Hey guys, I've been thinking about some different shifting techniques and watching some footbox videos of professional drivers and I've come up with a few questions.

First, is it necessary to go through each gear when downshifting from let's say 6th-3rd. (example: if I'm going down the back straight at SPR in 6th and getting ready to enter turn 1 in 3rd do I need to go from 6th-5th-4th-3rd? I normally apply brakes in 6th, wait until I slow down into a safe range to downshift into 3rd, and then heel-toe into 3rd. Is this incorrect? I've seen a lot of driver's going through each gear.

Also, how necessary is double clutching while downshifting on track. I always rev-match with heel-toe but I don't feel that my double-clutching is fast enough. I know that double-clutching is a necessity in non-synchro cars, but how much does it save the transmission and is it worth doing?

Any input would be appreciated.

-Matt

Here's a footbox video Gary Sheehan posted a while ago from his 03 season: http://www.teamsmr.com/movies/Footbox%20Small.wmv

Along with the thread at Corner-Carvers with some commentary: http://corner-carvers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13301

Damn impressive to say the least... suffice to say, I don't think I'll ever get that good at double clutching (Gary said he does it because he's got nothing better to do while braking :lol: ), so I'll just stick with plain heel/toe rev-matching for now. I do go through every gear while downshifting though, to lessen the wear on the synchros. This way each downshift spins up the shaft a little, instead of just having the 3rd gear one do all the work. It's also good for me to keep the flow and pattern and avoid miss-shifting.

PS... another good thread here: http://corner-carvers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21037

Matt I've gotta come down and spend some time on the track with you... I need someone to show me the "ropes" :p

Ben - not a problem, i'll let you know what my track schedule looks like this summer. I should be doing 5-6 track events, so I'm sure we can figure out a time that works for both of us.

-matt

Razlak - That's the same video that got me thinking about my shifting style! I guess it would take A LOT of practice to get it down like Gary has it.

-matt

god that is awe-inspiring lol.

I see alot of my students worry about healing and toe-ing, yet never learn how to just plain BRAKE !! As in applying alot of pressure asap, and being ABLE to modulate the pedal. First things first. Most people say,..."oh I can brake..."...until someone else drives the car and shows them. Sounds like a "DUH" type thing, but you would be surprised who cant brake to save their lives.

mw

I see alot of my students worry about healing and toe-ing, yet never learn how to just plain BRAKE !! As in applying alot of pressure asap, and being ABLE to modulate the pedal. First things first. Most people say,..."oh I can brake..."...until someone else drives the car and shows them. Sounds like a "DUH" type thing, but you would be surprised who cant brake to save their lives.

mw

I definitely hear you on that one Myles. A lot of people think that you can just slam on the brakes. It took me a while to get threshold braking down but I think I'm pretty proficient now.

-matt

Yeah, braking is something I still work on. I think I've got the "brake hard early so you can modulate later" thing down, so now I am working on using more trail braking to get the car to rotate more. I'm learning this takes a long time to master. :)

As far as going from 6th to 3rd in one jump, as long as you're rev matching, it shouldn't be too hard on the tranny. Just have to be careful that you don't go into 3rd too early and over-rev. That's one of the advantages to going through all the gears as you come down. You'll keep the revs up and you won't have to give a big rev when you're gong into 3rd.

Hey guys, I've been thinking about some different shifting techniques and watching some footbox videos of professional drivers and I've come up with a few questions.

Any input would be appreciated.

-Matt

Well, I'm no expert, but here is what I do. I try to shift as smoothly as possible, sometimes heel-and-toeing when needed. I also go straight to the gear needed, without intermeadiate stops.

I'm spending a lot more time focusing on braking and getting the feel for the better pads I'm using now (Panther XP8)...which usually means I'm slowing down too soon!

I've been getting more and more PAX laps with folks at my "local" track, which I find very interesting and useful (for what TO do and what NOT to do!)

Todd

No, you don't have to double clutch. You also can select any gear you like, as long as you get those revs matched, and it won't "theoretically" make you slower.

That being said, our cars don't shed speed like an F1 car, and if you mistime the shift because you are distracted or excited, you could have an expensive over-rev. Hitting every gear on the way down helps to keep you from misjudging your speed and accidently doing this, and you have plently of time to get it done. To me, hitting gears on the way down helps me time braking. It is an audible cue to let me know how fast I am going at anyone point during the braking phase.

Also, regardless of whether or not you have to do it, you really should be able to do it. People have already pointed out that footwork is the forgotten skill in racing. Teaching yourself these techniques will heighten your awareness of what you are doing down there under the dash, and everything will improve, from your throttle-feel to your braking. You will also achieve a new sense of timing that will effect your overall smoothness. So I would strongly suggest to everyone to start learning these techniques if you don't already know them. Every aspect of your driving will get better.

Thanks a lot for the tips guys! I have no problem double-clutching, but I'm trying to make myself do it on every downshift so that it becomes somewhat of an automatic reflex.

ToddStratton- How do you like the XP8's? I just ordered a set for my STi.

-matt

I see alot of my students worry about healing and toe-ing, yet never learn how to just plain BRAKE !! As in applying alot of pressure asap
Don't you mean "applying a lot of pressure as LATE as possible?
The later you get on the brakes, the less distance your pads are on the rotors. Less time on the brakes leads to less heat leads to longer brake life and less fade. I'm definitely not a professional. However, that is the way I learned at Watkin's Glen....am I wrong?

Don't you mean "applying a lot of pressure as LATE as possible?
The later you get on the brakes, the less distance your pads are on the rotors. Less time on the brakes leads to less heat leads to longer brake life and less fade. I'm definitely not a professional. However, that is the way I learned at Watkin's Glen....am I wrong?

You are talking about different things. Yes, you wait as late as possible prior to braking. What Myles is referring to is making the transition from full throttle to threshhold braking as quickly as possible.

Gary
Sheehan Motor Racing
www.teamSMR.com

^^gotcha

The later you get on the brakes, the less distance your pads are on the rotors. Less time on the brakes leads to less heat leads to longer brake life and less fade. I'm definitely not a professional. However, that is the way I learned at Watkin's Glen....am I wrong?

I would question this. The whole reason the car stops is because your brakes are a machine that turns kinetic energy into thermal energy. Pushing on the brake harder for a shorter amount of time will theoretically produce the EXACT same amount of heat as less pressure over greater distance, as evidenced by the coresponding reduction in kinetic energy(speed). In fact in practice, hitting the brakes harder will heat up the pads faster as you overcome the hub assemblies capacity to dissapate that heat into the air(glaze, boil).

There are far better reason to be be on the brakes hard as early in you brake manuver as possible. 1) is to shorten the overall distance of the braking event and with it increasing the time you spend at full throttle, 2) it is the proper technique for "trail braking", allowing you to move the braking event even further into the turn, and 3) reaching threshold braking as fast as you can increases the consisentcy of the amount of braking you get, which leads to better timing for turn in, which of course leads to confidence and speed.