Learning To Shift

[Whyallapunk]

Hey all,

As you know I got a r32 RB20DE as my first car when i turned 16. Im almost 16 1/2 and get my P's in like 2 months.

I live on a ten acre block, and have been driving manuals around there since i was 10. Since then, I was using a 1992 corolla seca (my sisters old car) to learn how to drive and have been thrashing that around lol.

If any of you have been to Whyalla, you'd know its a town for of commodres and falcons. I used to be a ford boy, but have since loved the imports. When my parent's bought my GTS, all of my mates who are getting commodores (mainly VS/VN) have been dissing the RB engines saying I'm a little spoilt boy and my car couldn't live up to it's name Out of my m8s, there's a like a car scene we belong to lol. Most of my m8s have Commodores/falcons. But then there's 4 of us "imports" lol. I have my GTS, one has an S13 SR20, one has a R31 making 190kW, and my dad's business partner's son, one of my good friends, has a supra 89 model making 175 kW on only 6.5 psi. Bit silly for the r31 and supra, because these are all our first cars that our folks got us lol. The supra and r31 are a bit overboard for a first car i think :S A mate of mine brought his VN out to my place and wanted a drag. I didn't want to do it, as I dont want to thrash my line, but decided to drag him just to shut him up.

Needless to say, i beat him 1 maybe 2 car lengths on my block.

I noticed though, I am very heavy on the gear shifts when i am trying to race.

When i get my p's, I am deffinately not going out on the streets to race people and thrash my car around. Instead me and my mates are planning to regularly drive around my track at home, just for the fun of it lol.

So after all that needless explaining lol, can anyone please help me on shifting my gears?

Like, explain to me the best way to shift to get the best time on like a 1/4mile. I shift way too heavily and I think my revs are too high when i do it

So any advice to help me improve my driving skills would be much appreciated

Edited January 24, 2007 by Whyallapunk

[nos man]

it's just something you gotta get use to! just try to drive smoothly normally! i'm still a bit bumpy at times but it'll be perfected with time! although when i do have the occaisional drag race i am a lot smoother even with my launching for some reason! maybe what helped me was my screwed up 2nd gear because you can't just jam it in because the syncros are f**ked i think! and yeah clutch work is very important! maybe you take your foot of the clutch too early or something but it'll improve over time!

[Matty 31]

dont worry, we're all a victim i think

ive been driving for 6 and a bit years, and self taught manual. ive many a time been trying to do flat out shifts and bugger it up (usually miss 3rd cos i jam it halfway between the 1st and 3rd gate)

my mate told me the best advice............a slow shift is a fast shift. Find out the ideal working rev range for your engine's power curve and shift somewhere in there. I know with a stock 20det you get more benefit shifting at 5-6k rather than just on redline. NA might be different though.

Every engine has its "ideal" rev range.........i know from driving trucks that they have a "green zone" on the tacho (redline usually at 3000rpm, green zone being from about 900rpm thru to 2100rpm). If you shift outside that you lose a lot of forward momentum, especially pushing 8 or so tonnes of steel up a hill with what feels like a mini minor engine LOL

[andz]

i counted 7 'lol' on ur post

back to the point, launch 5000 (or as high as u could), dump the clutch, boost it all the way to redline then shift shift shift until u beat him hehe

[Madaz]

i counted 7 'lol' on ur post

back to the point, launch 5000 (or as high as u could), dump the clutch, boost it all the way to redline then shift shift shift until u beat him hehe

so mr smart ass how do you boost a NA

just practise and i wouldnt worry about thrashing a RB the two words dont apear in the same sentance

how big is this track of yours ROAD trip

SAU camp @ whyalla

[Sinful]

Everyone has there own style of driving me being a girl im quite heavy and like to rev out my gears

I change quick from 1st to 2nd wined out 2nd and 3rd and 4th until the engine is screaming to change gear lol.. But dont drive like this all the time (as will get caught speeding) ...Just something I like to do occasionaly

This is what you do to get the most of out gears

As long as you arnt doing 9 grand lanches off the line and not thrashing it every waking moment the RB are very tough and like to be driven hard

Im sure you will find your style of driving once you get some more experience. Be safe get use to the car first

[Deluxe]

i counted 7 'lol' on ur post

back to the point, launch 5000 (or as high as u could), dump the clutch, boost it all the way to redline then shift shift shift until u beat him hehe

Maybe he likes laughing alot.........

But personally i would have just put a "ROFLMAO" at the end and got all that laughing out in one hit!

[tjandriesen]

my mate told me the best advice............a slow shift is a fast shift.

If you go take a look on youtube (currently down or I'd send you a link) you can see a lot of clips of the Japanese drivers shifting. The mines skyline clip is a good one. They shift very smoothly and not at all in a rush. Ive found it interesting to also see the clips where they show their feet on the pedals and how they heel/toe the brake & accelerator.

[R32Abuser]

As SERTY sed....a slow shift is a fast shift...just think about it if u try to just slam her in there and u end up missing it, think about all the time it takes to disengage the clutch and put her back in again and think aboutall the revs ud lose. Just guide her in there and alow the syncros enough time to catch up to the rotational speed ur gearbox is at and she'll slide in fine.

I dont really pay attention to this tho when im driving my 32 hard, i tend to rev her to 6 then slam her into 2nd as quick as i can. I know its not the best for my gearbox but it does make for a quicker shift. But until u get used to the car, slow is the way to go.

[sinistaGTR]

ummm the best way to learn how to change gears well......isnt to read an internet forum....go drive your car experience is the best way

[J_Red33]

Just a bit of a side note. Not all gearboxes are the same either. I learnt in the old Ford telstar I used to get around in when saving up for my 33 to change gears without using the clutch at all & in the end I always drove it that way. The clutch only went in if I was about to stop or take off.

The 33 is another story however. It will do it at low revs, but not very easily & high revs just equal grauching when changing without the clutch. It also has to be shifted a bit slower as it will graunch if shifted too quickly anyway, one of the side effects of it being such a strong gearbox.

Another little trick, apply light pressure to the gearstick when getting ready to change, it will pop out when you lift off the throttle & depress the clutch, then let it flow into the next gear. You actually shift slower but get into the next gear just as fast doing this.

[Madaz]

clutchless change = race change

i did this a while back because my pedal box was braking and wanted to put less stress on it found it tricky but very doable

[Sinful]

clutchless change = race change

i did this a while back because my pedal box was braking and wanted to put less stress on it found it tricky but very doable

I have done clutchless change but wasnt a race change when I have broken a clutch it was the only way to limp the car home its bit tricky to find the right revs for each gear change not always smooth change either I personally dont like doing it but when you need to it can be a easy option

I also agree that you wont find the right information on a forum need to be in your car trying it out for yourself and see what works best for you..

[Madaz]

you dont have to be racing for the term to stick its what the racing car drivers do hence the name

[4door_Sleeper]

hmmmm.

Quick change is to shove it in gear with your foot off the accelerator (no clutch), quick but well = short life of the box.

Get your car dyno'd and work out the max torque point and the difference in revs between gear changes. You dont want to rev the car out to redline (with most engines), you want to change so that you hit the maximum torque after the change.

ie if your RB produces max torque at 5000rpm, and the revs drop 1000rpm from 1st to second, change gears a little over 6000rmp (to allow for slowing down during the change) so that you hit the 5000rpm maximum torque point after the change. Do this for all gears to get the maximum torque.

[Whyallapunk]

Thanx for the help all.

Too much MSN = lots of lol.

It was a big difference swapping from the seca to the 32.

The seca was soo much easier and swifter to change the gears in.

Iv'e been launching at 5000prm and switching into 2nd as soon as possible. I get a very good launch, but a fair bit of wheel spin.

I think i need some better tires, the ones that came with the car are just some shitty 2nd rate grips i rekon :S

When I get my p's and new exhaust, pod and extractors on my car, ill be coming up to Adelaide to get on a dyno.

Thanx for the advice once again

Can anyone recommend a gear shift under 50bux?