So the other day I found out that I'm able to shift gears without using the clutch except when going to 1st and Reverse.

The weird thing is, is that it provides a much smoother feeling to it and there is no jerking between switching gears like when using a clutch.

 

I've heard this is possible, but since I know nothing about the way engines work I've never tried. Is it possible to damage anything under the hood doing this???

Well, my cousin has this old pos ford truck and that's how he always drives. He won't bother to replace the clutch and it works okay for him. Maybe it's not the worst thing you could do to your car?

 

i have only pull the gears out and into neutral a few times. my dad showed me i could do it just in case i ever needed to do it.

 

Basically when upshifting, you just pull it out of gear and hold it against the next gear and when the revs match, the shifter will go into gear. Downshifitng, you have to rev the engine after you pull it out of gear, and then again when the revs match it will go into the lower gear.

I wouldn't recommend it unless you need to do it (Re: clutch failure) because it puts unnecessary stress on the synchros in your transmission which can lead to a failure of a transmission. Car makers put a clutch in there for a reason!!

 

Yes it is possible
No it is not recommended


But at least you have discovered 'rev-matching'

 

It can be done, but not for very long before your transmission explodes. It wont be covered under warranty either.

 

See Socket7, you'd have to tell them for them to know....

When done correctly, it's not bad. There are transmissions where it's prefferred, such as the Larger Diesel trucks with much narrower rev bands. Most of the time, how it's actually done in our cars you are putting stress on the synchros. Use the clutch if you want it to last longer.

 

Get a flywheel and it will shift even smoother.

 

I'll remember that if my tranny hasnt failed and my warranty is almost up...

 

^yea. i don't recall reading anywhere in the manual that clutchless shifting is ok to do in this car.

 

when you can rpm match the speed that you're going, any gear you can shift it in without the clutch. but it doesnt mean it wont hurt your tranny tho!

 

If you do it right, it won't put any more wear than usual on the clutch. However, the syncros will pick up any slack, so you can't be sure if you are always doing it perfectly, thus it is a bad thing to do.

 

All cars will do this in a very specific rev range. There isn't much point, though. You're probably doing more harm than good.

 

Some time in the past six months or so (maybe in the past year?) there were some long threads on this topic. Those included posts on why clutchless shifting is OK on heavy trucks, but not OK on cars. Well worth looking up if you haven't seen them.

Shifting without a clutch is one of those things you can do, probably get away with every now and then, but can have a bad outcome. Like when you're a kid and heave a snowball at a bigger kid from a distance.

Ken

 

Ken's right. Don't do it unless you absolutely HAVE to. I've been in that situation exactly once in over 35 years of driving.

It's like driving with your eyes closed. You can do it for brief periods if the road is straight, but something bad is going to happen eventually.

 

I dont use the clutch when i drive the semi on our farm. Most truck drivers dont, but you have to act like you use the clutch when you take your driving test because the people at the DMV dont know their *** from a hole in the ground.

 

Yeah definately possible used to b able to do it with my old car just have to match revs and be gentle onthe next gear never tried in this car already had one tranny problem and don't want another.......I wouldn't reccommend unless needed..

 

im pretty sure it is safe to shift w/o using the clutch, i had a civic before my 8 and didn't use my clutch when shifting into 2nd, 3rd and 4th, i've been doing the same with my 8 for about 2 years and have never had a problem. It is difficult to shift w/o the clutch into 5th and 6th so i just stay away from there, so i don't see it being a problem atleast not for me, just takes some time to figure out the right rpm to shift at.

 

Read post #16 and pay attention to the word "eventually". It's just a matter of time before you tear it up.