Clutch question: knee or ankle?

Something occurred to me today. I noticed that my wife engages the clutch using her ankle. Her knee stays mostly still while she lets her toes up to engage the clutch. I use my knee. My foot stays sorta "pointed" and I use my knee to let the clutch out.

How about you folks? Knee or ankle?

Depends on what I'm driving. The Escort barely has any movement, so mostly ankle movement. In a larger vehicle, I use the knee/thigh movement.

I have always used the knee. Doesn't matter if I'm driving a 76 F250 or my wife's Scion.

One of the things that made me realize it today was driving the tractor when I was using my ankle. That clutch pedal moves forward/backward and the seating position is perfectly upright. I have no choice but to use my ankle.

I've been driving that exact tractor for years with my ankle and never noticed it until today.

I use both. Knee for the main disengage/engage motion, and ankle to finesse the friction point.

I use my ankle to get it rolling, then move to kicking it with my knee when shifting.

Knee.

I think I do a combination of both...never thought about it, though. Now to be self-conscious the entire way home...

911, ankle. Pretty much everything with overhung pedals, knee.

Ankle for me, and I tend to wear out clutch pedal covers because of it.

I would say a combination of both. The MR2 was pretty much always ankle. Any pickup used the knee due to a heavier clutch. Growing up driving tractors, same thing.

Half way in between one and the other.

never thought about it, but next time i have to drive a vehicle with a stick i'll think too hard about it and forget how to do it.. kinda like when i'm bowling and sometimes get mixed up and start thinking about which foot to take the first step of the approach with..

In the Mustang I think you would end up with a rather sore ankle.

I have always done knee

Miata, mostly ankle. MINI and GTI ,mostly knee. The Miata needs much less travel than the other two. The MINI needs a lot of travel, it's like driving a truck with a light clutch.

On my old TR3 it was just the ankle because my legs were straight out. Most of the rest its been the knee.

Bet you haven't noticed that women grasp the steering wheel different, either?

spitfirebill pretty much says it;

ankle when the legs are somewhat straight, and more of an ankle when the legs are pushed closer to the seat (not much legroom).

Bet you haven't noticed that women grasp the steering wheel different, either?

spitfirebill pretty much says it;

ankle when the legs are somewhat straight, and more of an knee when the legs are pushed closer to the seat (not much legroom).

it all depends on the vehicle. Mostly it is a combination of both.. unless it was the big trucks I used to drive. you put your foot down on the clutch.. so it was mostly your knee and hip moving the clutch.. same with the brake

novaderrik wrote: never thought about it, but next time i have to drive a vehicle with a stick i'll think too hard about it and forget how to do it.. kinda like when i'm bowling and sometimes get mixed up and start thinking about which foot to take the first step of the approach with..

This. I haven't a clue. I don't even think about it, I just do it.

E.E. Cummings wrote:
A centipede was happy quite
until a frog, in fun
said "pray, which leg comes after which?"
which raised her mind to such a pitch
she lay distracted in a ditch
considering how to run

Almost entirely knee. I had to think about it for a second.

Ankle for clutch, brake, and accelerator.

knee

Thumb (pneumatic/hydraulic actuator in the MG. Mostly ankle in the e36, It was all ankle in the 911.

I have at least three bolts/screws in each foot, limiting ankle movement. So knee/hip is the only thing that works well for me. Heel/toe is out of the question too