Just what is double clutching? Question

Double clutching it is a breeze.

When you are changing gears going from first to second and then to third, when you depress the clutch after getting up to speed in first, the clutch disc and thus the input shaft to the transmission is turning at engine speed, while the mating second gear is turning much slower.

If you try to depress the clutch and slide right into second, the gears will “grind” until the friction of the grinding gears slows the clutch disc and input shaft to the same speed as the mating second gear. Due to inertia, the clutch disc will take much longer to slow down than the engine.

So, if you pull it out of first gear with the clutch depressed, then allow the engine to slow down and release the clutch, you instantly slow the clutch disc to engine speed, which should just about approximate the speed of the second gear. Then you depress the clutch pedal again and move the shift lever to second gear position.

Same exact scenario going to third and for the same reasons. It takes a little practice “to get the feel” of just when to release the clutch for going into the next gear, but after a few tries, it will become almost automatic.

Changing down is the same situation except in reverse. (No, not reverse gear.) If you want to shift from third to second and use the engine for braking, or if you are approaching a steep hill and will need to use second gear, if you pull the shift lever out of third and try to go directly to second, the clutch disc and input shaft will be running too slow to match the speed of the second gear.

So, the solution is to depress the clutch pedal, pull the shift lever out of third, then release the clutch pedal. At the same instant, you will want to accelerate the engine to approximately the speed the engine will need to be running in second gear.

That speeds up the input shaft to approximately the speed of second gear, and at that point, you will depress the clutch pedal and shift into second gear. Same exact procedure for shifting from second to first. It all takes a little practice, but after a while it becomes second nature.

A lot of verbiage, but that is the gist of “Double Clutching.”