CLUTCHES

Expert Clutch Replacement in Reading Get reliable clutch replacement in Reading to ensure your vehicle drives efficiently and safely. Our garages use genuine parts for a professional finish, and every clutch replacement includes a parts and labor warranty, protecting your manufacturer’s warranty as well.

Our independent service centres cover the areas in Reading, offering clutch replacement and repair for most car makes and models. Trust our experienced mechanics for top-quality service.

In order for your car to come to a stop without the entire engine having to shut off, the connection between the wheels and the engine has to be broken. Your clutch is made up of two main parts:

• A clutch plate
• The flywheel

There are springs in place that keep pressure on a plate, which pushes up against the clutch plate. These springs also push the clutch plate up against the flywheel. When this happens, the engine’s shaft is connected to the wheel shafts, as explained by Joy Motors, according to AAMCO.

In order for the opposite to happen, you need to engage the clutch. This presses down a release fork which pulls the pressure plate off the clutch plate, essentially breaking the connection between the rotating engine and the moving wheels. The wheels may continue to spin, but as Autobutler reveals, this is due to their own momentum, not the engine’s power.

When driving a car with an automatic transmission, the clutch works a little differently. A torque converter, which is part of a large series of systems, connects the engine to the transmission, making the wheels spin. In fact, there are several different types of clutches, including:

• Friction clutches
• Multiple plate clutches
• Cone clutches
• Centrifugal clutches
• Wet versus dry systems

Clutches rely on frictional forces to operate. Friction clutches connect one moving member to another that is moving at a different speed, or not at all, to synchronise them so that there is no slippage. Various materials are used to create this friction. These include:

• Compound organic resin
• Copper wire
• Ceramic
• Composite paper

Ceramic materials are mostly used in racing or heavy-duty hauling situations, although they can increase wear and tear on the flywheel and pressure plate. Wet clutches, however, use composite paper. These types of clutches tend to use an oil bath or flow-through cooling method, meaning they experience less wear than ceramic materials.

Multiple plate clutches have more than one driving member, making them ideal for performance vehicles such as Formula 1, Indy 500, and club racing cars. They are also found in drag racing vehicles, which often endure heavy abuse to the clutch. Additionally, these clutches can be found in motorcycles and diesel engines with mechanical transmissions, and even in cars with electronically controlled all-wheel-drive systems or some transfer cases.