Originally Posted by onehundred80
The clutch plate never goes at a bazillion rpm, at 65mph it always rotates at the same speed, clutch in, out or in any gear. At 130mph it rotates twice as fast.
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Maybe I have my terminology wrong. I'm talking about the plate that's fixed to the transmission input shaft. If you're going down a hill, in gear but with clutch depressed, the rear wheels will be driving the transmission gears and input shaft. So, wheels and driveshaft will always have the same rpm at 65mph, but wouldn't a different transmission gear selection affect the input shaft's rpm (and anything that may be attached to that input shaft)?