My T/A is my DD with an M6. I broke my left foot last week, but I'm in an aircast/boot that allows me some limited motion. I can walk, and it is *possible* for me to use the clutch occassionally for getting the car into gear. However, just for the purposes of getting around, I'm trying to minimize use of the clutch until this is healed.

Some things are easy, like just popping the shifter into neutral for a stop sign. But I'm wondering about the specifics of floating gears on these cars, IE, clutchless shifting.

I should put out there that I have a class A CDL and was trained to do this on tractor trailers. I'm also a plow driver for the state highway dept, and I actually tend to shift the truck like this more often.

In the truck, the advantage of this is mostly saving clutch wear, and I know that done properly, it doesn't cause any damage, at least to a non-synchro trans.

However, I notice that the firebird REALLY doesn't like doing this, its very very picky about it, more so than the trucks. I can also see that there doesn't seem to be ANY kind of performance benefit at all.

My question is, can anyone enlighten me as to whether I'm doing damage by doing this or not? In general, I can make the car do it smoothly if I shift it right about 3k rpms, and I'm able to get through pretty much all the gears this way. However, if I don't do it EXACTLY right, MAN does this thing grind! My truck won't do that, it'll most likely just not go into gear. The T56 though, will tend to go into gear, but once in awhile there's a clunk/grind about it.

Car has 140k miles, and again, this is ONLY because my foot is in a cast and can't take a great deal of weight. The trans I'm sure could use a rebuild anyhow, but if I try to be gentle, what am I risking here? Should I really try to just get another car for DD use? Or is this permissible if I just be gentle with it?

Tried a search but I wasn't able to find anything about shifting without a clutch. Hell, I wouldn't either if my foot worked! I've got about 4 more weeks in this cast......

 

Yeah, you are quickly destroying the synchro's. I know what you mean with your big rig (My uncle used to drive for Burnham, and has driven for Yellow Freight for the last 30 years.) but that type of drving is not intended for our trans, and is gonna do damage in a hurry if you continue. There is ALWAYS a worse case scenario, and this eventually could lead to more than worn/broke synchro's.

 

I don't do it as much in the Camaro but the dd cobalt I do. I just make sure that the rpm and the road speed is the same.

 

Gen414 - Thanks, that's exactly the kind of thing I was thinking. I vaguely recall hearing that it's not good on a syncro trans. The car has shifted kinda funny since I have owned it, so I knew right off the bat the trans would have to come out someday, but as it sits, she still goes pretty good and that's what I needed to hear to help prolong the life of it.

Luckily this airboot thing they gave me is working pretty good, I feel strong enough to use the clutch more often now!

 

You bet, anytime. You can come across some synchro'd trannies that you can do this rather easily with, but the '56 is not one of them (or any Tremmec made product that I have ever driven for that matter).
My NV5600 in my Cummins I can shift like that. I have never been inside my NV 5600, so I could not tell you why that is (and obviously it is a synchro'd tranny). Well, hope you get to feeling well, and who knows, you may get to like that boot so much, you will keep it on

 

You can do it,just takes practise.There have been many times I've driven back from the track(100+miles) with wrecked clutches doing what you are trying to do.I just had to start the car in gear from a stop.

 

I actually drive a Cummins Dodge with an NV4500 as a plow for the state - that's the truck I was referring to, and you're right - it's totally friendly to this kind of shifting and seems to go without issue. I can definitely do it smoothly with the firebird about 80% of the time, but the exact same move will still result in a nasty grind or clunk 20% of the time without an apparent cause. The trans also will pop out of 3rd gear and grind sometimes while shifting even with full clutch usage, so I'm guessing these synchros took a real beating before I bought the car @ 140k.

The boot will probably only stay with me if I can find a way to mount lasers to it!

 

Yep, that is a GOOD truck ya got there! I am not a brand loyalist AT ALL (have owned all of teh Big 3's trucks), but for a PURE work truck, you CAN'T touch the Cummins (light duty). I have an '03 QC LB DRW CTD NV5600, and it rides like an old wagon (well, as rough as one anyways) but is as tough as nails, and I beat teh crap out of this thing, and does not faze it in teh least. I actually used to haul cars cross country for awhile, and this truck is a left over from that....I am wanting 500K miles out of it before she gets retired.

OK, now that I am will get back to regulary seen broadcast....