So you think you can shift?
Jul 5, 2003, 03:30 PM
#1
Newbie
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 61
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
So you think you can shift?
ok...i figure i shift ok...i say ok cause i'm prolly a little hard on myself...but i shift a HELL of alot better than alot of people i know...and i still don't consider my shifting anywhere near perfect...
i was wondering if you guys could share some do's and dont's about shifting and driving the evo in general...like, going around curves (under overpass areas, etc)...going to pass someone on the hwy...launching (if you want to do that, whats the best way)...what to do or not do on an incline...what about leaving a resting stop?...
i mean you got your standards...don't power shift...don't dump the clutch...etc...but what i'm interested in is mostly daily driving scenarios and how to get on it when i want a little thrill, but without screwing things up in the long run...
for instance...whats you guys thoughts on feathering the clutch while shifting and accelerating quickly?
oh! and using the brakes...i mean, should i use the transmission to slow the car or use more brake alone...or what?...whats your take...i've been using my transmission to slow the car with a little brake...but i find myself dropping into neutral and using the hell out of my pads when i'm not paying attention...argh!
i was wondering if you guys could share some do's and dont's about shifting and driving the evo in general...like, going around curves (under overpass areas, etc)...going to pass someone on the hwy...launching (if you want to do that, whats the best way)...what to do or not do on an incline...what about leaving a resting stop?...
i mean you got your standards...don't power shift...don't dump the clutch...etc...but what i'm interested in is mostly daily driving scenarios and how to get on it when i want a little thrill, but without screwing things up in the long run...
for instance...whats you guys thoughts on feathering the clutch while shifting and accelerating quickly?
oh! and using the brakes...i mean, should i use the transmission to slow the car or use more brake alone...or what?...whats your take...i've been using my transmission to slow the car with a little brake...but i find myself dropping into neutral and using the hell out of my pads when i'm not paying attention...argh!
Jul 5, 2003, 03:34 PM
#3
Account Disabled
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Chicago
Posts: 308
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Blip/tap the gas before downshifting 
Or you can double-clutch, meaning you hit the clutch, shift to N, hit the clutch again. then tap the gas pedal to raise the rpm to prepare for the downshift, and downshift.
Or you can double-clutch, meaning you hit the clutch, shift to N, hit the clutch again. then tap the gas pedal to raise the rpm to prepare for the downshift, and downshift.
Last edited by kidnice; Jul 5, 2003 at 04:05 PM.
Jul 5, 2003, 03:36 PM
#5
Account Disabled
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Chicago
Posts: 308
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Or if your on the track, you might want to learn how to heel/toe to tap the gas when downshifting. I havent drove stick in a couple of years after selling my civic so I need to relearn it. Other than that, that heel/toe stuff is unnessary on the street.
Jul 5, 2003, 04:23 PM
#6
Evolved Member
iTrader: (8)
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Georgia
Posts: 2,138
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally posted by kidnice
Or if your on the track, you might want to learn how to heel/toe to tap the gas when downshifting. I havent drove stick in a couple of years after selling my civic so I need to relearn it. Other than that, that heel/toe stuff is unnessary on the street.
Or if your on the track, you might want to learn how to heel/toe to tap the gas when downshifting. I havent drove stick in a couple of years after selling my civic so I need to relearn it. Other than that, that heel/toe stuff is unnessary on the street.
I always heel toe on the street, well 99% of the time anyway. 98% of the time I don't need to but do it out of habbit.
Jul 5, 2003, 04:46 PM
#7
Newbie
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
okay man, I'll see if I can help you out on this one. here's my lesson to you. when I first learned to drive in England, both my father and my driving school teacher said pretty much the same thing. NEVER use your tansmission to slow down. drop to third and use your brakes to slow down to a stop and then shift to neutral once you are almost at a standstill. the reason is this......you are never supposed to have your vehicle out of a driving gear............it's illegal. would you put your automatic in neautral to slow down? nope, so why do that in a manual tranny car? but the most important lesson is this........third gear is usually a very long "pulling" gear on most cars and it also works in reverse for slowing down. plus, if you think about it like I was taught...........which is cheaper, replacing the clutch, or replacing the brakes? the fewer times you use your clutch, the longer it lasts. because of a warranty issue, I just had my clutch changed on my Protege5 after 2 years of what I would call "fairly hard" driving, but always being considerate of my clutch. when the machanic removed the old clutch, he told me there was still about 95% wear still left on the clutch and no hotspots or anything on the flywheel. so you'de think I was doing something right.
as for hill starts and stuff............use your E brake.........that's what it's there for. don't let your car roll back on a hill. it puts too much strain on the clutch because of inertia in the wrong direction. remember that you're working against gravity here. put your E brake on and when you want to move, give it a little bit of gas and let your foot off the clutch slowly. when you feel the clutch start to "bite", then let the E brake off and you're away without any excess wear on the clutch.
as for shifting...............that's something to learn on your own, but a transaxle always works better when you don't push it too hard and stay away from "short shifters" too. it fools the synchros in the tranny and wears them out at a very fast rate.
hope I helped you at least a little. if anyone else has any ideas, I'de love to hear them too. we're always learning aren't we? and remember.............BRAKES are cheaper than CLUTCHES.
as for hill starts and stuff............use your E brake.........that's what it's there for. don't let your car roll back on a hill. it puts too much strain on the clutch because of inertia in the wrong direction. remember that you're working against gravity here. put your E brake on and when you want to move, give it a little bit of gas and let your foot off the clutch slowly. when you feel the clutch start to "bite", then let the E brake off and you're away without any excess wear on the clutch.
as for shifting...............that's something to learn on your own, but a transaxle always works better when you don't push it too hard and stay away from "short shifters" too. it fools the synchros in the tranny and wears them out at a very fast rate.
hope I helped you at least a little. if anyone else has any ideas, I'de love to hear them too. we're always learning aren't we? and remember.............BRAKES are cheaper than CLUTCHES.
Trending Topics
thanks...this is what i'm talkin about...i've been using my 5th gear to slow down...i'll try the 3rd gear way...and the E brake on inclines...i haven't been doing that. 
Jul 6, 2003, 11:32 AM
#11
Evolved Member
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Daytona Beach, FL
Posts: 1,571
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally posted by Thoe99
Why is it illegal to put your car in neutral to coast? What is the danger of that? I don't understand. Saves gas, right?
Why is it illegal to put your car in neutral to coast? What is the danger of that? I don't understand. Saves gas, right?
http://cartalk.cars.com/Columns/Arch...vember/11.html
And I don't think anyone will know your car is in neutral except yourself, so no need to worry about it. I think it's just a danger of not being able to control the whole car.
Jul 6, 2003, 01:02 PM
#12
Well, when I put it in neutral at a stop light, I always have my foot on the brake. In my opinion, a manual car in neutral with brakes on is safer than an automatic car in drive with brakes on. If an automatic car got slammed from behind in this situation and the driver became unconscious, the car will just drive til it hits something.
Jul 11, 2003, 10:13 PM
#15
I too have heard from friends that it's illegal to coast in neutral.... but what the hell?? Who is gonna catch you, and what are the penalties? LOL. How are they going to prove it? This is too funny. BUT, I don't see why anyone would want o cruise in neutral anyway.
Back to the shifting thing... In the Lancer Evo 8, I find it best to shift between 6800 and 6900. 7000rpm is too much. Car kinda dies down a little before that anyway. best way, IMO, to shift it quick is to let off the gas, and as you're letting off, push the clutch in. As you feel the clutch going on, pull/push the shifter. If all is done right, by the time your left foot hits the floor, the shifter should be pretty much in the next gear. When I shift fast, my foot comes off the clutch as soon as it hits the floor. There's no stop time where the pedal stays to the floor. The whole off gas, clutch down, shift gear, clutch up, gas is all done in pretty much 1 motion. I seem to have good luck with it. I find that if you get the quick shifting locked down, you don't get that thump that's associated with shifting the car hard.
Good luck
Back to the shifting thing... In the Lancer Evo 8, I find it best to shift between 6800 and 6900. 7000rpm is too much. Car kinda dies down a little before that anyway. best way, IMO, to shift it quick is to let off the gas, and as you're letting off, push the clutch in. As you feel the clutch going on, pull/push the shifter. If all is done right, by the time your left foot hits the floor, the shifter should be pretty much in the next gear. When I shift fast, my foot comes off the clutch as soon as it hits the floor. There's no stop time where the pedal stays to the floor. The whole off gas, clutch down, shift gear, clutch up, gas is all done in pretty much 1 motion. I seem to have good luck with it. I find that if you get the quick shifting locked down, you don't get that thump that's associated with shifting the car hard.
Good luck