Re: Manual shifting again...

[Frank Deutschmann <fhd@interport.net>]

ALYAN sez:
> Even since I was wondering...  If you match the input shaft speed to the 
> gear, assuming you are superman and really know your gears, then that would 
> be possible...?

I drive a '91 Coupe Quattro and an '81 Porsche 911, and I rarely use the clutch
on either car; basicly, its just there for N-1st and N-reverse.

The Porsche is much more difficult to shift, as it has Porsche's "advanced"
syncros -- they make ordinary shifting better (smoother and less wear compared
to the standard syncros that everyone else uses), at the expense of slower
and more difficult clutchless shifting.

Learning clutchless shifting is not difficult, and, if done right, does no
harm and does not increase wear on your transmission.  I actually got into
the habit of clutchless shifting on the street back when I had a Jeep: I learned
that it was cheaper to replace or rebuild the Jeep transmission than replace
the clutch.

For the last word in shifting -- the fastest and smoothest shifts -- you have
to experience shifting a dog-driven tranney (no syncros!) coupled to a
carbon-carbon clutch and lightened flywheel.  It it trully unbelieveable!
(TGFNMT -- Thank God for Nuclear Missle Technology!)

-frank
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