Will Pressing the Clutch Stop the Car?
2 Answers
Pressing the clutch does not necessarily stop the car. According to the operating principle, pressing the clutch will not make the car come to a halt. The function of the clutch is to cut off power. On a flat road, the car will gradually slow down; on a downhill slope, it will accelerate; and on an uphill slope, it will stop and then roll backward, gaining speed as it does so. The clutch is located inside the flywheel housing between the engine and the transmission. The clutch assembly is secured to the rear plane of the flywheel with screws, and the output shaft of the clutch is the input shaft of the transmission. During driving, the driver can press or release the clutch pedal as needed to temporarily disconnect or gradually engage the engine and transmission, thereby cutting off or transferring the power input from the engine to the transmission.
I remember when I first started learning manual transmission, I thought pressing the clutch pedal would stop the car. But the car kept slowly sliding forward and almost hit the vehicle in front, giving me a cold sweat. The instructor explained that the clutch only disconnects the engine from the gearbox, stopping power transmission, but the car continues moving by inertia, just like ice skating. To actually stop the car, you must press the brake pedal. For example, when waiting at a red light, I got into the habit of first pressing the brake to slow down, then pressing the clutch when the speed drops to zero to prevent stalling, and finally shifting to neutral. Relying solely on the clutch without braking is very dangerous, especially on downhill slopes where the car may roll and accelerate, causing accidents. This taught me that the clutch is mainly used for smooth gear shifting or start-stop operations, while stopping the car can only rely on the brake system.
