Shifting styles

[Tbosco]

A big part of getting the performance from this car is driving it correctly, curious how some of you are shifting your standard transmissions. Any videos tips or tricks that a rookie could try?

[Cookie Monster]

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This is my first stick with little practice before hand. It's very fun experimenting on your own, BUT I've always wondered how's drag racing with this car?
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Sorry if I jacked your thread

[Spartan01]

Hello Tbosco,
One thing to remember, this clutch is TIGHT so it can be very snappy and unforgiving.
But are you talking about drag racing or autocross?
If you are talking about autocross, you may want to try "Heel & Toe shifting."
Basically it is reving the engineto synch up the tranny just before a downshift. they make special pedals (The gas pedal has an extra tab on it) to assist with this.

Otherwise, word from Chevy is to NOT slowly apply the clutch as this can lead to excessive heat and warp the clutch, so DUMP IT!!!

[SSE 4 2SS]

Moved to the proper sub forum...

[Cookie Monster]

Originally Posted by Spartan01

Hello Tbosco,
One thing to remember, this clutch is TIGHT so it can be very snappy and unforgiving.
But are you talking about drag racing or autocross?
If you are talking about autocross, you may want to try "Heel & Toe shifting."
Basically it is reving the engineto synch up the tranny just before a downshift. they make special pedals (The gas pedal has an extra tab on it) to assist with this.

Otherwise, word from Chevy is to NOT slowly apply the clutch as this can lead to excessive heat and warp the clutch, so DUMP IT!!!

This all great info. So are you saying when getting ready to release the clutch pedal to let the gears engage, DUMP it then, Correct? And I'm assuming that's for aggressive situations like autocross/drag strip right? And not so much regular road driving.
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Coming from a straight rookie here

[RedRaven]

I am by no means a professional driver. Any damage incurred is on you. That being said:

Maximum acceleration is a matter of coordinating the left foot and the right hand. Basically, press the clutch at least half-way while jamming from one gear to the next and releasing the clutch again, all in 1/4 second or less, barely lifting the right foot during the operation. Sometimes I don't even lift the throttle. Secret is learning the shift pattern well enough & applying just enough pressure to the right to make it up & over from 2nd to 3rd without missing or hitting the crossover and missing the gear. By the time you get to 5th it's not as big a deal. Run it up close to Redline but don't over-do it. Go over Redline and the PCM will put you back to idle until you take your foot out of it.

[Draven1327]

spartan has a great point technique depends on what your trying to achieve. above all don't slip the clutch much. learn where the friction zone is and practice starting the car rollling with just the idle. this will teach you muscle memory and how to listen to the engne. .... Basics

as for performance don't be afraid of taking it to an autox track and getting tips from experienced racers. best way to learn about this car is hands on. racers are a friendly bunch tell them you want to learn and they will happily teach you what you need to know, that's how i learned.

from my experience autox is easier to learn because you take your own pace. drags is just a more "head dive into the deep" approach.

[Draven1327]

Originally Posted by RedRaven

Maximum acceleration is a matter of coordinating the left foot and the right hand. Basically, press the clutch at least half-way while jamming from one gear to the next and releasing the clutch again, all in 1/4 second or less, out

what he said lol ... the less time you spend shifting the faster you go. your clutch disengages really close to the top so no need to push it allll the way down. saves time

[Spartan01]

Correct. This is from GM, sorry i don't rememebr where exactly though

[Spartan01]

Draven is right- each car is different. for example i also own a beater 96 integra, which has a loose and sloppy clutch that is very forgiving, yet Eva is very sharp, crisp, snappy and THOROUGHLY UNFORGIVING.
Your best bet is to practice. Also learn how launch control works, and stabilitrack, so you can drive with or without it.

[AdamEL]

Originally Posted by Spartan01

Otherwise, word from Chevy is to NOT slowly apply the clutch as this can lead to excessive heat and warp the clutch, so DUMP IT!!!

Really? I didn't know that, actually. Not that I ride the clutch that often, but that's still good knowledge. Now, I just have an excuse to drive more aggressively!

[Norm Peterson]

Originally Posted by Tbosco

A big part of getting the performance from this car is driving it correctly, curious how some of you are shifting your standard transmissions. Any videos tips or tricks that a rookie could try?

For what kind(s) of driving and what situations?

For general daily driving, what you want to do is keep the engine at an rpm where it is neither struggling (lugging) nor wound out further than necessary for the conditions. There is a bit of judgment involved here, and you'll eventually develop some sort of "feel" for when to shift up or down as appropriate, if you let that happen (hint: it's easier to pick this up if you drive with the radio at low enough volume to hear the engine).

For most driving, you'd like to have your shifts no more than barely noticeable by your passengers.

Still concerning your normal driving, you don't want to slip the clutch excessively, though a little slippage is unavoidable for a normal start from a complete stop. You want to get the clutch fully engaged fairly quickly without bucking before you start calling for lots more power - you may get to the point where you are barely touching the throttle at all as your left foot is coming up.

At autocross, it is unlikely that you'll ever make more than one shift per run, that being 1st to 2nd. Shift briskly but not harshly - you do not want wheelspin happening here because you'll probably need to be turning very soon, which won't work very well if you're trying to catch a spin at the same time.

You can look at a road course track day/HPDE exactly like your daily driving, except that you'll be running the engine at much higher revs, maybe 3000 - 6000 vs something like 1500 - 3000 for normal street driving. Rev-matching your downshifts will become a lot more important.


I'll defer to the drag racers for hints involving that activity. But no matter how you work it here, there will be harsher impact loading on the entire powertrain, so it's best to save these techniques for the dragstrip.


Norm