Kia Carens: Manual transaxle operation / Using the clutch

The clutch pedal should be depressed all the way to the floor before shifting, then released slowly. The clutch pedal should always be fully released while driving. Do not rest your foot on the clutch pedal while driving. This can cause unnecessary wear. Do not partially engage the clutch to hold the vehicle on an incline. This causes unnecessary wear. Use the foot brake or parking brake to hold the vehicle on an incline. Do not operate the clutch pedal rapidly and repeatedly.

CAUTION

• If half-clutch*1) driving style is adopted, or driver’s foot is placed on the pedal while the driving, the clutch may be damaged or worn out prematurely.
• While parking on a steep grade, do not use half clutch method to park the vehicle. It will cause premature wear of the clutch disc.
• While driving at fast speed, do not abruptly shift to low speed. It may lead to engine and transaxle damage.

Half clutch?

A condition where the clutch is half-engaged and sliding. It may occur when the clutch pedal is partially depressed (not fully depressed), or vehicle power is transferred to the clutch before the pedal is fully let go.

CAUTION

When operating the clutch pedal, depress the clutch pedal down fully. If you don’t depress the clutch pedal fully, the clutch may be damaged or noise may occur.

WARNING

• When starting a fully stopped vehicle, refrain to start in 2nd gear. When starting in 2nd gear, abnormal clutch disc friction heat may occur and result in clutch cover and clutch disc damage.
• When the vehicle is in motion, please refrain from using half clutch. The use of half clutch while the vehicle is in motion may result in early clutch disc wear, abnormal vibration or noise.
• The clutch pedal should be depressed fully for any operation. When letting go of the depressed pedal, make sure not to depress the pedal again before the pedal goes back to its initial position. If such unintended re-depressing occurs, the clutch system may be damaged.

Downshifting

When you must slow down in heavy traffic or while driving up steep hills, downshift before the engine starts to labor. Downshifting reduces the chance of stalling and gives better acceleration when you again need to increase your speed. When the vehicle is traveling down steep hills, downshifting helps maintain safe speed and prolongs brake life.