"Shut Down" lyrics - why are the Pendletones "riding the clutch"?
August 13, 2015 7:42 AM Subscribe
In the Beach Boys' Shut Down from 1963 they sing "To get the traction I'm riding the clutch." How would that make you go faster?
According to wikipedia,, it's
According to wikipedia,, it's
the practice of needlessly keeping the clutch partially disengaged. This results in the clutch being unable to fully engage with the flywheel and so causes premature wear on the disc and flywheel.Hence, "My pressure plate's burnin' that machine's too much!" Great sounding lyrics but it seems to me the result would only be a funny smell and premature clutch replacement.
To keep from spinning the tires when shifting?
My Stingray is light the slicks are startin' to spin
Gotta be cool now power shift here we go
To get the traction I'm ridin' the clutch
My pressure plate's burnin' that machine's too much
posted by jclarkin at 7:56 AM on August 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
My Stingray is light the slicks are startin' to spin
Gotta be cool now power shift here we go
To get the traction I'm ridin' the clutch
My pressure plate's burnin' that machine's too much
posted by jclarkin at 7:56 AM on August 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
It's not a line about going faster, it's about skid control in the drag race.
He's feathering the clutch and removing some of the torque from the wheels, which allows them to find a grip.
posted by Specklet at 7:57 AM on August 13, 2015 [6 favorites]
He's feathering the clutch and removing some of the torque from the wheels, which allows them to find a grip.
posted by Specklet at 7:57 AM on August 13, 2015 [6 favorites]
Not necessarily faster; they mention traction, not speed. Though Wikipedia has them in separate sections, I would understand that to mean something closer to what they call feathering/slipping the clutch. It increases fine control of the drivetrain at the cost of premature wear on the clutch plate.
posted by supercres at 7:57 AM on August 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by supercres at 7:57 AM on August 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
On preview, what sourcequench said.
posted by Specklet at 7:58 AM on August 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Specklet at 7:58 AM on August 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
If you're burning up the clutch, you're aren't burning up the tires. IOW, by only partially engaging the clutch, you're moderating how much power reaches the wheels, so they'll hook up and push you forward rather than spin and make smoke.
Since these are drag-racing teens, they aren't much concerned about the future clutch replacement.
posted by notyou at 7:59 AM on August 13, 2015
Since these are drag-racing teens, they aren't much concerned about the future clutch replacement.
posted by notyou at 7:59 AM on August 13, 2015
The accelerator controls the fuel and air fed to the engine and affects acceleration indirectly; the clutch connects the engine and the wheels and gives a drag racer much more immediate control of traction. By keeping the engine spun up and riding the clutch the driver can stay closer to the slip point, which changes dynamically as the car accelerates and transfers weight to the drive wheels in the back, and (in cars with non-locking differentials) as the engine torques the drivetrain, and as the tires slip and heat up and get sticky, and...
posted by nicwolff at 8:37 AM on August 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by nicwolff at 8:37 AM on August 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
Back in the 1960s my uncle was service manager at a Dodge dealer in Milwaukee. Lots of returning Vietnam vets would spend their bonus money to buy a new muscle car, and then drive it in ways that would make their memories of the war go away for a while. I can remember him bitching over games of nickel sheepshead about all the clutches he had to replace within 6 months of purchase, which was then a fairly alarming phenomenon. I imagine in most cases the second clutch would at least last a little longer...or maybe not.
posted by ackptui at 9:23 AM on August 13, 2015
posted by ackptui at 9:23 AM on August 13, 2015
"To get the traction I'm riding the clutch." How would that make you go faster?
Lots of good explanations, but the simple one to this aspect of your question is - a greater percentage of the available traction of the tyres is being used, hence faster.
There is more power available than traction so trying to control the power application limit against the traction limit is faster as an action/response system than throttle. Engines take a decent amount of time to respond to throttle angle changes and it is easier to keep the engine in the rpm range and power band that suits it best and just focus on the tyre slip to maintain maximum accel against the traction limit.
posted by Brockles at 10:04 AM on August 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
Lots of good explanations, but the simple one to this aspect of your question is - a greater percentage of the available traction of the tyres is being used, hence faster.
There is more power available than traction so trying to control the power application limit against the traction limit is faster as an action/response system than throttle. Engines take a decent amount of time to respond to throttle angle changes and it is easier to keep the engine in the rpm range and power band that suits it best and just focus on the tyre slip to maintain maximum accel against the traction limit.
posted by Brockles at 10:04 AM on August 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
Response by poster: Ah, okay, I get it.
My Stingray is light the slicks are startin' to spin
He's revin' it so fast (and his engine's so powerful) that his wheels are spinning. And rather than let off on the gas peddle, he's easing back on the clutch, to slow down enough so his tires 'get the traction.' Thanks for the responses!
posted by Rash at 12:46 PM on September 6, 2015
My Stingray is light the slicks are startin' to spin
He's revin' it so fast (and his engine's so powerful) that his wheels are spinning. And rather than let off on the gas peddle, he's easing back on the clutch, to slow down enough so his tires 'get the traction.' Thanks for the responses!
posted by Rash at 12:46 PM on September 6, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
Suppose you've got a car with an engine and drive train strong enough that if you attempt to accelerate hard you can spin the tires.
In this state where the bottom of the tires is slipping on the road surface, the coefficient of friction is lower than it would be were the bottom of the tires gripping (and stationary relative to) the road surface.
Lower coefficient of friction means less delta-v.
Ridin' the clutch means that you modulate the power going to the wheels to prevent spinning out, thus ensuring static friction and higher acceleration.
Or you could, you know, just ease off the accelerator a little. But that doesn't rhyme or scan or burn out your clutch plate.
posted by sourcequench at 7:56 AM on August 13, 2015 [13 favorites]