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Shifting Techniques


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i agree dont use the clutch and match the revs especially on upshifts (as its way easier) and on down shifts if you cant get it without the clutch or your lazy (me) ,match the revs close and only dip the cluth 1/4- 1/2 way. Matching the revs means your synchros hardly have to do any work but if you get it rong all the time you might end up with no teeth on your gearset!!!

Funkeymonkey next time you drive a ****ter car on an up shift pull it out of gear with out the clutch and as the revs are dieing apply a litte pressure on the next gear at the right revs you will feel the stick go light then push it in fast and thats how you change without the clutch!! Try on a straight change rather than a dogleg until you get the hang!!(ie 3-4 rather than 2-3)

To the origanal question hype you could get your gearbox rebuilt with double synchros ( only applies to some gearboxes) you can get special synchros that are like have two on each gear i cant remember exactly what they call them at the moment, you could also maybe get the gears angled which would make it like straight cut gears but not as severe once again you can only do this with certain boxes hope this helps

  • 7 months later...

Double clutching is depressing the clutch, shifting out of the gear and into neutral, releasing the clutch, giving the engine a squirt on the accelerator - or not depending on your technique, then depressing the clutch again and selecting the next gear. Double clutch - as in you do the clutch action twice.

Heel and toe is used on down shifting while braking, right foot on the brakes, then you want to change down a gear at the same time. So you put use your left foot to depress the clutch, then with you right toes still riding the brakes swivle your foot to give the accelerator a squirt - and try to match the revs to what they will bein the next gear, with your heel whilst changing gears, then release the clutch...

they just are :) maybe because they can growl..

hate to think how much an aftermarket gearbox is - standard one is expensive enough to replace!

I dunno.. I think the R33 box is pretty much smooth as silk.. so little effort required. Couple of my synchros aren't perfect, but generally shmick as. Some redline oil will probably fix that one day.

Top thread guys, great to see all the input.

PeakRPM, Interesting idea about getting someone to teach performance car gear changing, do you have a suggestion about who might be able to do it (ie, not a road car driving school)? I think this is a skill a lot of us should improve on, wouldn't mind organising a training day of some sort:

show/discuss gearbox internals

heel toeing

double clutching

changing without clutch

and plenty of practice and feedback.

then, if possible, some samples of other gearboxes - bog box, sequential etc.

I've done advanced/racing courses before but they mix in how to drive around a track and don't have a focus on gear changes.

double clutch the when just driving around normally. This gives the synchros in the 'box time to 'catch up' and should give you less wear. Then when you're going for it, you can just plain shift - just gives your synchros a longer life. Get the double clutch tech right and you will use it all the time; my old BM had a dodgy 'box and i had to double clutch all the time - now it is second nature... and yes, you can shift (almost) as fast... still throws flames between gears too :P

Double clutching is more for the gearbox than the clutch. the idea is that when you have the clutch up and the box in neutral - between gears, that you spin up the gearbox internals. Kind of doing the syncros job for them, or making it easier on the syncros anyway.

Heel and toeing is basically a technique developed for racing, ie. the car is braking so hard already that any attitional engine braking would make some of the wheels lock up, so you match the revs to the speed and gear to avoid any engine braking.

I started playing around with these techniques on the street just for fun and find myself doing it more and more now. Heel and toe into a quiet round-a-bout blast through it a feel like a race car driver...

Dog Boxes use dog engagement rings instead of syncros. THey are a lot clunkier and harder (read more force applied) to shift into gear, especailly at slower speeds. THey are much much stronger than ur typical gearbox though. Don't bother wasting ur time wit sequential boxes unless u gonna have the money to rebuild or replace it quite often.

Originally posted by s13drifter

pull it out of gear with out the clutch and as the revs are dieing apply a litte pressure on the next gear at the right revs you will feel the stick go light then push it in fast  

Hey, magic, that actually works! good description.

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