Help me learn how to float

Another student driver here with my 2-cents. My school only teaches double-clutching because it is what the officials want (Utah) you to do. Don't discount it, it works and a lot of drivers do it constantly. So don't worry if you come out of school only knowing how to double-clutch. If your employer wants you to float gears then you can practice on his equipment and if you can double-clutch smoothly you can usually float them too.

That said, I've floated them when I've felt like it. The key is to go slow and don't try and jam it into gear because without the clutch you need to be a little more careful. Make sure you get your RPM's right for the vehicle - normally the range between shifts on a flat road is about 500 RPM's, so get your RPM's up/down 500 from where they are when you want to shift and you should be near the mark. I like to use the clutch to release tension on the gears to get them to release (not exactly a true float) and then float it into the next gear. As you make the shift you should feel it just fall into the next gear and if it scratches or gives you resistance then you are off on the RPM a little so try a little more or less next time until you can nail it.

If you are double-clutching and already have the RPM's right where they need to be you can feel the gear lever just fall into the next gear regardless of what you are doing with the clutch and when that happens consistently I'd say you are ready to float them. Again, my 2-cents, for what it is worth. Some of the more experienced drivers can tell you if I'm leading you astray.

As for backing, that's been a nightmare for me, so I would focus more on that. You can survive in the real world double-clutching at first, but you won't get far if you can't back.

 

rpm'z

 

Stay tuned. Next week "Unhooking Pigtail Made Easy"