Quick Manual shifting advise!

[ctandc72]

Trying not to stall isn't the "practice" we are discussing. It is the engage & bite points of YOUR clutch and learning where those are...!

Understood. Just asking - have you set in a '19 GT Mustang 6 speed at idle and just let out the clutch? I can tell you unless you're really trying - you can't stall it.

Dude smoking the cigar was a badass

Bill "Grumpy" Jenkins. With the arm waggle for the win.

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[Norm Peterson]

What are everyone's thoughts on double-clutching? Waste of time? Wear out the throw-out bearing? Make the synchromesh last forever?

I guess you could look at double-clutching as rev-matching carried to an extreme. Everything gets rev matched, not just the engine, flywheel and pressure plate (the clutch disc, transmission input shaft and countershaft can't rev-match with the clutch pedal depressed). This may or may not involve greater throwout bearing wear - the total time of the two clutch pedal disengagements may not be all that much greater than the total time you hold the clutch disengaged for a simple rev-match. It probably does extend synchro life somewhat. I've never worn out a set of synchros, though I did manage to fracture the synchro hub of a light-duty Saginaw into three separate pieces when asking it to put up with the torque of a moderately healthy 350 SBC.

Double clutching is a valid alternative technique when brake and throttle pedal placement doesn't work for you (more so if your brake pads have strong bite). And it's a useful skill even for the first couple of 1-2 upshifts on a cold morning when the clutch disc and input side of the transmission slow down too quickly because the gear oil is still too cold to flow as nicely as it does once warmed up.

I've double-clutched most downshifts for as long as I can remember, partly because the synchro action of transmissions in some of the early cars I drove was light (easy to beat). But I've never worn out a throwout bearing before it was time to replace the clutch - and that's with no clutch-abusing riding-the-clutch dragstrip-style launching.

What 3star said - it also smooths out the drive for the passenger . . . and either technique avoids momentarily upsetting rear tire grip. Done correctly, either technique can make for a shift that your passenger doesn't feel and might not even realize what you did if they didn't see you shift.


Norm