reverse issue with an 8v tranny--Grind prevention

[jdbubb at ix.netcom.com (Dan Bubb)]

> It's going between gears when you are moving.  You push the clutch in, go to neutral, let the
clutch out and rev-match . > for the next gear, then put the clutch in, pick the gear and let the
clutch out.

I'm lazy. I don't double clutch since the 020 synchros seem up to the job. But I do rev match
routinely (heel and toe) especially on downshifts. That's were the smoothness comes from. Screw the
synchros!

When I was young I had a Fiat 850 with a totally worn out gearbox. The synchros were long gone.
Great opportunity to learn how to shift by double clutching or learn how to shift without the clutch
(which has come in handy a couple times with the ole Scirocco!) since the gearbox was total trash
anyway.
No need to double clutch on the upshift especially if you have a lightened flywheel since the gear
speeds will match anyway if you time the shift right.
This reminds me of a friend of mine that always cruised in too low a gear. Any opportunity where he
had to let off the gas a little I'd pull it out of gear (once the load is off the gear you can pull
it into neutral very easily) , he'd see that I'd done that and let off the gas and as soon as he did
that the revs would drop, and you could pull it right into the next gear. Pissed him off every time,
but it also worked evertime without a hint of a grind!
Downshifting, I think rev matching is adequate with our cars unless your synchros are  worn out ;^)
As far as getting it into reverse, I don't think I'd call that double clutching. You put it in first
or second to stop the gears rotating. Letting the clutch out before putting it into reverse just
gets them rotating again so the non-synchro reverse can grind.

my .02
Dan


> Done quickly and properly it makes for very smooth shifts that just slip in like butter.  It was
necessary on the very old > cars/trucks, but we're talking 30's and 40's, because they didn't have
syncros.  I do it on any standard I drive not
>  because it's necessary but because it makes things much smoother and saves the syncros.  It makes
by far the biggest > difference on downshifts.

John K. Gates
--
Rome, NY
'97 Jetta GLX - daily driver
'85 Scirocco Flash Silver, waiting for my new house/shop for a complete
teardown/buildup sometime soon...