Should the Clutch Be Depressed When Shifting to Neutral?
2 Answers
Shifting to neutral requires depressing the clutch. The reasons for depressing the clutch when shifting to neutral are as follows: 1. Shifting to neutral without depressing the clutch will be more strenuous. 2. Shifting to neutral without depressing the clutch can cause excessive wear on the synchronizer inside the clutch, and may even lead to damage due to shifting impact. Additional information about the clutch is as follows: Method for adjusting the clutch on the Geely Vision X6: The pedal is connected to a threaded rod with a locking nut on top, which can be loosened for adjustment. More details about the clutch are as follows: 1. The clutch should be depressed for both acceleration and deceleration shifts. When braking at high speeds, first apply the brakes to reduce speed, then depress the clutch when the speed drops below 20 km/h. 2. The clutch functions similarly to a switch, engaging or disengaging power transmission. The clutch mechanism allows the driving and driven parts to temporarily separate and gradually engage, with the possibility of relative rotation during transmission.
I used to study this issue when driving manual transmissions. The neutral position is a special detent in the gearbox, and theoretically, you can shift to neutral without depressing the clutch by precisely finding the gap to push the gear lever. However, in actual driving, I still recommend pressing the clutch every time: First, to protect the synchronizer—forcing the shift can accelerate wear; second, some car models have tighter gear positions, and pushing the lever without the clutch can leave the gears in a semi-engaged state, causing noticeable jerking; third and most importantly, it's a safety issue—accidentally shifting into the wrong gear could damage the transmission. Especially when shifting to neutral while moving, I've seen novice drivers push the lever without pressing the clutch and accidentally shift into reverse, immediately destroying the transmission. Developing the habit of pressing the clutch also makes manual driving smoother.
