What Happens When You Press Both the Accelerator and Clutch Pedals to the Floor?
2 Answers
If you press both the clutch pedal and the accelerator pedal simultaneously, the car will not move forward as the engine is disconnected from the transmission. Avoid pressing the clutch and accelerator at the same time; always release the accelerator before pressing the clutch. When shifting gears, first apply the brake to slow down, then press the clutch to shift. For stopping, you can directly press the clutch and brake. Proper coordination between the clutch and accelerator: 1. Starting: Press the clutch with your left foot and the brake with your right foot, shift into first gear, release the handbrake, then slowly lift the clutch with your left foot. When the car begins to vibrate slightly, move your right foot to the accelerator pedal and gently apply some gas while continuing to release the clutch. Once the car starts smoothly, fully release the clutch with your left foot and prepare to shift gears by accelerating. 2. Upshifting: Release the accelerator pedal, quickly press the clutch pedal with your left foot, shift the gear lever to the appropriate gear, and release the clutch pedal. While releasing the clutch, gently press the accelerator with your right foot. 3. Downshifting: First, lightly apply the brake to slow down, then briefly tap the accelerator with your right foot, lift your right foot, quickly press the clutch pedal, shift the gear lever to the appropriate gear, and release the clutch pedal. While releasing the clutch, gently press the accelerator with your right foot.
This maneuver is quite common in manual transmission cars, but I really don't recommend doing it frequently. Having driven many manual cars, I've noticed that simultaneously depressing both the clutch and accelerator causes the engine RPM to surge into the red zone, with the transmission gears spinning at high speed without load. It's tolerable briefly, but if sustained over 30 seconds, you'll smell burning from the engine bay. Last year at a repair shop, I saw a Cruze with clutch plates turned blue and warped from this abuse - the full replacement cost over 4,000 yuan. Remember, except for special circumstances like preheating a turbo before launch, never make this a habit in daily driving.
