What's the best for the synchros

Hi guys, I wonder what's the best for the synchros in stop-and-go traffic. Suppose you're at a stop light, clutch out, in neutral, and the light turns green. Is it better to: 1) push in the clutch, wait a few seconds for the gearbox to slow down or stop, then shift to 1st and go; or 2) push in the clutch, shift to a higher gear (say 3rd or 4th) to stop the gearbox from spinning, then shift to 1st and go? Are the synchrons the same for all the gears in terms of how easy to wear out? Or say, the 1st gear synchro is beefier? Thanks, - Ahsai

are you kidding? put it in gear and go

there will be far less wear on any componet if you just leave the car at home and dont drive it but then everything starts to rot and you end up with diffrent sometimes worse issues drive the car and forgetabout it

Hahaha..i know i know. It's more of a theoretical question. I should clarify I'm not suggesting one should do it in heavy traffic... On the other hand, I don't want to wear out something unnecessarily if I can prevent it without much effort. Similar to clutch engagment, you can be as smooth as you can or you can go crazy....except gearbox costs 10x more to R/R. - Ahsai

You can shift into 1st gear directly from 2nd at any speed of 30 mph and less with no worries. They are designed to be used and will last far longer than most other moving parts on your car.

I used to think of the same situation in my standard cars. I believe waiting a few seconds will not matter because there is still a slight amount of contact between the pressure plate and disk even though the clutch is "in". For example, if a synchro is completely out, no matter how long you wait with the clutch "in", it still grinds from my past experience. I am not sure about Porsche transmissions but the ones I have been around or exploded, lol, have had the same size syncros throughout the gears.

Thanks for the replies, guys. - Ahsai

You will no doubt get less wear on the 1st synchro if you wait longer before putting it into gear. You will get less wear if the car is completely stopped as well. You will also get less wear if you shift into another gear before finally shifting into 1st gear, but you're just wearing the other gear instead. This might be exactly what you're after to save 1st gear. In that case, I'd choose the last gear you have (6th) since it gets so little use over the life of the car. That's the answer to your question, but I think most importantly, you should always treat your transmission with respect and shift gently and smoothly. Besides, that's the recipe for going fast - smooth and gentle. And don't forget to change out the oil, since that will also wear down those synchros..

I was AGGRESSIVELY driving my car over the past weekend. I'm loath to admit that the clutch definitely gave off that lightly (who am I kidding, noticeably) burning odor. But then, again, it's the price of admission for exceptional twisties.

Murphy, yea I agree with your explanation and that's the way I understand it too. - Ahsai

To an extent it is possible for time to slow the input shaft down but IF there is a slight "drag" of the disk and pressure plate due to warpage or bad adjustment, the contact will keep the input shaft at the same speed of the motor with the clutch in. If the car is stopped, doesnt mean the syncro is in an ideal situation to do its job. At full stop, the output shaft is completely stopped but the input shaft is spinning somewhat at enigne speed, so the syncro has to slow the input shaft to match the output shaft speed. Shifting to first right before coming to a complete stop usually gives the best "syncronizing" or the least amount of work from the syncros since both shafts are turning, not just one.

"....If the car is stopped, doesnt mean the syncro is in an ideal situation to do its job. At full stop, the output shaft is completely stopped but the input shaft is spinning somewhat at enigne speed, so the syncro has to slow the input shaft to match the output shaft speed. Shifting to first right before coming to a complete stop usually gives the best "syncronizing" or the least amount of work from the syncros since both shafts are turning, not just one." This only applies IF the clutch is not completely disengaged from the engine (due to warping of flywheel, clutch, etc.) as you described, right? If the clutch is good, then the input shaft should stop shortly (maybe in a few seconds?)after you clutch in, then there will be NO work at all for the synchros when you shift to 1st (when the car is stationary) since both input and output shafts are stopped, right? - Ahsai

I would tend to assum they remain spinning due to friction between all the compoents

My past experiences with POS transmissions show that if the 1st syncro is out, the input shaft is still spinning from the drag of the pressure plate and disk. Why I say this is because when I would try to put the shifter into first gear, the hub slider would grind and you would hear the input shaft slowing down. But once I would let up on the shifter (slider hub is freeing from the gear cluster), the friction or drag from the clutch would bring the input shaft back up to speed of the engine and the same situation would occur again and again until you would get the gear engaged. Sorry for the run-on. The pressure plate barely seperates from the clutch disk when the clutch is disengaged, just like your brakes, there is a slight contact betweent the parts.

So together with the friction Brad mentioned, the input shaft never really stops even if you clutch in comlpetely. That also means shifting to another gear first to attempt to stop the input shaft will not work too well since the moment you shift out of that gear, the input shaft will be back to rotation by the drag...so you will wear out the syncrhos of both gears. Not good. So shifting to 1st directly isn't too bad afterall - Ahsai

synros usaly fail from abuse, not fully releaseing the clutch before shifting, grinding shifts ect. synro wear is the last thing i think about when i drive my car

All you gotta do is put it in nuetral and push the clutch in and release. When the light turns green, you just slide it right into gear and everything is synched up already. If you are sitting there with your foot on the clutch, then in theory you are wearing the springs of the clutch out slightly faster. Doesn't make much of a difference- but also I just hate sitting there with my clutch pushed in. Anyway- just put it in nuetral and cycle the clutch once and you are good to go.

Yes, you're right, the input shaft never stops spinning, but the drag is minimal. Just like the brake pads on the rotor, if you jack up the car, you should be able to freely spin the wheel, even though the brake pads are extremely close. The pads, by the way, should not be touching. Same with the clutch. But, you will get some drag from the rest of the components. So, while it is spinning, the drag is minimal. In other words, it could take 1,2,3,5, or even 10 seconds to get the input shaft back up to spinning. It depends on how much drag, but a good clutch that is fully depressed will have minimal drag.