whats your gear shifting technique?

[lithium]

i was watching a mate ham-fisting his gear stick the other day and it got me thinking...is there actually a correct way to change gears?

everyone i've watched has their own technique. i've always thought that there is the way an instructor teaches you that gets you moving, then there is the *right* way to do it

my opinion:

upshifts:
1) ease off the pedal just before you get to the shift point
2) depress clutch as quickly as possible. the instant it hits the bottom pop the lever into neutral
3) leave the shifter in neutral letting synchros spin down, applying light pressure on the shifter towards the next gear. when the shaft speeds are matched the lever slides itself in smoothly
4) with the next gear selected, wait for the engine speed to spin down to just above the matched rpm/road speed
5) release clutch in a smooth motion
6) when clutch is fully engaged ease back on throttle

whole process takes 0.5-1 seconds depending on how fast the engine was spinning before the shift

downshifts:
1) depress clutch as quickly as possible
2) in one motion: stab throttle to raise engine speed, pop shifter into neutral. apply light pressure to shifter towards lower gear and let it slot in.
3) when the engine speed gets above matched rpm/road speed, release clutch in a smooth motion

whole process takes about 1-1.5 seconds due to the frigging huge flywheel they stick on the 1.8Ls

this is not the fastest technique but i like to be kind to the machinery :)

what's your technique? do you double clutch on downshifts?

does it even matter, should we all be mashing the shifter and dumping the clutch? ;)

[sooty]

MASH FTW!!!!
If you can't find em....grind em :p
Tried to heel and toe a few times to get second on sharp corners (don't forget, diesels first red line's at like 25km/h lol) but the pedals just aren't set up for it, brake's too far in front of the accel.
I don't really know my technique, it's not something i really focus on, you just change gears...
Tried flat shifting once going up the mountains, worked fine, but i don't think it'd be too good for the clutch :o

[SKM_87]

i was watching a mate ham-fisting his gear stick the other day and it got me thinking...is there actually a correct way to change gears?

everyone i've watched has their own technique. i've always thought that there is the way an instructor teaches you that gets you moving, then there is the *right* way to do it

my opinion:

upshifts:
1) ease off the pedal just before you get to the shift point
2) depress clutch as quickly as possible. the instant it hits the bottom pop the lever into neutral
3) leave the shifter in neutral letting synchros spin down, applying light pressure on the shifter towards the next gear. when the shaft speeds are matched the lever slides itself in smoothly
4) with the next gear selected, wait for the engine speed to spin down to just above the matched rpm/road speed
5) release clutch in a smooth motion
6) when clutch is fully engaged ease back on throttle

whole process takes 0.5-1 seconds depending on how fast the engine was spinning before the shift

downshifts:
1) depress clutch as quickly as possible
2) in one motion: stab throttle to raise engine speed, pop shifter into neutral. apply light pressure to shifter towards lower gear and let it slot in.
3) when the engine speed gets above matched rpm/road speed, release clutch in a smooth motion

whole process takes about 1-1.5 seconds due to the frigging huge flywheel they stick on the 1.8Ls

this is not the fastest technique but i like to be kind to the machinery :)

what's your technique? do you double clutch on downshifts?

does it even matter, should we all be mashing the shifter and dumping the clutch? ;)

almost it. with a fast shift you cant put it in stages. its all blended.
eg my fast shift up, i only use 1/2 -3/4 of the pedal travel depending on the car and box. yes you can do it. wen the clutch is on the way down im shifting out of whatever gear im in. by the time i hit the distance i want im either in or almost in the next gear and the smoothly release the pedal. you can shift a street box as fast as 2-3tenths from full throttle to full throttle.

also start applying throttle at 25% release on the clutch. its all about blending each part into another. and finess. start doing it slowly getting used to were you are blending each part and then slowly bring speed into it. remeber inf you cant do it slowly you'll never do it at speed.

as for downshift.

heel and toe. varies on pedal placement. really flexible people can do it with about anthing. i need a pretty specific set-up and i have fa flexibility in my ankle.

hard on brake. where you decide to start changing depends on your gearing, speed, type of corner, and the piece of road your on eg. is it really bumpy.

basicly witht the ball of your foot on the brake twist your heel across to the throttle. at the same time you are depressing the clutch and starting to change gear. best to fully depress clutch for starters, again you dont have to. at 80-90% travel you should be ijn neutral and bliping the throttle, by the time you have bliped the throttle you should be in the next gear and on you way out with the clutch. hope your raves are matched properly and release yourself into whatever corner you are at.

and thats my tech for shifting gears,

[tomtom]

Heel toe should definately be the only way you shift down if youre trying to do any sort of spirited driving. It saves wear on everything and allows you to have your clutch fully engaged quicker.

There have been some disputes about what the heel toe does between some people

"Slows you down quicker"
"Puts you into gear faster"

blalahala.

All you need to knwo is that its the smoothest way to downshift and THAT in turn will help you with your slowing down/control etc etc. It also sounds cool. That's how i see it anyway.

Happy motoring :D

[poita]

take the bosses hilux, put foot down to go, move foot over to stop :D

[mr corsa]

flat change gears 1stto 4th using no clutch

[InsaneAsylum]

i usually grandma shift and not double clutch like i should :)

i generally shift like a granny because i can't afford a new gearbox when i blow mine up from being an excessively sik flat shifter.

[SKM_87]

you heel toe for the fact that as you are braking hardinto a corner your are effectivly trying to use as much of your tyre grip as possible. now every one has change down a gear and popped the clutch out withou rev matching and you feel youself lurch forwards as it tries to slow itself (engine braking) no do this under hard braking and you lock your wheels. when you are pushing very hard at track days it can only take 500rpm down to lock your wheels up. if not your not braking hard enough.

btw this is called compression locking. drifters use it. rest of use avoid it as i sends your spearing off main straights and such. and thats not fun.

btw mr corsa, you have a dog box dont you

[Desty]

I preload the shifter in the desired direction of travel just before I need it. While holding a light load on the shifter, I briefly back off the throttle and stab it straight back on again, facilitating a perfectly clean shift in about .2 of a second.


Oh wait... that's on my motorbike! :)

[dieselhead]

I doubt heel/toe is any good for diesels since you only need to be above 3,500rpm to go fast. Right? :)

[lithium]

very interesting reads :) i hope mr corsa has a dog box if he doesn't use the clutch!

heel-toe is a really nice thing to do, pretty essential if you want to drive smoothly and be kind to your clutch in my opinion. i never downshift without blipping the throttle, and if i'm braking at the time i have to heel-toe. maybe i have the right size foot or something but i find it pretty easy to do in my Barina...gotta lift the whole heel off the floor though, just using the right edge of foot has on very rare occasions caused my foot to slip off the brake. which was quite a worrying experience :cool:

btw agree with SKM, the sole reason for heel-toe is smooth downshifting when braking - i've been told its important for the track when you're at traction limit, don't know myself because i've only ever driven on public roads :)

only double clutch to get into first when the car is already moving...i used to do it downshifting into second, but can't be assed anymore :)

2/10ths is a damn fast shift! i think my 4th-5th might be approaching that speed but def not the 1-2's!

[lithium]

I doubt heel/toe is any good for diesels since you only need to be above 3,500rpm to go fast. Right? :)

hmm, i think you can still heel-toe on a diesel with good results...its about rev-matching on a downshift

[SKM_87]

yes you can heel toe a deisel.

heel toe is imperative on a track. as i said get it wrong and comp lock. ive done it before. 180k's of the end of the straight at wakefield park = brown undies.

2tenths is average witha dog box. the realyy fast guys are doing 1tenths shifts, thou with dog boxs.

[immenotu]

On my quick upshifts i put a small amount of pressure on the gearstick then very quickly ease off the accelerator and hit the clutch to the floor (pretty much just stomp on it lol), start the shift on the way down with the clutch then by the time my foot has hit the bottom and started to come back up im already into the next gear then i hit the accelerator just as the gear engages and off i go. I havent timed the shift but its pretty quick and it always feels nice and smooth.

I dont double clutch on downshifts, i cant get my foot onto the accelerator without slipping off the brake.

[Snotty]

for all the si si la la's here who cant drive manual, their gear shifting involves pressing the brake pedal and place the gears stick in D.

[SSS_Hoon]

depends on what car im driving.

Wifes car press the button's on the steering wheel to change gears while foot planted.


My car, well latly its alot of granny shifting as the bearings are starting to make noises in the box and 2-3rd synchro is crunching every now and then.

And the SR boxes have a weak 3rd gear so even when i am getting into it shifting into 3rd is a bit of close eyes and wait for the bang.



SSS_Hoon

[Hackstra]

i usually grandma shift and not double clutch like i should :)


Haha yeah, I granny shift and dont double clutch like i should, i usually engage another nos blast when my laptop says Danger to Manifold, which in turn causes Dom and the mad scientist to have to rip out the block and change the piston rings i fried. Then Dom goes on some speel about how winning's winning, in my face.

[realrift]

Doms right about winning being winning. Just ask any real racer. It doesn't matter if you win by an inch or a mile :)

[lithium]

just don't blow the welds on your intake manifold :)

[Corsa_Rob]

Remember, you owe me a 10 second car

[Jerram]

I thought we'd be above all this...after all...we drive European cars....According to Holden Ads that makes us POSH!

..well except for you SSS_Hoon....you're in the rice cooker- though I guess the mere fact that a Nissan driver still regularly posts on an opel board has to be worth OVER 9000! points.

[realrift]

just don't blow the welds on your intake manifold :)

Damn that intake manifold in your avatar looks good :cool:

[SSS_Hoon]

If u read my post correctly i said in my other car i change gears by using the paddle shifts on the steering wheel of a real euro hot hatch(the benchmark for most new cars and still classed as the best by some) VW GOLF GTI....LoL.:D

U only just made me realise that this is a OPEL car forum not the precious stone OPAL forum, damm ive been in the wrong forum for all this time.


And as for a rice cooker well at least it aint a chook cooker, and i would take my rice cooker over any of the so called euro Opel/Vauxhaul/holdens on here anyday except for maybe a select few that is..:clap: :dance:


SSS_Hoon

[USC]

dont like golfs---gt, gti`s....all rubbish:p

change gears like a man...with your gear stick. I guess some guys dont have one, or its too hard to reach.

[SSS_Hoon]

nah the gear stick is usually taken care of by the wife.......




SSS_Hoon

[deviant]

I tend to granny shift during normal, daily driving. I also tend to use the age old saying 'gears to go - brakes to slow.'
So lets say I'm approaching a red light in 4th gear and assuming I dont feel like there will be a need for swift acceleration I will not shift down through the gears, I just brake and when the engine speed gets to around 1200RPM (just before the stalling shakes) I engage the clutch. This method also means that the engine and wheel speed are in a range that I can instantly grab any gear should I need to...I.E if the lights change back.
In the situations where I am not coming to a complete stop such as intersections and roudabouts I sometimes use the above method...so slow down to a speed appropriate for the intersection and shift in to the appropriate gear once that speed has been reached. This places very little wear on the car and allows me to accelerate away cleanly.
Othertimes I will heel and toe down the gears...H&T can be used in all driving situations and I find it very good practice to do it at much slower speeds...it forces you to be very smooth and to learn how to maintain a light pressure on the brake pedal with one half of your foot while you rev the engine with the rest of it.

When I am on one I just dip the clutch on the way up and always heel and toe on the way down.
Heel and toe prevents compression lockup and also keeps the car stable under braking.

Double de-clutching and heel and toe both hark back to the days of there being no synchro's in gearboxes. Really there is no need at all for double de-clutching with modern gearboxes and if your allowing your speed to reduce before shifting down there is not really a need for H&T...but I like to think it does the car some good to still do it and I think its no bad thing teaching yourself some advanced roadcraft.

[USC]

nah the gear stick is usually taken care of by the wife.......




SSS_Hoon

lol..sorry ..wife too busy with flaps on steering wheel...no time for gear stick...

i know..off topic...lol:p

[lithium]

I tend to granny shift during normal, daily driving. I also tend to use the age old saying 'gears to go - brakes to slow.'

agreed - after all a clutch is a lot harder to replace than brake pads. nothing wrong with using your gears to slow down but you'd better be really smooth with your de-clutching! i only downshift on deceleration if i know i'm going to need acceleration soon


Double de-clutching and heel and toe both hark back to the days of there being no synchro's in gearboxes. Really there is no need at all for double de-clutching with modern gearboxes and if your allowing your speed to reduce before shifting down there is not really a need for H&T...but I like to think it does the car some good to still do it and I think its no bad thing teaching yourself some advanced roadcraft.

double clutching is still good to get into first while moving, and useful to know when you get stuck out of reverse...agree that on the road there's no need to H/T but its nicer on the clutch and fun to do :)

[lithium]

btw wtf is with all this talk of 'granny shifting'? everyone knows the two most important rules of performance driving

1) do not learn from watching F&F
2) do not learn from watching F&F

:p

[JohnBu]

never learnt to heal & tow.... maybe I should, but can't be bothered..

anybody else H&T..

I just drive.. my car has done 118k, so i don't think i'm doing anything that wrong

[Corsa_Rob]

Good heel toe demo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPj9XXW25GA

[Orion_996]

I wish i could heel-toe, but i sprained my ankle a while ago and cant turn my foot inwards that way so no heel-toe for me

[deviant]

There are a few ways of doing it but they do vary with the speed your driving, how much pressure your using on the brake pedal and the pedal set up.

You can brake with the ball of your foot and lift your heel up and swing it round on to the throttle, I guess this is the most traditional way.
You can use half of your foot to brake and let half hang off the brake pedal...you just rock your foot to the side to catch the throttle...not so reccomended for really hard braking because your foot can slip off the pedal and you end up stomping on the throttle :D

Once you have mastered heel and toe you can then begin classes on trail braking and left foot braking...and even left foot braking on corner exit :P

[SKM_87]

I wish i could heel-toe, but i sprained my ankle a while ago and cant turn my foot inwards that way so no heel-toe for me

dosnt stop me, my ankles royaly stuffed to. just need to alter the techneque a little


There are a few ways of doing it but they do vary with the speed your driving, how much pressure your using on the brake pedal and the pedal set up.

You can brake with the ball of your foot and lift your heel up and swing it round on to the throttle, I guess this is the most traditional way.
You can use half of your foot to brake and let half hang off the brake pedal...you just rock your foot to the side to catch the throttle...not so reccomended for really hard braking because your foot can slip off the pedal and you end up stomping on the throttle :D

Once you have mastered heel and toe you can then begin classes on trail braking and left foot braking...and even left foot braking on corner exit :P
always use the ball of your foot. its safer (foot wont come off brake) and gives you better feel of the brake

[Apex]

never learnt to heal & tow.... maybe I should, but can't be bothered..

anybody else H&T..

I just drive.. my car has done 118k, so i don't think i'm doing anything that wrong

I just change gears, haven’t really thought about technique.

The Astra’s gear box was probably one of the more sensitive I have used, I miss my old Ae82’s corolla’s shift, made me feel like a race driver!

The 545i does the changing for me, up and down but has this funny +/- thing that’s good for a laugh.

[opel03]

i dont, lol! I havent got my manual licence.. im getting it soon :)

[xplosv57]

for all the si si la la's here who cant drive manual, their gear shifting involves pressing the brake pedal and place the gears stick in D.

F*** yeah!!!!!!!!! Go the sludgebox, D slammer fun!! :D

Wonder when Pauly will reveal his shifting technique...............:p

[KingOfAstras]

Grannyshift :P!!!!