So is shifting into neutral w/out using the clutch causing wear on the clutch or the engine???

 

No. Just make sure you've let off the gas and just push/pull it out of gear.

 

Hmm, I didn't know that either. This is my first manual car, and I've been clutching everytime I shift to neutral. It seems that I don't have to use as much force, but maybe it's all in my mind.

 

I should probably leave this to the good car guys here but.......

Should you use the clutch to sfift to neutral, yes!

Can you shift to neutral w/o the clutch and not damage the tranny, yes but it takes some skill. I don't know the tech terms but if you put light pressure on the gearshift it will pop out of gear to neutral when the clutch plates align in a certain position.

Now we can watch the car guys laugh at me & give a far better explaination.

 

Ok now am totally confused!!!

 

if your really good you can shift from 2nd through all the gears all the way to 6th without using the clutch at all. its hard to downshift that way, though. thats the advantage of a synchronized clutch. you just wait for your r.p.m.s to level out and gently hold the stick to the next gear. when it matches, it will slide right in.....no clutch. but, i wouldnt recommend this.

 

if you have ver driven a big rig or seen somebody drive one you could understand. In big trucks you only use the clutch to take off and after that you just power shift. Upor down it takes practice but its actually better for the truck. I do it in the Z whenver Im racing somebody. It helps on your shift time and keeps your acceleration up. You have to be careful or you will grind horribly. Its all about practicing.

 

Yo 88,

On the bottom line use the clutch whenever you shift. It is possible to shift w/o the clutch but it takes skill & there is no benefit.

What is your confusion factor?

 

rat said it best. always use the clutch unless you're forced not to, like if your master cylinder leaks (or cable breaks) and you can't clutch.

my understanding of it is this: you're able to cluthless shift when there is no load on the gears in the tranny, thus as rat stated, a light touch on the shifter will pop it into neutral. then you rev-match (thus the origin of the term) the gears in the tranny and the engine, and if they match perfectly you can slip the shifter into the next higher or lower gear. if they don't match you get a nice grind and the shifter will bounce back. truck drivers had to do this because their trannies had no synchros.

i learned this stuff from a friend when my motorcycle's clutch went out and was forced to clutchless shift from first to second (after getting a running start when the light turned green). I'm sure the cars around us thought I was strange.

 

Yes.