Clutchless shifting in manual 2001 Tacoma

Does anyone else not use the clutch between 1st and 5th gear? I do it all the time and am told it doesn't do any harm. It shifts smoothly with no grinding. Also, I use only 1st, 3rd, and 5th gear when accelerating normally, I just wind it out a bit further, makes for easier driving.

 

It wont hurt anything. I always did it in my old manual trucks.

As long as you do it right, it will be fine. There is a sweet-spot if you get the timing right where it will dump right into gear.

Accelerate and get the revs up, let off the gas, dump into gear.

 

What's the point of not using the clutch?

 

It's just so cool

I did it all the time in my accord when I was 16, but now I don't need to prove anything to myself and just drive like a normal human being.

 

its easy because on alot of trannies, 5th isnt syncronized. But why do it? if it "makes for easier driving" get an auto. Doing that will eventually round the "dogs/teeth" on the gears (what happens when you dont hit the sweet spot) and eventually the gears could pop out during normal driving. Reasons to be very careful buying used vehicles...

 

that's just stupid... if you didn't need the clutch, toyota would have never put it there.

 

Concur- You won't get a transmission explosion or create a blackhole- but down the road your manual transmission won't stay in gear....It'll be a long way down the road- but it's coming.

It's your truck...do whatever you want.

 

If you know what your doing, it will be fine. Macks and Kenny's have clutch's too.... only for first and reverse.....and those trucks get 800k + miles

 

And they have professional drivers...and transmissions built with that purpose in mind....

 

Were talking about a little yota 5spd not a big rig...

CDL here and i use the clutch...sometime you have to double clutch. Trannies in rigs are a totally different animal and a wee bit tougher. They are also super close ratio which makes it easier. I have shifted without the clutch in my peterbuilt but see no benefit. it goes into gear easier using the clutch so i use it.

 

And that is a pretty ignorant statement, sir. Have you ever driven a heavy truck before, as in an eighteen wheeler? You dont use the clutch at all except for taking off. The op is refering to the same concept.

Do I do it, no, but it is more than possible if you know what your doing without causing damage to the transmission.

 

Truck trannies are totally different they are not synconized and rely on a good driver to match engine and tranny rpms... cars/suvs/pickups are different, you need the syncros to line up the gears. except alot of older vehicles top gears arent syncroed but you need to match the rpms perfect. the rev range on a rig is 3000rpms maybe less (depends on tractor) the range on a tacoma at least double that making it harder to match the speed so you should use the clutch...

Dont bring truck drivers into the mix because they use the clutch in their cars in every gear...

 

I realize a trucks transmission is not sycronoized and a pickups trasmission is, and the fact that the rpm range is twice as high, if not more making it much harder to shift without the clutch and not cause damage to the transmission. It is still possible if you are a good driver and know what you are doing. I drove a truck (recreationally to tow a race trailer) and put quite some miles on it. I hardly used the clutch except on take off and never once had a problem with the truck. The point is, it doesnt have to be done to prevent damage to the transmission. If you can efficently match the tranmission speed to the engine speed, there really isnt much of a need to use the clutch in any of the upper gears.

Now if that truck was making a living for me, which it was quite the opposite for me, sure i probably would have used the clutch through every gear.. I chose the more convienant route and it served me well for many miles...

 

i hear the argument but it only takes once to screw up and bingo your grinding. for sake of arguing what kind of truck was it that you drove?

Yes the clutch gets old quick when you have 13 gears to choose from or go through but seriously you need to shift without the clutch on a 5 speed?

 

well then tell me why the clutch is there? big rigs have nothing to do with if it should be done in a pickup truck, someone mentioned they are built for it, our pickup trucks are not.

big rigs still have the clutch because they need it for accelerating and the first few gears, in a pickup truck it's intended to be used throughout every gear, the people who figured out why we need it are much smarter than most of us here, so i trust them, and seeing as it's been like this for so many years, i don't think they are wrong.

 

Hes saying it can be done with no damage which is correct. But, if you do it wrong even once you can do some real damage.

 

right, so my comment saying it's stupid, is valid. (although im sure someone was offended by my choice of words)
your asking for problems down the road, because guaranteed you will mess up at some point if you do it all the time.

 

why not just push the clutch in, its not to hard

 

Clutches in big rigs are designed to be double clutched, none are "made" to not use the clutch. Double clutch means you push in about 1/2 way to go out of gear, reclutch to go into gear. (all the way down is a clutch brake on commercial rigs and the reason a lot just skip the clutch)

And yes you can drive them w/o clutching, but once again YOU HAVE TO HIT THE SWEET SPOT, and that wont pass you on a driving test.

It seems professional to not use the clutch, like "look at me i got skillz", you better know what you are doing and what happens when you don't do it right. Tried it in my taco, it works, I still use the clutch though.

 

I hear you, and I wasn't trying to ruffle any feathers here, my point was that it is entirely possible without any damage to either types of transmission. Would I do this with my pickup truck on any kind of a basis? No. Have I? Sure I have.

The truck was a 2004 Peterbilt 330 Toterhome w/ a 10 speed.