Clutchless shifting the 6spd

Got a 2015 STI, brand new motor and clutch… yes, it was expensive lol. Been stalling it all over duluth trying to get used to driving a super high strung clutch combined with living on the hill, and not wanting to clutch more than I have to, been upshifting clutchless. Anyone know if this transmission is going to retaliate or is it pretty safe? I can't afford any more repairs this year.. or food. Seems to handle the upshifting fine but I've given up on the clutchless down shifts as I've found it's almost guaranteed to grind the gears if it's not timed PERFECTLY.

 

https://www.iwsti.com/forums/driving-tips-and-techniques/192043-clutchless-shifting-good-bad.html
Older article, but in a nutshell, if you have extra money to repair your synchros, go for it!

 

Jesus, who buys a manual transmission in Duluth...or San Francisco?

 

You're not very good at decision making, are you?

 

Buys STI, can't afford food.

 

Yeah, it has broken in significantly in the last week. I guess I'll just use the clutch. Just a bad habit from driving truck. The rpms kind of rise for a second after the load is taken off, I'm guessing it doesn't have enough back pressure. Bigger turbo should drop the rpms faster, right?

 

haha right?

 

Priorities.

 

Don't worry about using the clutch, slip it all you need to. These clutches can handle a ton of low rpm slipping without causing excessive wear.

 

Pretty sure this is just a symptom of the stock tune from Subaru. If you reflash with a Cobb OTS map or a pro-tune it should get rid of that RPM hang issue.

Don't the newer models have the hill assist feature that keeps you from rolling back on hills so you can just take off normally when on an incline?

 

This is probably the most annoying feature on my 15 sti. It "works" on even small inclines but I feel like it doesn't unlock fast enough so you end up almost killing it when you try to get going. Could be just me, but I really dislike hill start assist.

 

not sure the logic behind wanting to preserve the clutch (cheapest part of that system) at the expense of possibly ****-canning the trans.

 

Clutch is way cheaper than synchros.

6-speed is fairly tough, so it'll be able to take it for awhile. But why risk it?

 

my thoughts exactly. In all my other manuals I've just done like my mom taught me as a kid, hand brake and let the hand brake out at your own pace/discretion as you get rolling.

 

Yeah it had a tune supposedly, I don't know where it was tuned before, but RS built a new motor for it and set it stock again for the break in process. But the previous owner kept the cobb access port for the intake that is on it so it can't even get tuned till I get another. I plan to take it back for a tune next year once the motor has a few miles on it and I have some more money. (RS did a phenomenal job on the build.)

 

Thanks! That's reassuring to hear. I'm hyper sensitive driving it with how much money I have invested into it at this point, but I'll try loosening the reins a little and leading it with some gas, maybe 1-1500Rpms? It's driving much smoother now and it's only been about almost 2 weeks yet.

 

Don't listen to them. 3000 rpm and sidestep the clutch pedal it so you don't slip it at all. The clutch will last longer this way.
Also, grinding gears is just the transmission letting you know it likes what you are doing. Exactly like a cat purring.

 

Yeah. I don't want the motor to be cold either, so when I have it in neutral, I just stand on the gas so the motor stays warm.

 

That'll be key in the cold Duluth winters. Keep the coolant pumping fast so it doesn't have a chance to freeze.

 

IIRC, you can do that in trucks, because they have straight cut gears. Cars generally do not, unless you dump a TON of money for a PPG set or the like. I probably still wouldn't clutchless shift if i just dumped that much moolah into a gearset.

 

and now the rack and pinion's leaking. there goes another $700

 

I feel like you should be on some kind of car abuse registry to keep innocent cars safe from you...

 

I'm assuming you had drained the fluid from the PS system to avoid burning through the fluid in parking lot maneuvers?

 

Yes, they do. Although it can be more annoying to get it to disengage. On a fairly steep incline though, it is nice to have regardless.

My 15' STi, and 18' Type RA both had Hill Assist as an option. Nice on BIG hills, but if you don't time it just right you over rev it. I have done this many times.

 

Doesn't Duluth have a public transit system?

 

this car is made of glass.

 

I am not sure about your mileage. Anecdotally, there are quite a few folks that have had Impreza steering rack issues around 50k or less. I guess all Impreza steering racks fail all the time -- probably model years since 2000 or earlier. I bought mine without checking, and of course, at 91k it leaks quite a bit. I put in about enough for "2-3 lines" on the reservoir each week (and lots of cardboard on the garage floor). I don't recall the link, but someone did order quality O-rings and replaced them for about $50 USD.

 

I am thinking of getting the 2015+ steering rack for mine. Part of the reason I was unable to get the inner & outer tie rods separated on an old BMW without drilling them out for about a day's worth of work (I am slow..). Seems much faster to just replace the steering rack. For DIY some places have 2015+ OEM steering rack for about $550.

On an aside, if you want to clean up your powersteering pump (https://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2127419).

 

Well, I've had 4 Imprezas of 3 different chassis (first being a 99 RS) and have never had one leak or fail.

 

I urge you to reassess your understanding of the concepts of "causation" and "correlation".
Also, do you have a detailed history of maintenance of your car? You mentioned that you have a 3-year-old car that has already needed an engine an clutch replacement.

 

The only Subaru steering rack issues I've ever heard about (and experienced) are with the 05-09 Outback. That rack is hot garbage and fails frequently.

 

I was talking to a subaru tech and he said the 13:1 rack and pinion in the 2015+ is known to have the seal go bad around the pinion shaft. There is no aftermarket, nor even a replacement seal that I could find. This car only has 50k on it. I am suspecting some hasty repairs were done to limp it onto the next owner (me). Calling it a lemon is pointless, as it was a private party sale. But soon enough it'll be a brand new car again lol. Currently the leak is about a couple ounces/30miles in the city. As far as "causation" "correlation", I guess it's easy to assume I'm somehow causing these things to break, but if you knew me at all or saw me drive this car, you'd understand no one is more ginger than I, driving their STI. It'll be easier once I'm out of this apartment and back in a house with a garage where I will be able to fix it myself, and maybe reengineer some things. My entire family, extended family, and in-laws, all drive subaru's and only once before has a subaru given this much grief, was when my dad's 2000, 2001 and 2002 outback's decided to blow headgaskets like it was going out of style. If the same seal starts leaking on the new one after a point, I'll see if I can't make my own seal.

 

Like my first girlfriend in high school, you're giving mixed signals.
I get what you're trying to say, but the info outlined so far is contradicting that statement. There's nothing wrong with causing your car to break, I personally caused my own engine rebuild by botching a timing belt job. But you're telling a number of different stories in here. I hope it starts being a more reliable vehicle for you, 50k doesn't seem like much mileage for a car to start bursting leaks.

 

CVT swap that bish. Clutchless shifting all day.

Also, old trick is to crack an egg into your power steering reservoir to stop the rack from leaking.

 

I don’t think you can do clutchless shifts on this vehicle. I am actually very sure of it. You can do them on motorcycles because they employ a synchronized transmission.......also some rally cars do as well.....but the stock transmission is going to retaliate in an expensive way if you shift without the clutch.

 

Any transmission can be shifted without a clutch if you're smooth or determined enough.

 

I looked at an 01 Stratus RT right after high school (probably 03/04 ish). Salesman wanted to show off "how nice it shifted" by shifting without the clutch most of the time. Rev matching is key.

 

A salesman that can rev match HAS to be more rare than even a Stratus RT.

 

Still going to use the clutch. Not so sure I am as smooth as you guys and I would not like to fix things that didn’t need to be broken. They didn’t put a third pedal in there for nothing.

 

He was a pretty smooth talker. I didn't buy the car... Haha.

 

Don't listen to the trolls use your clutch!