Floating Gears

My very first time behind the wheel was just after getting my permit in '77. My brother pulled over in Pendleton, OR and told me, "Remember, only use the clutch for first gear, then float it from there."

"What's 'float'"?

Cabbage Hill had construction, with Jersey barriers, and I was freaked out anytime a big rig passed our underpowered '74 Ford cabover. The palm of my right hand swole up to the size of a tennis ball, all black and blue.

The next day my shifting improved greatly. It was too painful to jam it into gear. That's when I discovered the magic of matching rpm's to speed, and it went in gear like a willing wife.

 

My trainer at Stevens wouldn't pass me unless I learned to float shift.

 

Glad im not the only one who never learned doible clutch. Id have one leg twice the size of the other! Floatng is easy. Look at your speedo. Look at the speeds ending in five. Take the number and add the digits. If you are driving a ten speed your gear will be any speed above that number. For exaple if you are mmoving above 45 mph your gear will be 9. (4+5=9) if you are upshifting from 8th then pop out of gear , let rpms drop to lower opwrating ramge ,mine is around 1500 _1800rpm then float into nine. If droppimg feom 10th. Pop out of gear and slightly rev the engine up to operating rpms , again about 1500_1800 rpm for my truck, then float it in. Wprks for any gear but can get tricy down around 10 to 5 mph. Usually six is right but may have to slow down to 5 or 4 depending on doqnshift around a turn. Most times i dont even use 1,2,3 because my tractor has a lot of torque. Once in a while three if the load is heavy and tqo heavy pulling out of a pit.. i only use the clutch to get rolling. I can bobtail start in 6th

 

Also when rolling downhill you might need to clutch to pop out of gear if your rpms get too high. You clutch and pop out of gear. Brake slightly then rev engine and floatt into lower gear.

 

I have been driving less than a year and I never double clutched. Don't even know how to. I tought myself how to drive with no trainer and the first day of two was pretty embarrassing but floating is not all that hard once you learn it is all about rpms. The only time I use the clutch is starting, coming to a complete stop and ocassionally to get it out of gear when downshifting. I don't know if it is just me or my truck by sometimes it is hard to get it out of gear when down shifting but if I push the clutch it pops right out and then I let off the clutch bump the accelerator and float into the lower gear

 

Cars shouldn't be floated. With a truck if you don't do it just right it grinds, so you learn to do it just right. With a car (or any synchronized transmission) you can be doing it a little bit wrong, but it won't necessarily grind, so you don't know you need to fix your shift, but you are putting undue stress on the synchros.

 

I hear alot of talk about how guys can float their way up and down the trans with silent shifts but when I ride with them it always turns out that they grind. Some grind a little, some grind more than a little. If anyone can post a you tube video of themselves shifting all the way up and all the way down without a noise I'd appreciate it.

I can still shift better with the clutch better than I can float. That only makes sense....you don't have to as perfect with the clutch.

 

Not me but here are a couple videos.

 

Yep that's what I'm saying. First guy ground. 2nd guy was perfect but he only went up. 3rd guy only went up.

 

Floating all the way up and down is easy. Doing it every single time with never a grind is harder.

BTW, if you are shifting better with the clutch than without it's because your timing with the clutch is better. You still have to be just as perfect with the timing, or you will grind. Grinding with the clutch just does less damage than grinding without the clutch.