Power Shifting!!!

[sundevilMP5]

yeah holding the clutch down for extended periods of time isn't necessarily bad for the clutch but it does put extra wear and tear on it

as for the heel toe shifting that's more of a handling aspect then regular driving...if you're taking a corner really fast you can get better control if you can keep the throttle in a good rev...actually it's more useful for RWD cars it's a big technique used in drifting...if i can find somebody to host some mpegs i'll post some examples...

 

[Protege01MP3]

ok.. just here to clear up a few things.... double clutching is first...

someone ALMOST hit the nail on the head... say your in 3rd... you wanna downshift to second... heres how it goes

push in clutch
pull car out of gear into neutral
release clutch
rev to propper RPM range (DO NOT REV WHILE CLUTCH IS DEPRESSED)
re-engage clutch
slide into gear
release clutch
and it all has to be done VERY quickly so that the rpm range you rev upto is still high enough by the time you kick it into second..

and as for the reason this is better for your car... everytime you downshift you put a tiny tiny bit of miniscule damage to your tranny because of the force of the "jerking" motion when it grabs and revs itself up... if you get everthing spinning together its an easier load when you release the clutch

as for the whole older cars without syncros having to double clutch.. thats 100% correct... but even with syncros, on downshifts double clutching is still a good habit if you know what your doing

if you rev while your clutch is pushed in, it burns your clutch just a little bit.. but it still burns it... so thats bad.. and thats why you "double clutch", because you have to rev when the clutch is NOT ENGAGED... think about it... if you were just supposed to rev while the clutch was in then it wouldnt be double clutching because you would never have to release the clutch.. it would be more like this...

engage clutch
pull out of gear into neutral
rev to propper RPM
push into lower gear
release clutch

but reving while the clutch is depressed is bad...

i hope i explained that right...

the whole heel toe thing (not hill toe ) was explained pretty well... use your left foot for clutch action and basically rev to propper rpm WHILE braking all with the same foot.. using your heel for one and toe for the other

and yes its bad to hold your clutch in... either while cruising, or while at a stop light... just take it out into neutral and release the clutch... its not THAT much work guys i mean.. its not gonna kill your clutch.. but over time it builds up and is kinda bad...

edit -- oh yah... and "speed shifting" or "power shifting" is CLUTCHLESS shifting... when your engine is at a certain rpm range, everything matches up just right in your tranny and you can pull it out of one gear and straight into another without even depressing the clutch..... IF your slick enough -- /edit

 

[spoolinmp3]

Yes I heel toe on a daily basis, puts less stress on your drivetrain and keeps your car well balanced when downshifting befire a turn..............smooth is fast!

 

[Protege01MP3]

yup.....

best racing advice i've ever heard:

slower is smoother and smoother is faster

 

[smithers_0990]

I was at a driving school this summer (www.RacingAdventures.com) and the main instructor was teling us that "heel toe" was to match revs in order to keep the car balanced when going in to a turn. You want to enter the turn in the same gear that you will exit the turn in. One thing that he said that I remember very well is, "nothing in racing is fast."

Later

 

[GXL]

Interesting conversations here...

Here's a good explanation of heel & toe:

http://www.turnfast.com/tech_driving/driving_heeltoe.lasso


I usually place my heel on the brake pedal, and use my toe or other part of my foot the gas pedal.

That is one of the reasons race cars have big pedals, to make it comfortable and precise when down shifting.

By the way, it has nothing to do with the car being front or rear wheel drive. It's simply to match the RPMs with the proper gear when downshifting.

When I had my bike I had to learned how to palm & finger (heel & toe) it was very hard to learn it, AND to get use to it. But I managed to perfection after practising several times at day.

Our P5s without racing pedals are setup perfect for heel and toe. If you want to get the racing looking pedals, you can of course, but you don't really need them.

 

[20ESGUY]

When I had my bike I had to learned how to palm & finger (heel & toe) it was very hard to learn it, AND to get use to it. But I managed to perfection after practising several times at day.

How does that work...just curious since i ride and haven't heard of that...i'm assuming it's braking and throttling with the right hand and clutching with the left when down shifting??

 

[GXL]

How does that work...just curious since i ride and haven't heard of that...i'm assuming it's braking and throttling with the right hand and clutching with the left when down shifting??

First, you have to learn to brake with 2 fingers ONLY, just that. Do that all the day long until you get the used to it. You should be able to brake as hard/fast as if you were braking with your 4 fingers.

Second, once you have that down (it will be a little while b4 you do) try braking with only 2 fingers but use the palm of your hand to give the bike gas while braking. It's basically the same as heel & toe, but with your hand instead of your foot. Once you learned you never forget. I sold my bike a few years ago, and I don't ride anymore. But when I get on somebody else's bike to ride, I heel and toe (palm & fingers) perfectly.

All I can tell you is that at the begginning is really hard, but once you get it - you get it.

Good luck learning, and be safe. Always wear your helmet at all times, even if is not required on your state.

Cheers,
GXL

 

[GXL]

This is what I want next:

 

[NetGuy]

Just thought I'd add my 2c worth.

I had heard from several "racers" that double-clutching will allow for faster shifts, especially down-shifts. Based on this, I have started to practise, and am now getting reasonably good at it...there does seem to be some merit to the idea. I don't know the mechanics behind it all, but I would guess that matching the engine RPM with the tranny probably makes the synchros work quite a bit faster. Certainly seems to, anyway.

Someone also asked about holding in the clutch at stop lights. It's not terrible...doesn't do anything to the clutch (it's just spinning away, not touching anything)...what it does do is wear out the throw-out bearing.

Oh, and feel free to flame me because I'm a n00b

 

[JimmyRay05]

can i get a definition on the term RIDING THE CLUTCH ?

me and my pals all have different definitions for this term.

someone please set us straight.

 

[20ESGUY]

People call "riding the clutch" different things...one is when you leave you foot on the clutch pedal while driving, thats not a good idea...and second is when you over rev when taking off or shifting gears and the clutch is half-in half-out. I don't know if there's a "correct" deffinition for it, but personally i think it could go either way cause it's basicly the same prinicple one's just while driving and the others while starting or shifting.