tessa_carr•21h agoProlific Poster

That moment in Denver when I realized my clutch was slipping on I-70

I was driving back from a ski trip last month and hit that big hill near the Eisenhower Tunnel. My rpms shot up but I wasn't going any faster. That's when I knew my clutch was toast. I limped it to a shop in Silverthorne and the mechanic showed me the glazed friction plate. Got a Stage 2 replacement and now I actually understand what proper engagement feels like. Has anyone else had a clutch fail in a really inconvenient spot?

3 comments

3 Comments

josephbailey18h ago

I read somewhere that something like 70% of clutch failures happen when you're at high altitude. Is that actually a thing or just bad luck? The air is thinner up there so your engine makes less torque, but your clutch is still taking the same abuse. I had mine go out on a steep ramp in a parking garage in Salt Lake City. Same thing, rpms shot up but I wasn't moving. Had to coast backwards down three levels to get to a flat spot. The shop guy told me downhill starts are murder on clutches because you're riding it harder than you think. The Eisenhower Tunnel hill is no joke even for a healthy transmission. I bet that Stage 2 feels way better than that glazed junk you were dealing with.

quinn16117h ago

My '79 F150 ate its clutch in the middle of the Grapevine in California, that long hill right before Tejon Pass. I was towing a U-Haul full of my ex's furniture, which probably should've been my first clue things weren't gonna end well. The rpms screamed like a banshee and I just sat there, basically making smoke signals with the clutch dust. Coasted to the shoulder and called a buddy who laughed so hard he almost choked on his beer before coming to get me. The tow truck driver told me I was the third clutch job he'd hauled that week right there. Now I park at the bottom of any big hill and walk up to check the grade before I commit, which has made me look really weird to my friends but hey, no more blown clutches.

stellat467h ago

Ha, you know what, I used to think altitude clutch problems were just internet stories. But your parking garage thing? That changed my mind. I never considered how thin air and steep grades team up to wreck your clutch, makes total sense now.