Newb Question: Shifting out of gear without the clutch..good or bad?

[A4orce84]

Hey Guys,

So this is going to be probably a dumb newb question for some, but my B6 is my FIRST manual transmission car.....and I want to make sure I'm not wearing anything out prematurely / hurting the transmission.

Question:
I recently discovered on my own that it is possible to pull my car out of gear without using the clutch (i.e. 3rd to N). This happens when I'm pulling up to a stop light or something, the stick will seamlessly go to neutral, saving my clutch. Is this a smart thing to do or am I eventually going to rip my tranny apart and damage something?

Thanks,
Asif

[claudiovagkraft]

I know what you're talking about. I've been doing it for years without any issues. Though you're not saving your clutch by doing it that way. Generally speaking your clutch gets consumed when you're shifting into a new gear, not out of one.

[MoparFreak69]

As long as there is no load applied to the transmission it couldn't care less if you have the clutch released or not.

[MoparFreak69]

Generally speaking your clutch gets consumed when you're shifting into a new gear, not out of one.

False. The only way a clutch disc gains wear is due to slippage. This should only occur when starting from a stop but can happen due to riding the clutch, overpowered/undersized clutch, poor shifting techniques and other bad driving habits.
You may be thinking of the syncronizers. Those do only wear during a shift into a gear as they do the task of making shaft speed and gear speed the same.

[FromS60toB61.8t]

Its usually best to put load on the engine and as soon as you let off, throw it into neutral without the clutch. You'll feel almost no resistance in it that way. Have been doing that since ive learned to drive a manual.

If you really want to get adventurous, you can try shifting without the clutch as well. Same principle, except that you have to match the revs when you're shifting into the next gear. This may wear your tranny a bit if you grind the gears haha.

[redline380]

I always do it, not a huge deal. There's no wear going on by doing it that way.

[seal66]

called floating the gears. Do it all the time in my semi... I wouldn't do it in my car though, just personal preference

[redline380]

called floating the gears. Do it all the time in my semi... I wouldn't do it in my car though, just personal preference

Semi transmission are a ton different. There's not even synchros in them

[seal66]

Semi transmission are a ton different. There's not even synchros in them

I know this, which is why I said I float gears in my rig but not my car.

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