Riding? the clutch to engage first gear

[theholycow]

I never got any feel in my VW's clutch pedal, it was numb and dead. Feel is good, it lets your car communicate with your foot.

[daleadbull]

I never got any feel in my VW's clutch pedal, it was numb and dead. Feel is good, it lets your car communicate with your foot.

So the spinning sensation in the pedal when you clutch in at high RPM is normal and actually preferred to a pedal with no feel?

I've always felt this but I guess I just became used to it. I just want to make sure nothing is wrong.

[cased]

Based on your description from previous posts, you should not be adding throttle. Here's how to diagnose jerking/wrong rev match:

Your head is jerked towards the windshield, engine RPM shoots up: You should have added throttle and/or released the clutch pedal sooner

Your head is jerked towards the headrest, engine RPM shoots down: You should have waited longer to release the clutch pedal and/or get your rev hang fixed.

I haven't really been adding throttle when going into 2nd, maybe a little, but I was talking more about the other gears.

Mostly when adding throttle the shifts have been smooth, but sometimes I throttle too early and it revs up and is jerky. How bad is that for the clutch?

Don't worry about it, it's fine.

So that little hiccup sometimes isn't damaging?

What we're talking about does not involve the throttle at all. Simply rev the engine up then let off gas and push in the clutch. While doing this I get a spinning sensation in the clutch pedal like the clutch is still spinning but winding down. Its hard to describe it doesn't feel rough per say and its not rubbing against anything, just feels like its still spinning. This is my first manual car so don't know if its normal.

That's exactly what I feel. Thanks for the better description!

[theholycow]

So that little hiccup sometimes isn't damaging?

We all make mistakes. Systems are designed to tolerate normal mistakes, and then some. If you're doing it every time then you will want to improve it, but otherwise you're fine.

[FRSstyle]

Isn't there another technique to blip the throttle and then let the clutch out swiftly to avoid slipping the clutch in stop and go?

[theholycow]

There are probably other techniques, but nothing is going to avoid slipping the clutch when going from zero to moving. The immutable laws of physics will not allow that.

[ClutchFork]

There are probably other techniques, but nothing is going to avoid slipping the clutch when going from zero to moving. The immutable laws of physics will not allow that.

Unless you start on a decent downhill slope and let 'er roll up to 5 mph before you engage the clutch.

[theholycow]

Unless you start on a decent downhill slope and let 'er roll up to 5 mph before you engage the clutch.

Good point.

Or this:

[Rope-Pusher]

There are probably other techniques, but nothing is going to avoid slipping the clutch when going from zero to moving. The immutable laws of physics will not allow that.

Nay Nay I Say. Leave the engine idling, leave your foot off the clutch pedal, and push the shift lever toward the 1st gear position. Keep on pushing...the engine rpm will begin to dip and the vehicle will start to roll forward. Keep it up long enough and the vehicle will be rolling along at idle speed in 1st gear when the synchro sleeve slides into mesh with the clutching teeth on the speed gear.

Now that your rolling, in gear, add some throttle and speed it up and then as you tip out of the throttle pull the stick out of 1st and shove it into 2nd. rinse and repeat a couple times and your cruising in 6th gear.

This isn't good for prolonging your 1st gear synchronizer life, but lab cars can do this and they can go two years without an oil change or anyone checking the tire air pressures.

[tankinbeans]

I'll try that... in a rental... if I can find a manual.

I actually tried clutchless shifting in 3-5 the other day. Was interesting, but I'm not going to make it a habit.

[ClutchFork]

Nay Nay I Say. Leave the engine idling, leave your foot off the clutch pedal, and push the shift lever toward the 1st gear position. Keep on pushing...the engine rpm will begin to dip and the vehicle will start to roll forward. Keep it up long enough and the vehicle will be rolling along at idle speed in 1st gear when the synchro sleeve slides into mesh with the clutching teeth on the speed gear.

Fascinating idea Rope! Use the syncronizers as mini clutches! But could they really be designed to take this type of action on a regular basis? There once was a VW that you had to shift just like a manual, but there was no clutch. Well, even if it worked, I'd still want the traditional clutch.

[Rope-Pusher]

Nay Nay I Say. Leave the engine idling, leave your foot off the clutch pedal, and push the shift lever toward the 1st gear position. Keep on pushing...the engine rpm will begin to dip and the vehicle will start to roll forward. Keep it up long enough and the vehicle will be rolling along at idle speed in 1st gear when the synchro sleeve slides into mesh with the clutching teeth on the speed gear.

Fascinating idea Rope! Use the syncronizers as mini clutches! But could they really be designed to take this type of action on a regular basis? There once was a VW that you had to shift just like a manual, but there was no clutch. Well, even if it worked, I'd still want the traditional clutch.

Soylent green is People and Synchronizers are mini clutches.

One, or two, might consider this as abusing the synchros.

[ClutchFork]

Use the syncronizers as mini clutches!

One, or two, might consider this as abusing the synchros.

[theholycow]

There's nothing like stating "it can't be done" to bring all the potential ways it can be done out of the woodwork!

[Rope-Pusher]

There's nothing like stating "it can't be done" to bring all the potential ways it can be done out of the woodwork!

We weren't talking "Should it be done?", Right?