Ok my s2k is my first manual car but i've had pratice b4 on some other cars.. but i just wanted to know what riding the clutch is? and how to prevent it.

 

Dont "rest" your foot on the clutch petal while you drive, as it pushes it in a bit. Just shift and keep your foot off the clutch petal.

 

Absolutely, nMeOnE! Listen to ultrA_Cowboy. The ONLY time you're foot should be anywhere "near" that clutch peddle is when you're sitting at a stop sign / red light, or shifting gears. The rest of the time, it should be firmly planted on the floor! That means, accelerate, clutch in, shift gears, clutch out, "put foot on floor!!!", accelerate, clutch in, shift gears, clutch out, "put foot on floor!!!", etc., etc., etc.

I don't mean to sound anal about this but even a little pressure on the clutch peddle while your accelerating can introduce slippage. Not enough that you'll notice but slippage nonetheless. I've seen guys toast their clutch in as little as 15k miles by riding it in the manner that you're asking about.

Drive Safe,
Steve R.

 

footnote: Don't keep the clutch depressed while waiting at a long light, it wears the throwout bearing. Get it in neutral and get the foot off the pedal.

 

Burning up throw out bearings is a more common problem than frying the clutch, when you ride the clutch. Even if you think you're hovering, you're probably not.

 

Absolutely true! Ever drive down the road behind someone who's brake lights never go off? Think of what they're doing to their brakes. Now imagine that that's what you're doing to your clutch!

Drive Safe,
Steve R.

 

I wear hover shoes.

 

Holy... how the hell could holding in the clutch be bad for the clutch? I'm not sure why it would be.... I've driven the car 4000 miles now and stop at a light with my foot on the clutch in 1st gear waiting for the green light... errr....

 

It just puts unnecessary wear and tear on the throw out bearing (not necessarily the clutch itself). When you put the clutch in, it's the throw out bearing which presses against the pressure plate, to disengage the clutch disc from the flywheel. When you don't have the clutch in, the throw out bearing is free floating.

 

What Alex said.