Should I press the clutch when braking?

Do you need to press the clutch to brake?

The correct approach is to first apply the brake to slow down, and then apply the clutch to shift gears. When the vehicle speed is very low, remember to depress the clutch to avoid stalling.

In fact, whether you should depress the clutch when braking depends on different situations. The reason why the instructor asked us to step on the clutch when braking at the driving school is because the speed of our driving school is very slow. Therefore, when the vehicle speed is slow, the clutch must be pressed to brake, because when the vehicle speed is slow, the engine speed is also slow. If you apply the brake without depressing the clutch, the engine will stop running and stall. If this happens for a long time, it can cause damage to the engine.

When the speed is fast, we do not need to press the clutch when braking. Because the engine speed is faster when the vehicle is traveling faster, it is impossible to brake all of a sudden, so the engine will not stall. Moreover, the engine can assist braking without depressing the clutch, making the braking effect more obvious and effective. Of course, when the vehicle speed drops to a certain speed, we must depress the clutch, otherwise the engine will stall.

The purpose of braking is to slow down, either slow down or stop. The principle of braking is to convert the kinetic energy of the car into heat energy for consumption. The kinetic energy comes from the power provided by the engine and requires fuel combustion for work. In other words, applying the brake once means wasting gasoline. Therefore, always remember rule number one: brake as little as possible while driving. Braking is only for comfort or emergency.