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Originally Posted by Paul
Anyone doing this should be ready for some expensive tranny repairs.
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While I wouldn't recommend doing it all the time, upshifting without the clutch in the way described won't damage the tranny. The problem is that when you push the lever forward to engage the synchro, the bigger the speed difference between the engine and tranny, the more wear you put on the synchro. If you're very skilled and consistent, you could probably keep wear to a minimum - but why do it? That's why you have a clutch in the first place. For me, it's a good technique to know (though not on my own Boxster - it's a Tip) in case you ever have clutch issues and need to get home.
If you want to really refine your skills, learn to downshift without the clutch, a bit more of a challenge to do it smoothly.
In terms of wear, the way I think of it is by the cost of the components. Brakes are cheaper than a clutch, and clutches are cheaper than a tranny. So, I use my brakes instead of engine braking, and use my clutch to minimize tranny wear. On my M3 and 914, I've always been in the habit of double-clutching all downshifts, it's only marginally slower and saves a bit of synchro wear, while giving you a jerk-free gearchange.