For all manual transmission drivers:

While stopped at a light, do you leave the car in neutral
or in 1st gear while pressing the clutch ????

Would leaving in 1st gear ruin the bearing?

 

leave the car in neutral its not good to "ride the clutch"

 

I put it into neutral, tacking my foot off the clutch. Saves wear and tear on the parts. That is If I am going to be sitting any length of time.

 

i was always told to leave it in first so that you wouldnt roll back and hit anyone if you stalled.......but i do both from time to time neutral or 1st gear

 

Yup!...

 

Neutral. More to keep my leg from getting tired than concern for ruining the throw out bearing. I think your clutch will need replacement before you'd have to worry about the bearing even if you use the "clutch pushed in" method at lights.

If I'm one of the first couple cars at the light, I'll usually pay more attention so I can pop it in 1st and be ready a few seconds before it turns green. Sometimes it's harder to get into 1st quickly after it's been idling in neutral. Depending on where you are and time of day, you're likely to get hit or honked at if you don't drive as soon as it's green.

 

i go to neutral and sit out the light
i do get honked at sometimes when i'm not paying enough attention to go as soon as it's green


how about slowing down?
in gear or back to neutral?

 

yaa i hate being first in line at light u gotta pay attention but yaa leave it in N theres no point to leave it in 1st

 

"Riding the clutch" is if you use the clutch to hold the car on a hill or just drive around with clutch partially engaged. Fully pushing in the clutch while stopped at a light isn't "riding", it's just tiring.

 

sometimes i downshift to a stop but also rev matching so da rpm just doesnt just jump up but alot of the time its neutral for me

 

Yeah, riding the clutch will just burn up your clutch plates, won't really affect the throwout bearing. That being said, sitting at a stoplight with the clutch pedal in shouldn't have any negative effects on the car. The only downside will be your massively overdeveloped left leg quadricep. I do it at stop signs, if it's going to be any longer than a few seconds, it goes in neutral.

 

while approaching a stop light/sign i downshift, while at the stop light i leave it in neutral...

 

i put it in neutral at a light. and then in first when it turns green.

 

Theoretically, putting it in neutral saves wear and tear on the clutch cylinders and the throwout bearing...

Having said that, I'll usually just hold the clutch down, unless I'm at what I know to be a very long light, or dealing with construction flaggers, or enjoying the freeway as parking lot routine... I put it in neutral at the fastfood driveup, and when I have to unbuckle to get my wallet out to wave the enclosed smartcard at the work gate sensor, or at the bank driveup...

I think my xB's clutch is really very light, holding it down being no prob in normal driving...

As has been said, the clutch itself will very likely go before the throwout bearing, and anybody who doesn't insist on a new throwout and pilot bearing with a clutch replacement isn't really thinking... better shops just do it as standard practice...

 

I am more concerned with blowing the engine trying to get it to up hill after a long stop

 

Get good with the handbrake if yer worried about starting up a hill from a stop

 

I can see you putting it in N for a long period of waiting, but to put it in N for a light with concern over wear is crazy.

Sure, there could be wear and tear, but the amount of wear and tear you are putting on the system is minute at best. If you constantly are slipping the clutch to inch forward or hold the car on an incline, sure - you'll wear stuff out.

Putting the pedal ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR is about as much wear as you shifting the lever into the N position. Minimal...

You guys are worried over nothing with this topic.

 

Neutral....just sit back and relax

 

I think it's agreed that neutral is better at a stop.

 

I am in neutral long before the stop because I coast up to the stop to save gas. Leaving it in neutral allows the input shaft to turn keeping it lubricated in the tranny along with bearings and gears.