do you USE your clutch?

[NIGHTfall_240sx]

just curious how many of us here while driving normally dont use their clutch when shifting 2-5

I always used my clutch but for some odd reason after i shown my little brother that you dont have to use it, i havent been using it when driving nice around town.. anyone else?

[Touchdown038]

I always use it for downshifting... when my syncros were good I'd never use it, and <almost> never grind the gears. But lately the shifting has been too rough to do, so no more.

[aaronsnocker1]

Never use it at all except when starting.

[Fenvy]

so you guys just do clutchless shifting?

[drifter_for_life06]

that cant be goon on the transmission/drivetrain? can it?

[aaronsnocker1]

I don't see why I always match revs and don't ever grind it. Oh well if it is bad I haven't had adverse side effects from it.

[MainEvent212]

i've never tried it...i always use my clutch...

[richd]

I did it for a day when the clutch master cyl went out. I basically left the pedal on the floor and matched rpms as best I could and popped it in gear. Worked very smoothly considering.. Only problem was a dead stop. I basically had to start the car in 1st gear.

It was fun, but I wouldn't do it all the time.

[IvoryJ30t]

that cant be goon on the transmission/drivetrain? can it?

if you can do it correctly, its perfectly fine.

I have a CDL, and when you drive trucks you MUST know how to clutchless shift. most large [33,000+ lbs GVWR] trucks do not have synchros, and you couldnt shift with the clutch if you wanted to.

[Japican]

Wen u shirft w/ out clutch is it spose to be a lil rough like ur forcin the the shifter into gear? My friend and I were practicin it on his evo and we didnt grind but it kinda didnt feel right.

[Onizuka]

I cant say I have ever heard of clutchless shifting. Using the clutch is too fun anyways so I dont think I'll stop

[Bunta240]

I cant say ive ever heard of this either. I never thoought it possible to shift without kicking in the clutch.

[Onizuka]

honestly, I think not using your clutch is a good way to wear down syncros and chip gears. Other than that, the only benifit i can see is not having to excersize your left foot

[dareo]

my trans is pretty notchy and rough even with the pedal all the way down. i wouldn't dare shift w/o the clutch. Maybe a few days before i yank the motor i will..

[C-Kwik]

It shouldn't be a problem so long as the revs are matched to the next gear when you shift into it. But clutchless shifting takes longer as you have to let the RPM's drop as you look to the next upshift. I prefer to go faster.

[whiterps13]

this makes no sense to me. i dont understand how this couldnt hurt your car. do you guys have bad hand/foot coordination or what?

[marshun]

it actually does wear down your synchro's because of the timing that goes on. the clutch acts as a "reset" speed for the gears.

im sure some of you are good at this and dont grind too much. but there still is some grinds. and some struggle during the shift. remember i said SOME.

but its not good for your transmission.

just use the clutch and get used to it. its not like you can race and not use the clutch

[crzycav86]

I think learning how to do it is a good skill. Even thought I usually use my clutch, sometimes I practice upshifting and downshifting without it... just for fun.

It doesn't hurt the car because when upshifting, you wait until the revs of the next gear drops down to match the speed of the collar. When downshifting, you rev the engine of the previous gear to match the speed of the collar.

Why don't you guys give it a try... In 3rd gear, you'll be driving at about 35 mph and 2500 rpm. If you shift into 4th at the same speed, you'll be at 2000 rpm. So, if you didn't want to use the clutch on that shift, you put the transmission in neutral and wait for the revs to drop to 2k rpm, and then the shifter should be able to slide into 4th. It usually takes about 1 and a half seconds for the revs to drop, so I don't even watch the tach. I just wait until the right time. Hope this helps.

[IvoryJ30t]

after years of practice, youll shift without the clutch just as smoothly as if you were actually using it.

if you dont know what your doing and you run outside and try to shift without the clutch, you will definately cause undue wear on your synchros.

if you cant upshift and downshift clutchless without grinding or roughness, you probably shouldnt be trying to do it.

[NIGHTfall_240sx]

it doesnt harm your car unless you grind the gears, higher gears are easier, i now got it down to shift all gears.

i dont really know why, but i just keep doing it, ever since i shown my lil brother, i guess cuz it feels different when driving without using the clutch, it gives you that feeling back of when you first got your car or first learned how to drive stick, its new to you so you want to keep doing it.

[spec-u-later]

So what's the point of doing it if it take longer?

[crzycav86]

Well.. there was another thread about this several months ago, and that's when I decided to give it a try. With my understanding of how the transmission works, I knew that clutchless shifting theoretically should work, but I never decided to try it until I read that thread. When I was first practicing, I grinded the gears a little bit, mainly because I wasn't pushing in the shifter firmly enough.. but now I have it down like it's nothing at all.

[IvoryJ30t]

theres a reason behind it.

picture yourself driving a truck with seven gears and a clutch pedal that takes 30-40 lbs of force to operate.

to go 40 mph, you need to be in 5th gear. now drive that truck on local streets for 300 miles. see how long it takes you to hate the clutch pedal.

[drifter sx]

clutchless shifting totally works.. its called 'dry-shifting' [among mechanics anyway] like if your clutch or hose or cylinder just goes out on you while youre on the road.. dont panic.. you can drive the car all the way home 'dry-shifting' i guess thats what these guys are doing.. but you DO have to match the revs. failure to do so WILL destroy your synchros and eventually your whole transmission.

i always use my clutch.. its there for a reason.. its kind of like a 'back up mode' to shift with out it if the situation calls for it

[Onizuka]

You are not exact, you are still forcing gears together that are not going the same speed. Your engine is acting as a brake and your transmission gears are still going becuase it is connected to the wheels. Stuff will wear, chip, and break without using the clutch.

But, its your car and you can do what you want with it, even if it wasnt designed to do it that way.

[Altiman94]

most times I use the clutch, but every once in a while i find myself shifting without it. After learning the rpms to shift at without it, it's easy to do. Try it sometime.

[whiterps13]

i did just try it, and all though i didnt clunk or grind the gears i still dont trust it. forcing something is never good.

[offtheline]

Why don't you guys give it a try... In 3rd gear, you'll be driving at about 35 mph and 2500 rpm. If you shift into 4th at the same speed, you'll be at 2000 rpm. So, if you didn't want to use the clutch on that shift, you put the transmission in neutral and wait for the revs to drop to 2k rpm, and then the shifter should be able to slide into 4th. It usually takes about 1 and a half seconds for the revs to drop, so I don't even watch the tach. I just wait until the right time. Hope this helps.

So I just tried and it worked with no grindage or anything... but It seemed stupid shifting into 4th gear while at 2000 rpms... how do you know the correct rpm to shift into each of the gears? Do you just subtract 500 rpms from 3rd to 4th? What about the other gears like 2nd to 3rd?

[MainEvent212]

heh..so i just tried it and uhm...

*marks off list of things to not do again*

i'll stick to clutching lol

[Altiman94]

there's really no reason not to use the clutch in our cars. I do most of the time if I'm not bored and trying to occupy myself.