9

I drove manual car for a long time but never tried to switch gears without clutch.

Question: given that clutch-less shift is executed properly, does it take a toll on transmission in any way? For example: does clutch-less shifting reduce life of synchros?

| improve this question | |
11

It is straightforward to do this without any wear to your synchromesh, but it takes a lot of practice, especially when downshifting as you need to match revs accurately. Learning to heel and toe correctly will help you a lot here!

You should never need to race the engine, as you should be using the same rev range as you would normally driving the car!

| improve this answer | |
  • 5
    It's also worth noting that's even harder to pull this off without spousal rolling of eyes (at best). Proper heel and toe-ing is not a procedure optimized for passenger comfort. – Bob Cross♦ Dec 19 '12 at 14:44
  • 2
    hahaha - very true. But the cheering from the kids in their Recaro baby seats always made up for the eye rolling :-) – Rory Alsop Dec 19 '12 at 14:51
  • 1
    You will need to blip the throttle on the downshift though, to get the engine up to the right rev range for the lower gear. – Nick C♦ Dec 19 '12 at 15:03
  • 2
    Hence the toe part of heel and toe, Nick – Rory Alsop Dec 19 '12 at 15:06
4

Question: given that clutch-less shift is executed properly, does it take a toll on transmission in any way?

See Rory's answer: it is possible to do properly without wear. It is difficult to do properly every time.

For example: does clutch-less shifting reduce life of synchros?

While you are learning shift clutch-free, yes, you will beat the hell out of the synchros.

My advice is to learn how to properly heel-and-toe using the clutch (and actually double clutching). Become an expert at using the clutch properly and then decide whether clutchless shifting is for you.

Full disclosure: I never shift without the clutch. I don't drive a dog box in competition and don't see a good reason not to use one of the pedals available to me. I've worn through the floor mat in two places trying to become better at heel and toe-ing, though.

| improve this answer | |
  • 2
    Yeah, even racing I still use the clutch, but heel and toe-ing speeds up the down changes:-) – Rory Alsop Dec 19 '12 at 22:18
1

I had an old T5 I could shift beautifully without the clutch but the motor had to be screaming (somewhere between 4 and 5 grand). At normal operating speeds the transition just wasn't fast enough and the gears would grind.

I've never seen a tranny that would tolerate clutchless shifting under regular conditions without some major gear crunching.

| improve this answer | |
  • 1
    4-5k is normal operating speeds for many engines ;) That's nicely in the power band on mine (redline is 7k, and it's gutless below 2k5) – Nick C♦ Dec 19 '12 at 15:05
  • Mine was a V8 so those pistons were hanging on for dear life at 5 and hoping not to meet the valves! – plainclothes Dec 19 '12 at 17:07

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.