Double Clutch shifting?
06-19-2008, 08:38 PM
#1
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Indiana
Posts: 79
Double Clutch shifting?
One of my friends today was telling me about double clutching, saying it makes your clutch last a lot longer and since I am still on my original clutch at 78k and it is performing great, I would like to keep it that way. But I have been doing some research and I guess manual transmissions with a synchronizer make shifting smoother anyways. I have a 2000 V6 (the older model from 2000), does mine have this synchronizer? Even if I do will my clutch still benefit from double clutching?
06-19-2008, 09:27 PM
#3
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: MI
Posts: 78
RE: Double Clutch shifting?
if you dont know what double clutching is and havent been doing it, then no, you dont have to do it.
an unsynchronized transmission you will basically only find in commercial trucks nowadays. passenger vehicles have been synchronized for probly 30 years or better.
there are two ways to shift an un synchronized transmission. Push the clutch in, pull out of gear, let clutch out so that they (the engine, clutch, and trans) are spinning at the same speed, and then push in clutch and put in next gear. The next is to "float" the gears, basically just pulling it out of gear, waiting for the engine to hit the right RPM to match the trans, and glide it into the next gear. synchronizers prevent you from doing this usually though.
the synchronizer basically does this step for you. it is more or less a softer material that takes the wear instead of grinding your gears together. when you pull it out of one gear and put it in the next gear, they synchronize all the gears so they mesh with no grinding. You could double clutch, but its really not necessary. with a little bit of practice, you can push the clutch in, pull it out of gear, and instead of just cramming it into the next gear, wait untill the engine RPM's come back down on thier own and it will drop right in, then release your clutch. basically, when you are downshifting comming to a stop and you hear that whining noise as you put it in a lower gear, those are the synchros meshing. The less you do this, the longer your trans will last.
HOWEVER, all of this has to do with prolonging trans life, not clutch life. The best way to prolong clutch life is to let it out gentle, but dont "ride" the clutch. Chirping gears could cause scoring of the flywheel, riding the clutch causes excessive heat.
technically, double clutching could potentially lower clutch life because you are engaging/disengaging it twice as many times as neccessary, but by miniscual ammounts because no load to speak of is being applied when the vehicle is out of gear.
cliffs notes: Drive it like you stole it!
an unsynchronized transmission you will basically only find in commercial trucks nowadays. passenger vehicles have been synchronized for probly 30 years or better.
there are two ways to shift an un synchronized transmission. Push the clutch in, pull out of gear, let clutch out so that they (the engine, clutch, and trans) are spinning at the same speed, and then push in clutch and put in next gear. The next is to "float" the gears, basically just pulling it out of gear, waiting for the engine to hit the right RPM to match the trans, and glide it into the next gear. synchronizers prevent you from doing this usually though.
the synchronizer basically does this step for you. it is more or less a softer material that takes the wear instead of grinding your gears together. when you pull it out of one gear and put it in the next gear, they synchronize all the gears so they mesh with no grinding. You could double clutch, but its really not necessary. with a little bit of practice, you can push the clutch in, pull it out of gear, and instead of just cramming it into the next gear, wait untill the engine RPM's come back down on thier own and it will drop right in, then release your clutch. basically, when you are downshifting comming to a stop and you hear that whining noise as you put it in a lower gear, those are the synchros meshing. The less you do this, the longer your trans will last.
HOWEVER, all of this has to do with prolonging trans life, not clutch life. The best way to prolong clutch life is to let it out gentle, but dont "ride" the clutch. Chirping gears could cause scoring of the flywheel, riding the clutch causes excessive heat.
technically, double clutching could potentially lower clutch life because you are engaging/disengaging it twice as many times as neccessary, but by miniscual ammounts because no load to speak of is being applied when the vehicle is out of gear.
cliffs notes: Drive it like you stole it!
06-19-2008, 10:24 PM
#4
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Indiana
Posts: 79
RE: Double Clutch shifting?
Thanks for clarifying and not being a douche. I was considering learning how to shift without the clutch but I don't want to risk the grinding of my gears figuring out exactly when to shift. [:@]
JD1969 : Just because something was mentioned in a fast and furious movie it's automatically worthless to the automotive world? So your going to tell me that twin turbo supra's suck, as well as R34 GTR's, and Evo's are worthless...mhm.
JD1969 : Just because something was mentioned in a fast and furious movie it's automatically worthless to the automotive world? So your going to tell me that twin turbo supra's suck, as well as R34 GTR's, and Evo's are worthless...mhm.
06-19-2008, 10:35 PM
#5
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 221
RE: Double Clutch shifting?
No you don't leave that to the semi drivers. Even being a truck driver my self its still challenging and you tend to grind every now and again to shift without a clutch. every tractor is different. so is every car.
06-21-2008, 04:02 PM
#9
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: IL
Posts: 9,644
RE: Double Clutch shifting?
ORIGINAL: pbMaxLax44
Thanks for clarifying and not being a douche. I was considering learning how to shift without the clutch but I don't want to risk the grinding of my gears figuring out exactly when to shift. [:@]
JD1969 : Just because something was mentioned in a fast and furious movie it's automatically worthless to the automotive world? So your going to tell me that twin turbo supra's suck, as well as R34 GTR's, and Evo's are worthless...mhm.
Thanks for clarifying and not being a douche. I was considering learning how to shift without the clutch but I don't want to risk the grinding of my gears figuring out exactly when to shift. [:@]
JD1969 : Just because something was mentioned in a fast and furious movie it's automatically worthless to the automotive world? So your going to tell me that twin turbo supra's suck, as well as R34 GTR's, and Evo's are worthless...mhm.
