A DRIVING instructor has revealed a nifty gadget he uses to make his car harder to stall and help it last “a million miles”.
A day in the garage and a good mechanic are all it takes to make your motor’s clutch nigh on indestructible.
Richard Fanders, who runs the driving school Conquer Driving, shared the handy tip on his YouTube page.
Richard explained that, since he uses his car to teach his students, it can go through a bit more wear and tear than might be normal – especially on gear changes.
Stalling is the blight of every learner’s life and can damage the vehicle’s gearbox over time, while even more experienced drivers are not immune to the error.
To help combat this, Richard revealed that he installed a new clutch pedal fitted with an “over centre” spring.
This changes the weight the driver feels on the clutch pedal either side of the biting point, making it easier to determine when the clutch is about to disengage.
The spring works by acting on the pivot point of the pedal, forcing it upwards when no pressure is applied.
As you press the pedal, it resists until it reaches approximately where the biting point would normally be, at which point it folds into a recess, making the pedal noticeably lighter.
This makes the clutch much more forgiving so stalling the car is much harder to do.
Richard explained: “It makes the clutch pedal heavier at the top.
“This makes it easy to push the clutch down to change gears.
“This clutch pedal has been in this learner car for ten years and has covered over 208,000 miles.
“It’s been used by people who are learning to drive…I would estimate that per mile drive, it has been used for to five times more than in a normal town-driven car.
“Really this pedal has done the equivalent of about a million miles – I’m surprised it hasn’t turned to dust.”
Fortunately, you can buy over centre spring for about £40 on eBay and get them fitted at your local garage.
Alternatively, you could buy a whole new pedal with one integrated, but that will likely cost a bit more.
The again it’s likely nothing next to what you save through the extra mileage you can get out of your motor thanks to the ingenious device.
