Shifting, How To Do It Properly

[Scotty Dangles]

Hey Guys,

I have a simple question that I would like a second opinion regarding shifting habits in a BMW. Because this is my first beemer I want to be sure I'm doing things right. FYI I have a 1994 530i with a 5 speed manual gear box.

I was told that I should not press the clutch all the way down when shifting gears.(This is when out of first gear of course) By fully pressing the clutch down caused unnecessary wear on the clutch.

Therefore my question is regarding the logic of the above statement, is this correct?

Thanks
Scott

[Furious]

no, not nessecarily, i can see the logic in that statement, but bmw designed the car that way , thus drive it that way, however if you are pretty weary about this than you can go ahead and put in a clutch stop it will stop the clutch at the point of engagement.

[The Deuce]

That information is absolutely false.

You want to make sure you fully disengage your clutch when you shift, everytime. If you don't, you risk clipping the teeth on a gear, and a slipping clutch can glaze and/or wear faster.

The other thing is sitting with the pedal fully depressed will wear the throw out bearing faster. So if you're sitting at a red light, put the car in nuetral and let the clutch pedal out.

The amount of excess disengagement will have zero effect on clutch wear.

Also, never rest your foot on the clutch pedal. You shouldn't touch it unless your going to use it.

[Scotty Dangles]

Thanks for the advice, much appreciated!

Scott