[AT] OT, sort of: Harm in keeping clutch engaged while stopped?

[Dean Vinson]

Gang, I've always believed you should shift into neutral and release the 
clutch on a manual transmission any time you're just sitting there 
idling, rather than holding the clutch in.  My dad always did it that 
way, I learned to drive the tractor and the truck that way, and so for 
lots of years I've been driving my cars that way.

But my wife noticed me doing that the other day and asked why, and I 
couldn't really come up with a reason other than "it just feels like 
there ought to be less wear and tear that way."  As I think about it, I 
don't see where it would heat anything up or cause any more wear on the 
clutch disks, which would already be disengaged.  Maybe add some 
unnecessary strain on the linkage and springs and bearings or whatever, 
but would it be enough to make a difference in the service life of the 
clutch?  I've never worked on one, so I don't have a good mental image 
of what I'm talking about.

I saw a website that said holding the clutch in at a stoplight is 
dangerous because if you get rear-ended your foot will slip off and the 
car will lurch forward, but I was thinking there's some mechanical or 
service-life issue.  Any smarter views out there?

Thanks--

Dean Vinson  --  Dayton Ohio
<http://my.voyager.net/~vinsond/>