I was talking to our machanic at work today, and he mentioned you don't need to use the clutch to shift at the right RPM's. He also said it won't hurt the transmision by doing this. Is this true?.

 

He is right, if you rev match between gears. If you do it right it wont hurt anything but if you do it wrong you grind gears. There is no real reason to do it unless you toast your clutch and need to drive home.

 

This is true but you usually only hear it from truck drivers and people that want to brag about how great they are behind the wheel. No reason to do it really. Of course if you have a newer STI you don't even have to time it out. I had one and still used the clutch though.

 

Get a new mechanic. Sure, you can do that, but if your timing's off a tiny bit; it could cost big $$$. I'm really surprised this is a "tip" from a mechanic, unless he does transmission repair.

 

Don't see where he said this was a tip...

 

How else would one interpret the OP's first post? You know, the one that mentions the mechanic, and his opinion (tip) on how to shift.

 

I did not interpret it as the mechanic advising him not to use the clutch. He said the mechanic said you didn't need to use the clutch. Which is true.

 

I was just asking him, but I will always use my clutch. I was asking more to teach my wife, and it would be easier if she didn't have to use it all the time. I'll teach her the right way and use the clutch....thanks everybody

 

Here's the deal, "floating the gears" can still be done in a synchronized transmission, but I do not recommend it in our vettes...

Floating is for non-synchronized transmissions, and still has to be done properly to avoid damage. When you're dealing with a close ratio performance transmission like ours, with beefy synchros and blocker rings designed to allow high rpm / high hp gear engagement the window to complete a shift is very small, and thusly the chances of "catching a gear" are greatly increased. Catching a gear is only engaging a small part of the gear, then applying power, and it will violently jump out of gear and you risk a lot of damage via either cracking / chipping teeth on the gear, chewing up the synchros, or worse.

I've put this to the real world test in the T-56 I had in my 94 Camaro too, and I'm very familiar with floating large non-synchronized transmissions designed to be driven as the OP's mechanic described.

Combine what I've said with the fact that the average medium / heavy diesel engine has an RPM range of maybe 2500 RPMs and revs very slowly in comparison to an LS6.... You are just increasing the chances of fouling up using this method even more.

Long story short, don't do it. The mechanic was just trying to sound smart... He's technically right, but realistically wrong.

 

I've done it just for giggles. It can be done, but what use is it.

 

Bad advice, whether technically correct, is still bad advice.