[yzfrj]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

VDi needs an ECU remap. The VDi won't move below 10 kph, and traffic won't move above 5 kph.

I agree with you on that one.
Its like the car does't know how to go slow (with 0 accelerator input).

If its really slow moving traffic, I end up riding the clutch. Which I hate.
This is one of the reasons I don't like to drive swift-d in traffic.

Anyway its my dad's car and he does't seem to have much problem.
Maybe I need more time to adjust.

My Zen is really good for that clutch is rarely needed.
Almost 93,000 Kms and clutch is still the "original" one.

Yeah you read it right, have not changed the clutch yet.
Zen was driven by me and dad.

[phamilyman]

@Amitk26:That's not the point. You misread it maybe. It IS not lacking torque - its FULL of it!

Point is that Swift crawled up Jalori (4 people + luggage) in 1/2nd gear happily without accelerator.

But the same swift moves ATLEAST at 10 kph in 1st gear - no slower than that (checked on multiple cars). And in gurgaon bumper-bumper traffic (sec 31, toll plaza), only 5kph works.

So you may not RIDE the clutch, but you overuse it MORE than you'd do a comparable petrol!

[amitk26]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

@Amitk26:That's not the point. You misread it maybe. It IS not lacking torque - its FULL of it!

Point is that Swift crawled up Jalori (4 people + luggage) in 1/2nd gear happily without accelerator.

But the same swift moves ATLEAST at 10 kph in 1st gear - no slower than that (checked on multiple cars). And in gurgaon bumper-bumper traffic (sec 31, toll plaza), only 5kph works.

So you may not RIDE the clutch, but you overuse it MORE than you'd do a comparable petrol!

Seems the problem is with the gear ratio a clever ploy to make engine look peppier for short bursts but not good if one has to pull out of slush but then swift is meant to be driven on road with out traffic.

[SLK]

Drove my Vdi, from Gurgaon to Delhi in today's rain, 3+hrs. The car was 1 day, 100kms old! I don't think I needed to ride the clutch at all.

[Zappo]

I am sure it is definitely possible. Or at least a minimalistic usage of the clutch is possible even in our clogged cities, provided one is judicious in choosing their gears. Most people tend to drive on a higher gear and then keep riding the clutch. I would rather put the car in 1st and lift both the clutch and the accelerator (aah! the advantages of a diesel) and let the car crawl on its own. Its better than driving on 2nd and having to press the clutch too frequently to keep the engine from stalling. I do that everyday while driving back home in the peak hour evening traffic.

P.S.: In diesel cars even if you give a slight acclerator on 1st or it reaches a little downward incline it picks up speed and holds that in the 1st even without accelerator. My observation is that if you come to a standstill and then as the crawl begins you lift the clutch pedal very very cautiously (to prevent stalling) without any accelerator at all then the car can crawl at 5-7 kph speeds. At least before it reaches anything higher (say 10 kph) I always need to brake again and stop.

[gpa]

Originally Posted by Zappo

I would rather put the car in 1st and lift both the clutch and the accelerator (aah! the advantages of a diesel) and let the car crawl on its own.

Use this technique to great effect on my Alto and Santro as well. Yes, I do agree that with the Swift (D) the torque makes it that much more sweeter , but it works fine on the petrol vehicles as well. Saves the clutch as well.

Originally Posted by Zappo

if you come to a standstill and then as the crawl begins you lift the clutch pedal very very cautiously (to prevent stalling) without any accelerator at all then the car can crawl at 5-7 kph speeds.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but won't this technique work only if the clutch is not worn? If the clutch is worn, I think the car will start to shudder as you lift off the clutch without depressing the accelerator lightly. I drove a Palio that has covered ~100,000 kms and the engine always stalled when I tried this.

Thanks,
gpa

[ikoneer]

Originally Posted by GTO

+1 to that. I don't think rush hour can get too much worse than Mumbai's South-North traffic in the evening (think 1.0 - 1.5 hours for 13 kms). I do this run everyday WITHOUT riding the clutch. Vtec @ 70,000 kms still running on the original clutch (not slipping either).

@ Thread starter : Practice and focus. You'll get the hang of it in a little time.

@GTO, please let us know what technique used to change gears and move the vehicle in a bump - bumper traffic.

i still have not got the hang of releasing the clutch without jerk or riding it for some time.

i drive a NHC (done 20000 kms and about 22 months old) and have felt the clutch to harden after some time of my driving, does it indicate the clutch is wearing out or its normal. confused

[raju2512]

Originally Posted by Zappo

I would rather put the car in 1st and lift both the clutch and the accelerator (aah! the advantages of a diesel) and let the car crawl on its own. Its better than driving on 2nd and having to press the clutch too frequently to keep the engine from stalling. I do that everyday while driving back home in the peak hour evening traffic.

I use this technique even in M800.

You can drive without riding the clutch in any traffic condition. Most of the people ride the clutch while taking a turn. The best way will be to shift down, take the turn and shift up.

It is more of habbit.

[Parm]

Originally Posted by lynx

Well, doesn't it jerk?

It's not always that you get to accelerate after changing up in traffic is it? In that case, when you clutch-shift up-declutch how do you deal with the jerks when it is too slow or when you get a chance to accelerate from lower than ideal rpm?

practice make a man perfect! you have to learn the behaviour and response of your car. you need to understand the drive of your car and the throttle response....rest is practice my friend!

[anekho]

hmm... what exactly does "ride the clutch" mean? excuse my noobism, I just learnt how to drive recently!

cheers

[Trust_In_Thrust]

Well while on it .I try my best not to ride the clutch but due to B2B traffic it does happen.
So to cut the usage of clutch to half :
I am asking is it possible to shift to neutral while in slow speeds / when about to stop without using the clutch .My logic is i half the number of tiles i use clutch on B2B traffic .
sometimes i try it but not regularly as i do not know if it will do any damage or not.But yes i can shift to neutral without any pain / effort / noise without the clutch.

[Seeler_Rebeiro]

YEs, we can drive without "Riding the clutch". It requires practice and patience. You will not ride the clutch unless you are really desperate to not let the autorickshaw squeeze in between you and the vehicle ahead. Mumbai suburban guys will know what I am talking about.

[14000rpm]

quite a few years ago I saw in a car show in bangalore a manual tranny which didn't need a clutch to shift. The guy selling that concept had made it on a stock esteem gearbox. anybody got any info on that?
this in effect is a semi-manual shifter.any info on this?

[Guna]

It is definitely possible with practice but it also depends on the car I guess. My NHC used to jerk (first batch, they are supposed to have adressed this later) in crawling speed and I had to fully depress the clutch (not half clutch or clutch ride) and tap the brake a bit to reduce the speed. But driving the Fusion and Forester at crawling speed without using clutch was not a problem at all. I am talking about petrol cars here.

[pmbabu]

Originally Posted by anekho

hmm... what exactly does "ride the clutch" mean? excuse my noobism, I just learnt how to drive recently!

cheers

If you are still holding clutch down (however light it may be) while pressing the accelerator pedal, that is called "riding the clutch". In other words, using both accelarator and clutch at the same time is riding the clutch.