Anyone else out there float gears? If so have you had any negative effects?

If you successfully float it's fine. If you "grind" you're wearing synchros heavily.

The syncros are little cylindrical clutches basically that will bring the gears to the same tooth /min RPM to mesh up that way you don't have to float the gears. This is ALL they were designed to do. They spin the clutch (when properly disengaged) down or up to the right wheel speed so that the gears can mesh. The syncros are not designed to take the stresses of trying to mesh speeds of the engine and truck (when clutch is engaged), as by floating you are basically trying to use them as clutches rather than the clutch. Also, as you wear the syncros, little pieces of friction material (with is very thin anyway) will start floating about the transmission wearing gears, bearings and other syncros much faster. Nobody "perfectly" matches RPM, and your syncros will fail. Floating is fun. I've done it. It still not good for the syncro life and when shifting properly, you really don't save any appreciable wear on your clutch. Clutch wear happens when you pull off from a dead stop, and when you do big high torque clutch dumps or shifting where you are not closely matched in RPM. So basically, all the wear happens in areas you wouldn't be floating anyway. Now, its good to try to float by syncing RPM, but use the clutch even then unless you've put a 13sp eaton in the thing and need to double clutch / float. Our trucks just aren't big rigs, even though many have more power than a Kenworth.

i appreciate the information and i will adjust my driving accordingly! though i dont grind the gears...i grew up driving an old ford with burned out synchros so floating and double clutching comes pretty natural

use the clutch even then unless you've put a 13sp eaton in the thing and need to double clutch / float.

I'm gonna have a really hard time adjusting to a G56...