Alright, guys and girls, i know i'm going to catch a lot of flak for this, but here goes.

I'm wondering as to how damaging to the car it is to shift without the clutch. This is my first manual transmission four wheeled vehicle, and i want to know if it's going to be seriously detrimental.

To illustrate what i'm doing, i'll reference my bike. It's an 06 Ninja 636. When i want to down shift, i employ the "blip it and kick it" technique in which i blip the throttle while simultaneously kicking the shifter downward to engage the next gear. i've been assured by my mechanic that it isn't harmful to the bike, as it is much lighter than a car, and it has a slipper clutch as well.

So, the big question is, how much of a no-no is downshifting without using the clutch in the 'stang? The times i've done it, there was no grinding or abnormal clunking, or anything else to suggest that the car was unhappy.

---Fire away.

Thanks, all!

-J

 

I would not suggest this. The triple synchros for first and second along with the double synchros for third and fourth already have enough issues as is. You will be grinding in no time.

 

Gee,nothing like experimenting with a 40k car and asking questions second.
As mentioned already,you're doing the car no good,evn if you try to match rpms,etc.If it were an acceptable practice,no one would be bothering to step on the clutch while shifting,on any car or truck.Soon enough,you'll tear up the syncros,and then you'll have shifting crunches even if you clutch..
Hopefully,as a newbie to manuals,you shift to neutral at lights rather than riding the clutch pedal.Getting to car internals is much harder and more expensive than a bike.

 

Better than experimenting with an 80k car, right?

Haha, no, i only noticed it was possible yesterday, and i tried it a few times. It's far from a usual occurrence. But with all the information provided, it won't continue. As far as shifting to neutral at traffic lights, of course i do. I'm in neutral while slowing down if i know i'm coming to a complete stop.

Here's to my vehicle's longevity!

Thanks for the info, all!!!

-J

 

i just got done repairing a 14 gt for a customer who thought he could bang 3rd without the clutch, he burned out the 3rd gear syncro. 6k miles. o a side note, repaired and returned to customer, and 22 hrs later car was totaled out with a fatality.

 

i havent used my clutch since i got it....

 

#momANDdadBOUGHTmeAcar

 

Holding the clutch at red lights is working the throw out bearing but nothing else. Assuming you're not outright abusing the clutch otherwise, the throw out bearing should easily last the life of the clutch itself. It's not a big deal if you're only going to be sitting there a minute or two. For longer lights, it certainly doesn't hurt to sit there in neutral with the clutch engaged.

I wouldn't recommend coasting in neutral. You really should keep the tranny in the appropriate gear based on how fast your traveling. It's safer than trying to reengage a gear while moving, saves potential wear and tear on the synchronizers not to mention saving time if something unexpected happens that might require fast acceleration from the car. There's nothing quite like being caught fishing for the right gear when you really need to be moving "now!"