Do you float gears or double clutch?

I hate how many things in general are going to icons to tell you what it is. I'd rather read what it is then figure out whatever their picture is supposed to mean.

 

I drive a 18 speed. I only use the clutch to take off,stop and shift from direct to overdrive. If you are a newbe my suggestion is to learn to double clutch first. Once you get good at it practice floating shifting up. When you get good at that practice floating shifting down. Whatever you do don't force a gear change it will cause internal damage to the gears or you may bend the shift forks. It takes lots of practice to get proficient at floating so be patient it will come to you.

 

I almost always double clutch to downshift and single clutch it out of gear to up-shift. Some transmissions like to float and some don't.

 

I tell my student that one day they'll just have a epiphany and everything will just flow.

 

Well my husband is waiting for the epiphany with his student driver; he has had him try floating, double clutching and it seems like every day is a new beginning with the guy. I can see the $$$$ adding up with every grind, eeek.

 

Don't feel too bad. I'm training in a brand new truck and cringe at some of the noises that come out of my transmission. My poor truck.

 

Yes his truck is new too, and then the computer in the engine gets confused because the student has been driving slower and shifts differently so it keeps wanting to do that; then the truck has the braking system where it slows you down if something gets in front of you too close (forgot what system they call it) it has been worked on once at International to adjust it in, it also detects cars merging off ramps in the other lane and slows it down, etc, it keeps knocking out the cruise control so he's out working on it now because it picks up space monsters and slows you down. I can see where some of the gidgets and gadjets may make trucking safer, but they don't have all the bugs worked out of the toys and truck drivers are like the test pilots of the unknown and time consuming things put on now.


I just wonder how the warranty works on the transmissions of new trucks when you are using it for a training truck?

 

Only one true answer, I do both, just like you will. And always wish for an automatic when it becomes ten miles of stop and go.

 

Well said, Rick!

 

I agree. I will use the clutch to get the tranny out of a gear more often than to get it into a gear. When doing city driving, rolling up to a stop sign, I will use 2nd gear as the "stop", which at idle is about 2 or 3 mph, so it is very close to stopping, and if no traffic, hit the throttle and start on grabbing the gears.

Dropping from the high range down to the low range, as in going from 6th to 5th you probably need to lose a little more speed before you try to downshift....6th gear is about 15 mph and 5th is about 10 mph, so you might watch your speedometer closer and see what speed you need to be at to down shift without grinding. I will make some turns in 6th gear if I know the corner, especially left turns as you can make a bit shallower of a turn going to the left, depending on how whether there are cars that could interfere.
There is one corner where I make a left turn coming off a divided 4 lane onto a 2 lane road. I always try to make that turn in 6th gear, as it is a slight downhill on the 4 lane and a good strong hill on the 2 lane, so I need to keep all the speed I can to make that hill with a 80,000 lb. grain truck. Plus, moving along in 6th gear gets me through the traffic in the oncoming 2 lanes. This was with a baby C-13 Cat motor and a 10 speed in a Sterling. I could rev out in 8th gear just at the top of the hill.

I wouldn't think you would use 4th gear on making a turn, unless you were loaded and it was uphill.