Quote:
Originally Posted by svandamme
one more thing, consider the type of bearing used for the clutch release bearing.
And now think about it : You have 4 other , similar bearings on your car, that do WAY more work, see WAY more stress.
Wheel bearings.
How often do you replace your wheel bearings?
They last a really long time
Now multiply that time by 5 , because there's no way a clutch release bearing has even a fifth of the wheel bearings stresses on it.
You'll do a lot of driving before even coming near the issues people imagine.
At least if the clutch play and all other things are in spec , but if they aren't, idling in neutral isn't going to fix that either.
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I just read the whole thread and was going to jump in and agree with you until I got to this post. Clutch throw-out or release bearing and wheel bearings do not work in a similar fashion at all and are not built the same, at all. And wheel bearings fail, especially the sealed ones, which are similar to a clutch bearing only in that way. Other wheel bearings bear no resemblance to clutch bearings, which have enormous side force applied to one half of the bearing every time the clutch is depressed.
I'm about to replace all of the sealed wheel bearings in my ~200k mile minivan because 2 are bad, (noisy), and the others can't be far behind.
You can sit at red lights with the clutch depressed all you want, it won't do anything other than make your leg tired. If you have a cable activated clutch, it will definitely shorten the cable life. Automotive clutches are intended to be depressed for very short periods of time, otherwise there is a neutral position on the shifter. You are correct that the pilot bearing is irrelevant...even when they wear out, the car still generally functions fine.
I currently drive a manual car hundreds of miles a day in the city, (Uber), and it is not a challenge to put the car in gear and be ready when my light turns green. I also think that the drivers I've seen in Europe suck, using their hand brake as a crutch to stand still with a manual, (on LEVEL pavement!!), I've never done that on a steep hill. Zero skill, at least the taxi drivers in Ireland and France I've risen with. They were obviously taught to do it that way, shame they don't teach them to be more proficient drivers.