How To: Shift Your Car Without A Clutch!

[bronsin]

This is using my 95 Chevy S-10 2.2 litre but you can adapt.

How to:

To start, shift into neutral when coming to a stop when in any gear. Take your foot off the gas. Dont use the clutch. You can do it as you stop or a few yards ahead of time your choise. This will demonstrate how simple and harmless it is. Practice it a few dozen times to see if clutchless shifting is for you!



To start its best not to be in traffic, be by yourself.



Drive the vehicle normally for a while to get the trans warmed up.



The upper gears are easiest to shift into sans clutch. At about 50 in 4th, let off the gas. Slowly but firmly, shift into fifth. It will feel a little rubberly but you shouldnt grind anything.



When you get good at 5th ,try 3rd into 4th. About 40 mph works for my 95 2.2. You may have to try other speeds with a six cylinder.



Now that you can do 4th and 5th, try going into 3rd from second. This will be harder, but easier than going to 2nd from 1st. Let off the gas around 25-30. Shift slowly but firmly. If it grinds try different speeds.



Now that you can do 5th 4th and 3rd go for 1st into second. This is harder than the others. Go about 15 mph. You might have to warm up the trans the first time you do it when its cold out. Or even in summer. Yeah rodger that drive around normally for a while before starting to clutchless shift.



You already know to start from a stop in first just crank the engine with the trans in 1st. Point the car downhill if possible or at least be on a level.

This is hard on the starter, obviously. But if your slave is out you CAN drive the vehicle using this method. Isnt that worth knowig how to do?



Ok now for the part that separates the men from the boys: downshifting!



Im going to give you a little easy thing to do which sounds hard but isnt:



Shift into first from second!



On my 2.2 this is never fail cant miss!. From 2nd or third shift into neutral while rolling towards a stop sign. Remember: be by yourself NOt in heavy traffic. Alone at midnite isnt a bad idea. Have the trans previously warmed up.



You are slowly rolling towards the stop sign in neutral. Use the brakes to slow to barely walking speed. I mean just creeping! Ease it in first. Goes every time for my 2.2! No grinding! No drama! Beautiful!

If it doesnt work youre going too fast. If you grind go into neutral, slow down and push it in again as the synchos mesh. You can feel it. Mine will go into first so slow you can easily run a stop sign in front of a cop and not get a ticket. Ive done it! I know you dont believe it but its true I swear! This is in NJ however where NO ONE stops for stop signs!



I dont know about down South. Maybe not!



Now you got to try the other gears. In all of them, you want to blip the throttle first. In shifting DOWN you want to be going slower than you went shifting UP.



5th to 4th ~35 mph



4th to 3rd 25-30 mph



3rd to 2nd 15 mph



2nd to 1st barely moving to 3 mph.



Once you can downsift clutchless you have arrived! You are a real Mamby Jamber! Your shit does not stink! You have chops few others have! This gets INSTNT respect from your guy friends.



Now...if you are a WOMAN be a little carefull with this before trying it out in front of a man. Especially the BF! You dont want to cut his nuts off. Which might happen in some circumstances! Be gentle!



After you get really GOOD at it its time for your



FINAL EXAMINATION.



This is rare but it DOES happen. Your best friend lets you drive is $150,000 PORSCHE! A Corvette is not as desireable but it counts.



My advice: make sure they arent carrying.



There are two ways to go about it. One is the ahead of time announcement. This takes conjones. You may also get sucker punched but just go with it. On the other hand, once in a while they may say: Go ahead I do it all the time. Big deal!



Another way if you want to be covert is just do it without saying anything. If they dont notice consider screwing his old lady because they obviously dont care about what happens to their personal possessions. Probably they WILL notice if they care about their car, but ignore any protests. You are more of a man then they are and they KNOW it!

[harda toenail]

Why would you want to do this in a car? I do it on my streetbike when at the track for rapid accelleration but can't see a reason for this in the car.

[fnkngrv]

Originally Posted by harda toenail

Why would you want to do this in a car? I do it on my streetbike when at the track for rapid acceleration but can't see a reason for this in the car.

I could think that this would be good to know if you have issues with your clutch and this knowledge can assist you with being able to maneuver the car in that scenario. Not sure that I would do it in a normal day's driving on a regular basis because I can't see the benefit tho. This would obviously not be very fruitful when in traffic patterns that require swift accel and shifting I would think either.


Great write up however and nice to see the time taken to do so.

[SailDesign]

A recipe for destroying your synchro cones.

[bronsin]

If your clutch is inoperable it can be used to temporarily get around or bring the car to the shop for repairs.

Also, if you are physicially handicaped for the time being (broken leg?) youll be able to still drive.

[jpmck03]

Originally Posted by bronsin

... Also, if you are physicially handicaped for the time being (broken leg?) youll be able to still drive.

Sprained my ankle in the Army and had to get back home to swap out my my manual Yaris for the wife's auto (then) Jetta. Only difference was I started the car in 1st, while depressing the clutch with my right foot. Then got going by letting off the clutch enough for it to start idling forward and switching to the gas from there.

A good skill to have, but definitely not one I'd want to use all of the time!

[bronsin]

Originally Posted by SailDesign

A recipe for destroying your synchro cones.

CAn you say what makes you say that? Ive heard it does. Ive heard it doesnt.

I myself dont BELIEVE it does but cant say for certain.

But I would entertain any informed opinion/thoughts to the contrary.

Thanks!

[BruceLee]

the first time I heard about the shift without clutch is years ago, I thought that guy is crazy, he had been trained for circuit race for a while, he probaly can do that, but I think this skill had better be taught in person, or fixing the tranmission?? is just expensive....

[bronsin]

Originally Posted by BruceLee

the first time I heard about the shift without clutch is years ago, I thought that guy is crazy, he had been trained for circuit race for a while, he probaly can do that, but I think this skill had better be taught in person, or fixing the tranmission?? is just expensive....

I will drive my 95 S10 truck with 2.2 liter engine without the clutch until it either breaks or doesnt break.

Then the world will know one way or the other. Personally I dont think it will do any harm.

But I might be wrong!

I learned how to drive without a clutch from the book How To Keep Your Volkswagen Alive For The Compleat Idiot in 1973. It was a slow process but I did teach myself how to do it with inspiration from that book.