Experienced GS Drivers Please Help Newbies

OK, forgive my lameness...

Could long term owners please advise us newbie GS owners (there are a few on here at moment) how to drive the car in stop start traffic to reduce clutch wear. Today I got stuck in slow traffic for first time and Im sure it was a bit clunky from N to 1 from standstill (or could that have been linkage problem). Once going its A1, but the stop start wasn't nice experience. I made sure I was in N when not moving - not sure if thats right or not?

I could also smell a bit of smoke after this drive when I got home - though this might be remnants of oil from my PS radiator change on the main rad blowing through onto the engine.

Please also advise on incline Up/down driving slowly and reversing up and down hill. You hear stories like "Just don't reverse a Lamborghini up hill"..

Thanks!

Yes they don't reverse up slopes well at all. Slow traffic, drop out of sports for a softer clutch/launch, keep grabbing neutral when you can. Learn to wait half a second for the gap to open up a bit more before pulling away always at least two car lengths, people behind will tolerate this no problem and every car length is a bonus saving on the clutch

Thank you - that is the sort of advice you don't know when you start out! I did A/B test between Sports/Non Sports and it was much smoother and I supposed that meant less clutch wear...

It's a bit lame, no way round it I'm afraid, but I've gotten into the habit of leaving a gap before shunting forward. Enough to get a full engagement. It doesn't like it when it isn't fully engaged and the bite point starts to move about a bit.

Thanks Emtee

+1 for leaving a gap when in traffic. Mine's never out of sport mode so I have no idea if there's a difference in clutch uptake in first gear.

So the blokes you see in Knightsbridge in Aventadors hooligan revving and stop starting must be massacring their clutches! I suppose money is no object..

haha MAF thanks for chiming in! I'll bet your not out of Sports with that car. The car behind must love it!

Lamborghini make tractors, they always have. They look a bit different now but they're still made out of angle iron and Dexion. Oh yes, they have dual clutch, but a quick search of lambo clutch overheating will answer your question.

I've seen a classic Monaco valet parking video on youtube where a lambo clutch overheats badly and the poor guy is left scratching his head whilst some Americans with the video camera give him a lecture on lambo clutches!

Putting into neutral when stationary does not save clutch wear. When stationary the clutch faces are separated, so no wear, so why do it? The clutch faces only close up when you squeeze the throttle. You could say you are causing more wear by making an unnecessary gear change! Plus if you are in first, you are instantly ready to go!
Reversing up a hill. Just don't do it, if possible. I believe in reverse there is programmed clutch slip, so if there is any load (pulling the weight of the car uphill), it slips badly hence the clutch burning smell.
Moving up a hill, just don't fanny around, positive decisive throttle to get the clutch plate fully engaged with minimum slip.

Ok, I'll try the 1st all the time then. Saves a paddle change as you say. Noted re reversing and uphill.

I've learnt a lot tonight.

Half of the above is true. If you drop it into neutral, any clucth drag is accomodated by the fact that the first motion shaft FMS is free to turn.

You will no doubt think that the FMS will not turn as you had your PIS set and there is atacho on the FMS to detect any drag. Wrong.

A month or so ago Voicey and I spent some time setting up the clutch on my car. We have set it so there is definately drag on the plates when the clucth is diengaged, but this relly sharperns up the change from the rather lame shifts I was getting with PIS at 4.3. We did set it at 3.6, but when hot the change into first had so much drag the car would occaisionally stall, so we later backed it off to 3.7. In the 150 miles it was at 3.6, no discerable clutch wear occurred. What is realli interesting is that the SD3 Emulator picked up no rotation on the FMS after a second or so. So the SD3 setup diags appear to be flawed.

What I do get at 3.7 is that reasssuring clunk when you engage first, that you get on a motorbike.

By setting ot this way, and by putting the car in neutral at every opportunity when statioary or coming to what will be a hlat of more than a few seconds, I belive I get less clutch slip, than with it at 4.2, hence longer clucth life.

Reversing up a hill should be avoided, and you should always be more brutal with the throttle when pulling away as this also reduces the amount of slip very significatly. At <10mph in 1st or reverse, the clutch is almost constantly slipping.

Wow Arnie I understood about 10% of that! I will wait for a translation. Technical stuff!!

So in essence slowly pulling into and reversing out of my garage is not good for my clutch?

D Walker said:

So in essence slowly pulling into and reversing out of my garage is not good for my clutch?

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True but rapidly may not be good for the bodywork!

You've got me there Arnie? There's a difference between clutch re-engaged from previously engaged gear compared to clutch engaged from neutral? In terms of the clutch engagement characteristics?

2b1ask1 said:

True but rapidly may not be good for the bodywork!

Click to expand...

Yes but I do keep it engaged and try not to take too long

Emtee said:

You've got me there Arnie? There's a difference between clutch re-engaged from previously engaged gear compared to clutch engaged from neutral? In terms of the clutch engagement characteristics?

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Yep, head scratching also on that

Trying to get involved as I learn here but if it's anything like SMG I imagine being decisive is key. It makes small manoeuvres stressful but does save the clutch on the BMW anyway.

This whole moving a long in traffic thing is nuts though, why do you need to put it in N if the clutch is dipped anyway by the car? As you engage the throttle the pump should release the clutch accordingly should it not?