers, it was necessary to depress the clutch twice, and the engine speed requirements were relatively strict; otherwise, gear grinding could occur. In modern vehicles, quickly depress the clutch, shift gears, and release the clutch to complete the gear change. The use of the clutch during braking is most critical and can be confusing for beginners. Except when the vehicle needs to be stopped and the clutch pedal must be depressed to shift into neutral, the clutch pedal should not be depressed under any other braking conditions. 2. Never depress the clutch when going downhill: Depressing the clutch significantly increases the vehicle's braking distance, making emergency situations more dangerous. Coasting in neutral is prohibited during long downhill descents. Depressing the clutch while going downhill is equivalent to being in neutral, and due to the principle of inertial acceleration, the vehicle's speed will not slow down but will instead increase, adding to the braking burden. Therefore, for long downhill descents, especially for large trucks, the best way to avoid brake failure is to drive in a lower gear, using the engine's own speed to control the vehicle's speed.
