Can I Change Gear Without Pressing the Clutch?

Is it possible to change gears without pressing the clutch without damaging the transmission or pads? If possible, how?

Is it possible?

If you research the working logic of a manual transmission, what actually happens when you press the clutch, and what the pressure pad does; You will easily understand how to change gear without a clutch.

There is a mechanical movement; When you press the clutch, both the transmission and the engine continue to rotate while the vehicle is in motion. The system already transmits the movement to each other by friction. In other words, there is no rigid connection as many people think. But there is a rigid connection between the transmission and the wheels.

In other words, it is theoretically possible and at the right timing, it does not cause any harm and in theory, it prolongs the life of the pressure pad, even changing gear without pressing the clutch. But one wrong move can cost you dearly; Because the inside of the gearbox is not as simple as it seems, a tiny ball coming out of place or a tooth on a gear breaking can cause irreparable damage to your wallet.

I recommend automatic transmission to those who have a hobby of shifting gears without using a clutch. Even if there is a third pedal in the car, use it.

So how?

It is possible to change gears without a clutch without causing any damage to the transmission or pads. There are two sensitive points here:

1. Torque transmission between engine and transmission must be zero. In other words, neither the engine will transfer torque to the transmission, nor will the transmission rotate the engine with the inertia of the car, as it does when the gas is turned off.

As soon as you cut the 2nd gas, there will be a momentary period in which the first substance can be caught, and the gear will change very quickly during this period. In a synchromesh transmission, you need to quickly give a light intermediate throttle and keep the engine speed close to the next gear. If you make a mistake in torque transmission or timing, bye bye synchromesh.

If you have difficulty with this, you can put it in neutral the first moment you cut the torque and rev the engine to the required level in the next gear. Of course, in this case, the action would be meaningless as it would take time. On motorcycles, it is very easy because there is no synchromesh.

What I have mentioned is valid for upshifting. Downshifting is more difficult and pointless since the aim is to save time while accelerating.

This is a competence that should be practiced at a convenient time and kept ready to be used only in emergencies, in case your clutch cable or hydraulics lose their function one day. Don’t risk your car just to show off like that. Of course, this paragraph also applies to automobiles. As I said, it is a very easy action on motorcycles.