Crap Gearchange

[colinxm]

Double declutching ? heard of it but don't know how to do it, so how's it work then

Colin.P

[DerekW]

Hi Colin,

Changing up, eg 3rd to 4th, press clutch pedal (declutch) and lift accelerator, move gear lever to neutral, release clutch pedal (this synchronises the gearbox shaft speeds), declutch, move lever to required gear position, engage clutch and away you go.

Changing down is a little more complicated to describe but very easy to do as it involves a quick blip of the accelerator when in neutral to synchronise the gearbox layshaft speed. The easiest way to do it is to practice carrying out the motions whilst sitting in your chair, legs out in front with heels on the ground as if driving your car, right instep is angled forward to press on the throttle pedal, left instep is hovering over the clutch pedal: To change down pivot right foot back and left foot forward, move gear lever to neutral, pivot left foot back and right foot forward and immediately pivot right foot back and left foot forward, engage required gear, pivot left foot back and right foot forward and away you go. The movement of the left and right feet is done together. The whole operation takes about a second.

If you're really adventurous you can copy the way the old racing drivers used to do it when approaching a hairpin, braking with your right heel whilst doing a series of double declutching downchanges!

Give it a go, it's good fun and as I said it does take the load off the synchromesh cones.

Derek

[Gav]

and to prove how much it saves wear on the synchro you can actually change down gears without using the clutch - but you do need to blip the throttle to the exact engine revs to avoid lots of crunching sounds!

much trial and tesing whilst driving 2cv's which have no synchro on 1st and not enough power to pull away from slow speed in 2nd. Only choice was to have to get to a complete stop to engage 1st even if traffic is pulling away - or learn to double declutch.

a worn clutch plate taught me how to avoid using the clucth! (i had a lot of spare 2cvs including gearboxes so didnt mind if any trouble occurred, which never did.)

[Peter.N.]

Anyone who has been compelled do drive a fair distance without a clutch, as I and I am sure many others have, soon learns to synchronise the engine/road speeds for a given gear. If the synchro is really good, it won't go into gear if you dont, if it isnt it crunches nastily. - I have also driven about 180 miles home from London wthout any oil pressure! - But that's another story.

Peter.N.