Making Your Car Clutch Last As Long As It Can

You will shift gears multiple times any time you drive a vehicle with a manual transmission. Gear shifting strains the clutch, which may wear out even faster if you often use your vehicle for heavy-duty tasks like off-roading, hauling, and towing.

Given the high wear rate of the car clutch, you’ll probably have to replace the one in your vehicle at least once. But how many miles does a clutch last on average? And is there any way to extend its lifespan to save you time and money?

How Long Does a Clutch Last On Average?

Typically, a car clutch can last between 30,000 and 100,000 miles. However, there are cases where the part can fail earlier or last longer. Driving habits are one of the most significant factors in the lifespan of a clutch, coupled with how often heavy loads are pulled by the vehicle.

For example, some badly abused car clutches have given up the ghost in as little as 10,000 miles. But if you drive carefully and follow the manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule, the clutch might last up to 175,000 miles.

Driving habits are one of the most significant factors in the lifespan of a clutch, coupled with how often heavy loads are pulled by the vehicle.

– Richard McCuistian, ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician

What Factors Affect Car Clutch Lifespan?

Many factors affect the clutch’s service life. Some play a more significant role than others.

Below are the factors that determine how long a clutch lasts in your vehicle:

Driving Habits

How you drive plays a critical role in the clutch’s lifespan. The part will last longer if you practice good driving habits, such as only changing gears when necessary. Conversely, operating the clutch excessively or incorrectly cuts its expected service life, increasing the risk of problems or premature failure.

Rapidly changing gears or riding the clutch puts more strain on the clutch, increasing the pace at which it wears down.

High Altitude

Mountainous states pose a different yet equally serious challenge for the clutch. If you live in Arizona, Colorado, or another mountainous state, you likely drive up and down steep roads on a regular basis. This kind of terrain not only tires you out, it also wears the clutch more quickly.

Gravity constantly puts pressure on your vehicle’s transmission. Driving uphill will make things even harder, especially if you use a heavy truck or SUV. No matter how many horsepower the engine boasts, the clutch and the rest of the transmission will have to work harder.

Add to this the blisteringly hot climate in Arizona, which is also a mountainous state, and you have the recipe for a burned-out clutch.

How Can You Make the Clutch Last Longer?

Below are some of the ways you can extend the clutch’s service life.

Improve Your Driving Habits

Your driving habits account for most of the wear and tear experienced by the clutch. Thus, the most effective way to extend the clutch’s lifespan is to change the way you drive. By avoiding practices that put undue pressure on the clutch, you can make the part last longer.

This sounds simple in principle, but you might find it difficult to break long-standing habits. You have to maintain awareness and recognize bad habits like riding the clutch.

Only Use the Clutch When You Need It

The clutch’s role is to disengage the wheels from the engine. This lets you shift gears while the engine continues to run.

If you use the clutch to do something it wasn’t designed for, you will put undue stress on the part. The clutch will wear out much faster, making it more likely to develop an issue.

Don’t Ride the Clutch

Some drivers ride the clutch by applying enough pressure on the control pedal to keep the clutch partially engaged with the flywheel.

On paper, deliberately riding the clutch lets you skip the steps of shifting gears or using the other control pedals to adjust your vehicle’s speed. But whoever taught you to drive will chew you out if you make this a habit.

Riding the clutch puts intense strain on the transmission. If you do this deliberately and repeatedly, the clutch and flywheel will wear out much faster.

Other Good Driving Practices

There are many more things you can do to minimize the wear on the clutch. Here are more recommended driving practices:

• Step on and release the clutch pedal smoothly.
• When speeding up, shift up to higher gears naturally.
• Keep your foot off the clutch pedal when you don’t need to shift gears.
• Don’t leave your hand on the shift lever to reduce the risk of accidentally changing gears.
• When driving downhill, don’t switch to neutral to coast down.
• Disengage the clutch when you hit the brakes.
• When you shift gears, wait for the right amount of time before you release the clutch.
• Only step on the accelerator after releasing the clutch and engaging the correct gear.
• Don’t shift to neutral gear for parking. Instead, change to either first gear or reverse gear.
• Engage the brakes or hill hold assist feature when you keep your vehicle stationary on an inclined surface.
• When you shift gears, nurse the gas pedal.
• When your vehicle’s engine is running at low RPM, avoid flooring or lugging it.
• If you customize your vehicle for increased performance, upgrade the clutch to match the new parts.
• Never tow or carry anything too heavy for your vehicle.
• Follow the manufacturer’s recommended service and maintenance schedule.

Where to Get a New Clutch Kit for Your Vehicle

No matter how well you care for your car’s clutch, there will likely come a time when you need to replace it. A worn clutch makes shifting gears more difficult, which can affect driving performance. Avoid these issues by replacing your clutch as needed. CarParts.com has your back when it’s time to purchase a brand new clutch kit.

CarParts.com cares for your online shopping experience. We aim to help you order online with confidence. We offer a price match guarantee, so if you find the same clutch kit for sale online for cheaper, we’ll match or beat the price on the spot. Our lifetime replacement guarantee is also in place to make sure you can get another clutch kit once your replacement from us comes to the end of its life. Finally, our 60-day return policy makes it easy to get your money back in case of a rare defect.

Replace your clutch when it nears the end of its life. Place your order for a new clutch kit at CarParts.com today.