Tim Drabik asks about the Spitfire clutch cylinder. Does it know it is in a
Spitfire? Maybe, from the frequency with which you depress it. I suppose it
just gets depressed, then quits. What it needs is a better outlook on life.
Why is it that the brake cylinder doesn't go out too? I puzzled over this
same question a few years ago when I had similar problems. A first-order
approximation of their usage patterns says that at many (most?) stops, you
brake once to stop, then shift into 1st and 2nd and 3rd and 4th as you start
moving again. That's a 4:1 ratio of clutch action over brake action. Plus
you always use full-travel on the clutch. Of course there are other times
when you use the clutch less. And times when you use the brake between full
stops, but they are often accompanied by one downshift and one upshift. Some
of us even downshift a lot as we deccelerate, giving an 8:1 ratio. The moral
of the story is that the clutch probably gets 3 th 5 times as much usage, and
longer displacement per depression, compared to the brake. And if some dolt
owned the car befor you (which was the case with mine), it is likely he used
DOT-3 fluid at some time in its life.
Jim Muller
Spitfire pilot (grounded until the weather clears - it snowed this morning)
|