Ahh, it's not that tough. The tough one was when my old Scirocco broke a spring plate inside the clutch and it wedged the clutch so it wouldn't engage at all. My mechanic advised me to put it in first gear, then use the starter motor to get the car rolling, then shift without the clutch. Believe it or not...it worked and I drove it to his shop with no damage. Getting the car rolling with the starter motor was kind of jerky, but shifting up and down through the gears without the clutch was easy and fun.

But I'm not trying it on my new S2K.

 

I'm glad Woodwork chimed in - "if not done correctly". I've always maintained (as have others here) that, done properly, there's absolutely zero damage done by shifting without the clutch. Prompted by this thread, I tried it again this morning in my Civic (I tried it in the S last year just to see if I remembered how), and found it butter-smooth. The slightest pressure against the gate, and as the revs drop, you'll feel the shifter suddenly drop in without a hitch. The shift will be the slowest shift you've ever made (2-4 seconds usually) , but it's smooth as silk.

Why you would want to do this regularly, I'll never know. I just think it doesn't hurt to be familiar with the technique. A friend of mine taught me after he got caught 2 states away from home in his '71 911 with a broken clutch cable, on a Sunday, with a serious need to get home.

JonasM

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Woodwork
[B]I'm going to have a cut-away transmission in Sacramento the end of this month so you can see what is going on in the transmission.

Shifting without a clutch can be done, but if not done properly is not pretty.

 

I learned to do it because in a bad situation, I.E. I'm on a road trip and my clutch feels like it might be getting weak, or as mentioned above a cable or what not breaks, I'm still able to row through the gears to get to where I need to. That and when it gets brought up in conversation, and peeps don't believe you can do it, quick way to win a $5 bet And get labeled a Manuel shifting god by your uneducated friends
Steve

 

Maybe you should try to drive without using the steering wheel or maybe the brake pedal, yeah just use the E-brake handle to stop! This is too good of a car not to use the clutch! Honda put a clutch there for a reason, use it! Buy an "88" civic hatchback and beat on that thing!

 

Don't get me wrong, not a regular practice in my S, did it in my Civ SI all the time for schits and giggles
Steve

 

Well, I couldn't resist. Tried it today, and I can report that my S2000 shifts fine without using the clutch. I upshifted 1-2-3-4 several times with absolutely no grinds, just instant shifting. Feels at least as good as on the other cars that I've tried it on. I'm not sure why I like doing it, and it probably is risky, but it's fun to do.