Hey guys, today when I had to stop quite fast at a light (I was in 5th), I accidentally popped the car into neutral without pressing in the clutch. I read in a different thread that it is OK to do this, but I didn't recognize anyone in the thread, so I just wanted to make sure that my car is not messed up now. Any input will be helpful. BTW i didn't hear anything when i did it, and it also slid into neutral quite easily. Thanks!

 

Yea it's fine.....Now you need to learn how to shift without a clutch!

 

Eh, you should be fine...just don't make it a habit... A friend of mine was like, "hey, you can shift without using the clutch"... I asked him if he could think without using his brain...he just looked at me funny.

 

i was stopping very quickly (tires actually squealed) when i popped it into neutral...does that matter???

 

it is possible to "safely" shift without a clutch its call "floating gears" but you have to know the exact RPM's to do it at... lots of truck drivers(semi's) do it.... and dnt ask me how or what rpm b/c i dnt know.

Should it be knee jerk reaction to step on the clutch too?

 

As long as there's no acceleration or deceleration (engine braking) going on, you should be able to slide it into neutral with little or no resistance. That's basically *right* after you let off the gas, or if you're cruising at the speed that matches your engine's idle. For instance, at about 41-42 mpg, you can slide the shifter in and out of 5th without the clutch. Same goes for 4th around 32-33. Others I'm not sure the exact speed.

Since you went from gas to a panic brake, in that moment there was also no stress either way on the drivetrain, so you were able to slip to N easily. Best not to make a habit out of it, though. You *can* grind exiting a gear just like you can going into one. Never a good sound to hear.

 

serious....

its called power shifting, most people do it from first into second. saves time.

Clutches are for sissys and girls!

I used to slide my old cars into neutral all the time without the clutch and NEVER had a problem. like tom said, just make sure you arent on the gas or brake

 

If it slides in easily, then you can do it. If there's any effort involved beyond just giving it a small tug, don't do it.

I'm sure someone is going to take this the wrong way, but hopefully my point has come across.

 

I pop it into neutral all the time with no clutch, I just blip the gas a little bit, and the shifter almost pops out on its own. My dad said its fine, and hes bee ndriving stick for like 40 years.

 

I thought power shifting was using the clutch, but not taking your foot off the gas? I could be wrong, though.

 

Exactly. After you blip the gas and let off, the rpms are matched and it should slide out no problem. As long as you do it right, there's no harm...but I've seen some people force it out.

Like Blown said, it should practically slide out on its own with just a small nudge.

 

^^so did i...

 

^My idea of power shifting sides with yours..

 

I know that if you do it correctly it shouldnt cause problems, but I wouldnt do it often with all the issues people have been having with their clutches on here.

 

i dont do it often....today was the first time i ever did it...i just wanted to know if my car was messed up now or not....keep in mind i was slamming on the brakes as i did it

 

check this thread out

 

That is what I do to powershift.

 

I've driven nearly 1,000,000 km (600,000 mi.) in a rig and rarely use the clutch, aside from starting off. Most cars have syncronized transmissions, which lets you shift effortlessly with the clucth. I you tried to shift a truck that way, it would just grind. It is possible to double clutch a big truck, but you still have to time it fairly well.


By the way, a small amount of light grinding wont really harm a trans, although clunking will.

 

I drive a 16 speed split shift, and i can safely shift the Gt without clutching,but i do it without thinkin half the time in the truck,so I try to remember to clutch in the car, just forming good habits

 

i heard about the shifting without the clutch thing a year or so ago and i tried it out on my cavailer. i can do it pretty easily, but i dont like to do it because i can only imagine what could happen if it engaged wrong. someone said it already, but all you have to do is match your rpm's to the correct gear...and basically what it is doing is making both parts move at the same speed so that engaging the gear will be nice and smooth. its not something you want to do when accelerating or decelerating.

 

lets just say *if* something was wrong, like i messed something up...would it be obvious???

sorry i'm just very paranoid

 

Not only upshift can be done clutchless, downshifts can be down without the use of the clutch as well. But that takes much more knowhow and throttle timing.

 

CAN means its possible but doesn't mean you should. I should have said that from the beginning

APEX.....read up on powershifting...either you used the wrong word or you have the wrong idea

YEA downshifting is a hell of a lot harder!!

 

I used to upshift and downshift without the clutch in my old sunfire all the time, it took a couple weeks to get it, then it was just second nature, quite satisfying when you get it

 

To put your mind at ease - your car is fine.