This might be a really stupid question, so please forgive my ignorance. I know with a syncromesh transmission, it is not necessary to double-clutch, but how necessary is it to clutch when shifting from a gear into neutral, for example when you are pulling up to a red light? I always shift when I pull it into neutral, but sometimes the hand is quicker than the foot and I end up in neutral before I have the clutch all the way in. To test it out i tried to pull it from 3rd into neutral without the clutch and it just popped into neutral very easily. My question is - Is this really dangerous or do people do this often?

 

I rarely ever shift in to neutral. Usually I just step on the clutch and tap 2nd then go right into first. Good question though, I'd never thought about it before. Hope I haven't been doing it wrong the whole time...

 

I use to do it alot, but one time it wouldn't pop out of 2nd without the clutch, no matter how hard i tugged it didn't come out, so from then on i decided to always hit the clutch first.Just my 2 cents. Its always better to be save than sorry, in the mechanical sense of course.

 

I think it depends on the tranny gear design. Aren't there backcut gears that could be prematurely worn with clutchless shifts to neutral?

 

i think when you try to put it in neutral while in gear, the dog teeth from the gear selector tries to come off the gear itself. so going into neutral should be ok if i understand it correctly. if you have some time, go to howstuffworks.com and they have great illustrations of how the engine, clutch and gears work together. unless you know it already then i applaud you for that. i even read up on how a rotory engine works! cool site...

 

from first to neutral and 4 and 5 it goes in easy without the cluth but 2,3,and 6 doesnt, sometimes i hit the clutch others i dont......i never meant to hurt my baby if i am not supposta do that!
jen