It teaches a perspective high-performance driver how to shift correctly, as well as how to orient himself in the cockpit. I didn't just pick it out of a hat. It's an illustrated reference that discusses the topic at hand. I certainly don't meant to assert that it's an end-all solution. Once the basics are absorbed, it's up to the individual to adapt them to his driving style. Which is to say that you don't have to follow Bondurant's directions verbatim after you get thoroughly acquainted with the principles.





I shift into 2nd and 4th by gently cupping the knob within my fingers, just below the 2-3rd knuckle. This allows me to purposefully bring the shift lever down with minimal effort while treating the knob as it were an egg (to use Bondurant's example). This takes less than a second of time and I shift fairly slowly.





Shifting into 1st and 3rd is done with the palm of one's hand, as illustrated in the pic. If you begin to utilize these practices, the heat of the knob will be a non-issue.

There's a bit more to it than what can be seen in the pics, and I was hesitant to post them for that reason. I hate repeating myself, but spend the ~$12 on the book. You'll learn a lot, even if some of what's discussed seems apparent.

If you knew how to shift, the knob getting hot would be irrelevant. I thought that was obvious.

[RANT]It's bad enough that some of you hang ~3/4lb of extra weight at the tip of the shifter mechanist, but others use it as a hand rest. I'm almost beyond words.
It reminds me of a couple of pics I saw on the S&S forum picturing several high-performance cars with their respective drivers all sporting flip-flops on their feet. What can be better than tangling one's footwear in the pedals while hangin' ten in an Evo?[/RANT]

Ummm...you never signed-up for the course, yet you found a class that you actually did attended to be more beneficial? I mean, really!

 

FJF, seriously, shut up. Any moron can drive a manual transmission car and shifting is not difficult at all. The point of this thread is that shift knobs get hot as hell sometimes. I don't care if you're Michael Shumacher or Sebastien Loeb or any idiot on the street, if your metal shift knob has been sitting in the sun it's going to hurt your hand when you shift. I don't care how good your technique is.

 

I'm glad to see that the time and effort I put into taking and uploading the pics, as well as explaining the concept, is finally paying-off. You're welcome.

 

I rarely park my car in the sun because I have a garage at home, and I've got underground covered parking at work.

However, yesterday I got a new windshield so my car sat outside in the sun all day. I could not believe how hot the shift knob was at 4:30. It took over 30 minutes for it to cool off enough that I could touch it for more than a split second. I did find that my Arnette sunglass bag was a great insulator until the knob did cool off. So for any of you guys with Oakley, Arnette or some other brand sunglass bag, give that a try. It's definitely not as ghetto as a sock. lol

You need to come out here to AZ. It doesn't matter how you shift, you still have to touch the knob. Whether your car is parked in the shade during the day or in the sun, or whether you're following the "proper" shifting technique, it's still going to burn your hand!! Come on now...

 

If you read this thread from start to finish, you would have seen me exemplify walking on coals and the principle behind it. With that in mind, you're not the one who should be rolling his eyes.

 

i find it amusing that the driver in the pictures provided by FJF is wearing gloves

 

That comment would be cute if this forum didn't center on some of the highest performing cars on the planet.

 

I did read the entire thread. I'm not sure why you feel the need to redundantly correct every person who posts their opinion in this thread with your opinion. Lighten up dude, it's Friday.

 

The point is no matter what kind of technique you have, you still need to touch the knob to shift. And when the knob is metal and has been sitting in the sun all day, touching it hurts. End of story.

I feel like I'm arguing with a brick wall sitting on a high horse here.

Also, your walking on coals analogy is off base. Smoldering coals leave a layer of ash on top which is why if you're quick you can get by without being burnt. Furthermore, coal transfers heat a lot less efficiently than metal.

I'm not trying to flame you or anything, but it's extremely grating reading you post over and over "YOU GUYS ARENT USING PROPER SHIFTING TECHNIQUE" over and over when you clearly have no experience with what is happening here, and have no idea what any of us drive like.

 

I have an A-Spec titanium and it does get very hot but not undrivable since you only shift for a second and your hand should not be resting on the shift knob.

 

My hope is that someone reading this will actually take the time to learn how to drive beyond what it takes to get a license, instead of naively looking for shortcuts. We all have to share the same roads and I, for one, would hate to be near a +300hp car whose driver isn't even equipped to shift the thing.

 

That settles it. Tomorrow I'm going out and buying some racing gloves. And I don't even care that my wife is going to call me a dork!

 

+1

 

Tell that to someone who doesn't know any better. I don't think I'm overstating matters when I say that the odds are strong I've been driving with metal knobs close to the lenght of time you've been alive.

By this logic, the layer of ash clearly visible through the burning ambers is somehow less hot than a shift knob. Brilliant.

I had no idea the SouthWest had a monopoly on Summer heat. Why don't you try learning the method I illustrated and then decide if a shift knob "burns" your hand while changing gears.

 

Well NOW you know. I would gladly trade our 120 heat today for just about anywhere in the country... Only 2-3 more months to go and then Winter bliss....