Floating Gears

Back there in the Dark Ages when I was learning to.drive my very first car (a Stone Age era AMC Concord station wagon with a 4 cylinder, 4 on the floor), I didn't have a Tachometer to use. Absolutely had to learn to listen to the engine to know the shift points in different driving conditions.

Fast forward to when I started driving truck (Early Renaissance). Went to a school, had to learn double clutching as it was required to pass the road test. I wass fine with the clutch work, but could NOT wrap my mind around going by the fancy, high tech sports package tach! When I listened to the engine, I snapped out the gears like a 20 year pro. When I looked at the tach, forget about it! You would've though I never saw an internal combustion engine before in my life!

 

Forget about watching the tachometer. The best way is by feel. that will take time but it will come. I taught myself by remembering playing tetherball in grade school. You wait for the right moment as the ball swings by to let her have it.

 

All good answers. I learned stick (car & lt trucks w/granny lows) to shift by sound and that is how I dive the big rigs. Each truck IS DIFFERENT on how and when it wants to be shifted.

When I was with a trainer and tried to float gears I could not get it without a lot of bouncing, grinding or just could not get it in gear. I felt bad as it was his truck I was beating up and that just makes it worst. What I did learn shortly after was he had the engine brake on and this was why “I” could not float gears. He would hold his foot on the throttle just enough to keep the brake from coming on but not cause the rpm to go up and it worked for him. He also tried to show me how to DC as I was also having some issues and he did worst than me. Again it was the engine brake why I was having the issues. Oh did I say that was with a tank trailer so you have more than just the weight of truck/load to worry about it would move too.

Now that I have my own truck & tanker it is a lot easier to “learn” what it likes and doesn’t like when shifting. Most of the time I DC with the engine brake off. If the fan kicks on I bring the RPM up a little more and tap the throttle between the gear as I found this helped in getting into the next gear, the fan stops the motor too fast otherwise. I also found I was trying to shift too fast and would get grinding, slow down and all is good now. For now I also take routes that I have to shift more (less miles too) just so I can become one with the truck as I think it will make me a better driver down the road.

I say take your time and find what works for you. If DC works and not floating then stay with DC. When you are in your own truck no one can tell you how to drive it so drive it like you want to.

Dave ----

 

Down shifting still a problem. Improving on the up shifting.

 

Downshifting. I float much better with a load than when empty.

 

I believe that floating should be left for the driver that really knows the truck. Any one that tells you floating makes you a truck driver just does not know himself. You should learn to double clutch first then go on to skipping gears or selecting the right gear for the right speed then last floating. If I took a driver on a road test and they floated the gears I would say that's fine. Now lets get off the interstate and downshift using maybe three gears. Or while cruising on a surface street a signal light turns red let the truck coast IN GEAR then if you need to stop go a couple gears down , say on a 10 speed go from 10th to 8th then maybe 5th and stop. Or if the light turns green select the gear that is right for your speed and away you go. I never hardly went to low range because you either stop or go. No one is driving that slow at a signal to go to low range unless you speed and tail gate. It's nice relaxed driving where the truck is working for you. After awhile all this comes second nature then you can float. Just my 2¢

 

Thanks GasHauler. I've had two trainers. Both are adamant about floating gears. However, they differed on stopping technique. One said coast to a stop in neutral, the other said leave the trans in gear until stopped then shift to the proper take off gear. Is there a difference, or preferred technique?

 

stay in gear.

 

I prefer to drop down to the bottom of the high side, then coast in neutral to a stop, catching the take off gear on the way down. Driving school told me the correct way was to downshift to 3rd or 4th, then idle and stop. I don't think it really matters either way.

 

Your supose to keep a gear at all times to remain in controll. I normaly downshift to the bottom of the high side as said by others, by then im going slow enough to stop in neutral. While coasting i tend to keep the stick at whatever gear my speed would warrent, light goes green, a little skinny pedal and it falls into gear and im off again...