how to shift smoothly while driving aggressively
thanks blackhawkRA. i went to autox at ca speedway yesterday and i found it's so fun to race my car. it's my first event and i improved 4 secs from my 1st run. i didn't try my best to get the best time but feel my car in different situation(under and over), which i don't wanna try at street. thanks for the great advice, it did help.
Originally Posted by purecoda
gently depress clutch, put car in first
take a deep breath and floor it
yank first into second, no clutch
punch second into third, no clutch
jerk third into fourth, no clutch
thrust fourth into fifth, no clutch
i do it because i like the smell (and the sound) of grinding gears.
take a deep breath and floor it
yank first into second, no clutch
punch second into third, no clutch
jerk third into fourth, no clutch
thrust fourth into fifth, no clutch
i do it because i like the smell (and the sound) of grinding gears.

Thats the best thing i've heard all day!!!!!
Originally Posted by rkm625
people that ride with me when i drive fast always tell me i can't drive bc its not smooooooth and they get jerked around a bit. So i tell them to drive their civic instead of askin me for a ride
Just remember the most important aspect: practice, practice, practice...
Originally Posted by DaWorstPlaya
Mind over matter, even when racing you have to stay calm and shift smoothly. You really don't save much time by ramming throught the gears but do cause accelerated tranny/synchro wear ...
Im with this guy, its all in your head. If you think your an aggresive driver than you'll get aggresive results. Rather than Being smooth and calm and accurate. You'll enjoy your driver alot more. When driving think ahead of your next shift,next turn so on. there are tons of ways that you could improve your driving, or mind set. I think its alittle bit of everything
Emotion: Feel the car. Feel the road. Fall into the natural rhythm. I believe the vehicle should be an extension of you, not as a seperate entity. Be relaxed and calm and in good spirits. Put on a some music to get in the mood: "The Ride Of The Valkyries".
Behaviour: Treat her gentle like a little lady. Use the pads on your fingers to pull from 1-2, 3-4. Palm up for 2-3 and 4-5. Let her take care of herself. Grabbing with a closed fist tightens up the muscles in your arms. Why get tense? Use your knee and ankle both to adjust the rate of clutching. Let it fall into a natural sinusoidal response. The closer the clutch plates are together, the slower you clutch. Let it fall into nature's natural beat. If you clutch on and off like a square wave, things are going to get jagged and you're going to upset the car.
Technical: Match the RPM to the gear changes. Know your gears. Note that the gear change from 3-2 is larger than the gear change from 4-3. That means if you are shifting from 4-3 at 4000RPM and you need to blip up to 4800RPM. Then to go from 3-2 at 4000RPM you might need to rev up to 5200RPM. Note also I performed no calculations here and the numbers are for the sake of argument. Higher RPMs seems to be more stable for shifting.
Even when I think I'm doing good, regardless of the type of driving, I still observe the movements of my passanger(s). I find you get a false sense of stability when you're holding tight to the wheel and depressing the floor board. Or just fill a paper cup with red or yellow oil based paint 0.75" from the rim, place in your cup holder and don't spill.
Behaviour: Treat her gentle like a little lady. Use the pads on your fingers to pull from 1-2, 3-4. Palm up for 2-3 and 4-5. Let her take care of herself. Grabbing with a closed fist tightens up the muscles in your arms. Why get tense? Use your knee and ankle both to adjust the rate of clutching. Let it fall into a natural sinusoidal response. The closer the clutch plates are together, the slower you clutch. Let it fall into nature's natural beat. If you clutch on and off like a square wave, things are going to get jagged and you're going to upset the car.
Technical: Match the RPM to the gear changes. Know your gears. Note that the gear change from 3-2 is larger than the gear change from 4-3. That means if you are shifting from 4-3 at 4000RPM and you need to blip up to 4800RPM. Then to go from 3-2 at 4000RPM you might need to rev up to 5200RPM. Note also I performed no calculations here and the numbers are for the sake of argument. Higher RPMs seems to be more stable for shifting.
Even when I think I'm doing good, regardless of the type of driving, I still observe the movements of my passanger(s). I find you get a false sense of stability when you're holding tight to the wheel and depressing the floor board. Or just fill a paper cup with red or yellow oil based paint 0.75" from the rim, place in your cup holder and don't spill.
first, check out the link to the diy on the clutch block in my sig.
second, smooth is good- I use the finger tip/palm method when I am shifting and it makes the shifter do the work for you almost. If you are being real jerky you are hitting the throttle too soon. you have to be COMPLETELY engaged before you go back to WOT. unless you have a SMG you can't expect the car to shift instantly, try slowing down a tad on the throttle application.
lots of good advice--looks like I used too many anacronyms
second, smooth is good- I use the finger tip/palm method when I am shifting and it makes the shifter do the work for you almost. If you are being real jerky you are hitting the throttle too soon. you have to be COMPLETELY engaged before you go back to WOT. unless you have a SMG you can't expect the car to shift instantly, try slowing down a tad on the throttle application.
lots of good advice--looks like I used too many anacronyms
I picked up the book titled "Bob Bondurant on High Performance Driving". I'm not "bad" for shifting, but there's something in my movement to/from 2nd that has always tripped me up, spirited driving or not. One thing that Mr Bondurant taught me so far reading his book is that shifting is not just a journey from 1st to 2nd. Its a journey through N. The LanEVO isn't a drag car, so take your time. Depress the clutch, shift from 1st to N, let your heart beat once, shift from N to 2nd, engage the clutch. This is something new and it has been working for me. I'm wondering, though, if double clutching is neccesary, or recommended for a car with 3 synchros for 1-3 and 2 for 3-5. Thoughts, anyone?
Abrupt changes or difference in direction and/or force on anything causes a rapid change in acceleration which ends up as disruption. Disruption causes stress, heat and lost energy. Stress and heat causes accelerated wear and tear, on both you and the car. Do you and your car a favour and smooth it out....
Then again, what is "driving agressively"? If you're slaming gears, sure its aggressive and angry and you might not be going anywhere. Or you can get gentle, yet firm and take the corner as you like. Or maybe you're doing a constant +15MPH over the speed limit which your friendly Man in Blue calls "agressive driving" and pulls you over LOL.
Abrupt changes or difference in direction and/or force on anything causes a rapid change in acceleration which ends up as disruption. Disruption causes stress, heat and lost energy. Stress and heat causes accelerated wear and tear, on both you and the car. Do you and your car a favour and smooth it out....
Then again, what is "driving agressively"? If you're slaming gears, sure its aggressive and angry and you might not be going anywhere. Or you can get gentle, yet firm and take the corner as you like. Or maybe you're doing a constant +15MPH over the speed limit which your friendly Man in Blue calls "agressive driving" and pulls you over LOL.
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