Any tips for learning to shift without clutch

There is no pause in neutral for me. Its straight from one gear to the next. Im not dicking around looking for a gear...

 

That's right driver they tell me I have to be on piece work and then limit me on the pieces I can make. What other place can you get that i aint gots no time to float or clutching pin the governor WHAM next gear gots to GO buh buy

 

Hahaha, smh. Twist my words all ya want. Ive never broken a trans, dont have rounded teeth, dont grind, dont hop, dont jutter or jerk. Never, repeat never had ANY mechanic say im doing something wrong, or that i should dc. Quite the opposite. And seeing how you have no interest in floating, just start your own thread on why you should, as the op wasn't looking for advice on how not to float...

 

It was just a joke not aimed at anybody. I'm glad you found the humor.

 

Yeah, its all good. I do apologize, thought you were pushing harder for a my way or the hiway thing. Thats on me.

 

I've been around trucks for close to 50 years, and started shifting with my dad 45 years ago. I understand why drivers don't use the clutch, and I've done so off and on. What I've never understood was the religious devotion to never using the clutch. One guy told me when I was test driving his truck, which BTW was a W900L with a 6+4, anyway he told me that when he was learning, his dad would have knocked him out for using the clutch.

Another guy was the assistant maintainence guy at the DC and headquarters for a sporting goods store where I worked, and he needed to get his class a (pre CDL days). Seeing as I was one of the only 2 guys at the place, and his boss was too busy, I rode over with him so he could take the road test. When he missed a shift, he spent the entire time grinding trying to put it in gear, until he came to a stop. "Dude", I told him, "when you get close, stab the clutch, and you should be able to ease it in." He wouldn't try, just acted as if he did that, he would die!

I actually have started using the clutch for splitting 5th and 6th. I never did before, but I noticed the shifts are smoother. Don't worry, a transmission won't blow up for using the clutch, nor will it if you don't, as long as you're not jamming it because you can't shift!

 

There is nothing religious about transmissions, you either understand them or you don't but they are all physical components designed to interact in specific ways.

The OP wanted to expand his skill set beyond the "just know enough to get by" attitude that has become common in the last 20 years so he asked for some pointers.

This used to be common among drivers in their first 5 years or so, they wanted to know more and get better; I rarely see that attitude anymore but I still appreciate when someone displays it.

So the OP got some useful information, he also got a lot of responses from those who resent his desire to learn more and get better; those types sense much conviction when they see a peer who cares more than they have ever cared about doing any job.

So the discouraging began, and of course the attempts to mock those who know better; not because these know nothings think any veteran will care what they think but to hopefully derail any other new drivers who want to learn more and get better.

The mediocre have always feared the ones who care, they are certain that their constant lack of effort will be spotlighted if others who try harder are around them.

And they are right, but no man should be bothered to become mediocre so the lazy are protected; Capitalism rewards the diligent and exposes the lack of diligence.

Everyone gets to decide which spotlight they want to stand under, that is as it should be.

 

Thank you. As you aptly said, I am a mediocre driver and I want to become a better driver.

I think that knowing how to shift with, and without, a clutch, makes one a better driver and more adept at both methods.

I used to shift with clutch and the truck would shake from speed mismatch. That, clearly, was less than ideal.

Now that I shift without a clutch, the truck never shakes, but I am also better at shifting WITH clutch also as I somewhat learned to match speeds.

 

My ex boss refuses to hire people that double clutch. If they cannot float, they do not know how to shift these transmissions.

Once moving, there is NO NEED to touch the clutch. It is a NON-SYNCHRO transmission!

Disengaging the clutch will NOT help you shift into the next gear.

Clowns still think it makes a difference... It doesn't.

And downshifting? Don't do it, unless you have to. I usually just idle to the stops, saving the real downshifting for steep hills. Same with my Mustang, or any other manual car I have ever driven... I downshift when necessary... I will not downshift for every stop.

 

Eliminating the truck shaking is what you aim for. Smooth as butter. I like your focus on continuing to work on your skills.

Did Michael Jordan stop practicing new things after he got to the NBA?