Auto vs manual driving

Well from my very limited knowledge and patrolling this website, I've gathered that in an car with the F1 transmission that-
Manual: yields the longest clutch life
Auto: causes the clutch to slip more so this will diminish the life
Reverse: you love spending money so much that you constantly slip your clutch and you hope it will last under 1000 miles!

I hope I'm not completely off base with this but feel free to chime in and correct me if I am

 

Many people seem to indicate that auto mode is worse on the clutch but AFAIK, this is a myth, and if you really think about the mechanics of it, there should be no difference.

 

According to the Master Tech at my dealership, the clutch won't last as long in AUTO mode.

The reason is the programming is designed to be smoother to simulate more of an automatic transmission feel. So, it slips more.

How much difference is not really the point. WHERE you drive the car (creeping along in city traffic) has more of an influence. High RPM shifts are not the problem. It's first gear and reverse that cause most of the wear.

The worst thing you can do with the clutch is to get up a steep driveway from a standstill.

 

Reverse uphill is bad as well.

 

One thing that possibly wears clutches more in Auto is that it is going to downshift through every gear as you come to a stop. If you drive that way in manual modes, not as much difference. If, however, you tend to put the car in neutral as you come to a stop before reaching the lower gears, that is less clutch and throw-out bearing cycles and less wear.

Clutch wear is highly dependent on the driver.

Taz
Terry Phillips

 

Absolutely. It's also imperative NOT to 'ride' the clutch; something easier to do on a car with a limited foot space like most Ferraris. And also to slip it as least as possible. If in traffic, it's better to crawl with the clutch out, even if a car or two slip by, rather than a jack-rabbit start then immediately brake over and over again.

 

Don't know why but I laughed out loud when I read this

 

This has been covered many times before so use the search function. One recent thread (within last week) is http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=316605.

The short answer is that using auto mode does *NOT* shorten clutch life in spite of the internet myth which says it does. It's true that auto mode generally shifts more often than most drivers using the paddles, but the amount of clutch wear which occurs during shifting is microscopic compared to the amount caused by starting from stopped (or excessive reversing). See the above referenced thread and search among the many other threads on this same topic for further details.

 

Again, this topic has been covered many times before. A recent thread (within last week) is at http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showthread.php?t=317727.
Short version is that driver technique is by far the most important factor and even an average driver can get 20K miles with reports from others ranging over 60K miles.