Full clutch disengagement befire shifting?

I was just talking to my friend about driving a manual and he was telling me that the way I shift is wrong (I fully depress the clutch before I shift gears). He says that I don't have to depress the clutch completely, that if I depress it around 80% (up to the disengagement point), it will be fine for me to shift, w/o damaging the clutch? Is this true? I'm asking, cause he drives an automatic, so his opinion isn't from personal experience (actually, he doesn't know how to drive a manual, he just heard this info from other). Thanks

[4jacks]

i don't think fully depressing the clutch is going to hurt anything.... I don't do it all the time though. It's hard to describe but thiers this point when it disengages, you can kinda feel it..... I kinda make it one action, while Im depressing the clutch as soon as I hit that point I start to shift the gears, by the time My foot is un-depressing the clutch (ok that's not a word) I have better of found the new gear by that POINT or GRIND !!!

there is no harm in slamming that clutch pedal to the floor. just don't expect to win many races.

[thermal]

it doesnt hurt to press it all the way. as a matter of fact that is recommended by manufacturer to do. after driving your car for a while, you'll get used of when to shift just by feeling it. then u may not have to depress the clucth all the way.

[Accord Man]

Agreed..

when you start driving depress all the way. And at a certain point you'll get to a stage when you'll be doing the shift described by 4jacks.

Cool, thx for the info. So by not fully depressing the clutch, I'll have better acceleration, since I have less time off of the gas? Is that how ppl shift when they race? If I don't depress the clutch enough though, then I would grind the heck out of my gears, huh? Guess I'll know when I hear that nasty grinding sound.

First off, that grinding sound isn't the gears grinding together. Every gear in the transmission is all ready meshed together, no matter what gear you are in. It's just a matter of the collar meshing it's teeth with the appropriate gear. Just in case you wanted to know =)

Anyway, if you really want to have less time on the pedal, don't lift your foot off the gas. It's not something you want to try till you can really get your shifts down. The 1-2 shift is an easy one to power shift, so practice on that first. The 2-3 is a little longer and harder to do.

u can go from any gear to neutral without depression any of the clutch
try it, you let off ur gas, and put ur gear in neutral, u won't need to depress the clutch
BUT if u want to go from neutral to any of the gear
U WILL NEED TO DEPRESS the clutch for sure
as for how much to depress, FULLY DEPRESS is always the best, sometimes when u drive fast, and ur clutch is not full depressed, u will scratch ur gear box, like i alwasy do hehehe

WHAT!!!! You can shift from any gear to neutral without depressing the clutch? So I've been taught incorrectly and depressing the clutch all this time????? Is that what most ppl do? Wouldn't that damage the gearbox???

Actually, I tried driving last night, w/o fully depressing the clutch when changing gears. I do shift faster this way and have less time off the gas. Lot's of thanks. When you scratch your gear box, is the sound noticable? I assume its that horrible grinding sound I used to hear when I first learned how to drive stick. I don't think I scratched my gear box last night, but I could be wrong. THANKS!!!!!!

A true driver can change gears without using the clutch the key is the right RPM

Yea, you can do it without changing gears, it's easy. You just gotta know what rpm to match. It's way slower to shift this way, but it's fun to show your friends that don't know any better. =)

If you shift fast enough, even if it "grinds" a little bit, you may not even hear it depending on your exhaust and other loud sounds. I can feel second grind a little every now and then if I am power shifting (not very often though).

[Addict]

When I'm cruising around I very seldom press the clutch all the way to the floor. You eventually learn the point where it disengages and just move the pedal there. If I'm parking or going through stop & go traffic I might press the pedal all the way down just out of habit.