Hi I have a few question that I hope you guys can help me out with.

1)I am still in the process of learning heel and toe. I was wondering when you blip the throttle, how do you know whether you over blip or under rev? I understand that the best is when there is no lurch but I have to know whether I am reving the correct amount before I correct my mistakes. What are the signs of over and under reving?

2)When I upshift, there is a lurch all the time. It can be a bit upsetting at times. Anyone else have this problem? If not what am I doing wrong here?

Thanks.

 

downshifting.... practice.... you will hit it... I don't ever think about it, and rarely do I overrev, or lurch, etc....

upshifting.??? Are you reving between shifts, or keeping it floored (...as in bouncing off the rev limiter?)?

It may be that you are stepping on the gas before you are actually letting the clutch out.?

Just keep on practicing... it is fun... I blip by the way...

Scot

 

downshifting.... practice.... you will hit it... I don't ever think about it, and rarely do I overrev, or lurch, etc....

but how do I know whether I am overreving so I know to rev less next time.


upshifting.??? Are you reving between shifts, or keeping it floored (...as in bouncing off the rev limiter?)?


No reving between shifts. I keep my foot off the throttle during the shift.


It may be that you are stepping on the gas before you are actually letting the clutch out.?


Could be, I will keep a look out for this.


Just keep on practicing... it is fun... I blip by the way...

You mean you blip when you upshift? Why is that?

 

If you over-rev, the extra revs will cause the car to lurch forward. Under-revving is just the opposite and it will feel like you tapped the brakes.

To get an idea of the amount of revs needed, do a simple calculation with the gear ratios. If you take the current rpm and multiply by the ratio of desired gear ratio to current gear ratio, you get the rpm in the desired gear assuming speed stays constant.

The gear ratios are
1st: 3.133
2nd: 2.045
3rd: 1.481
4th: 1.161
5th: 0.97
6th: 0.81

So, if you're traveling in 3rd gear at 4000rpm and downshift to 2nd gear, the rpm in 2nd gear at the
same speed would be

4000 * 2.045 / 1.481 = 5523

 

If the car lurches *forward* with some gear backlash, then you are probably shifting too fast. If *smooth* upshifting is what you're looking for, and because this car kinda requires you to be very quick with the clutch (minimal slip), you need to wait for the rpm's to drop a little bit more before letting up the clutch. Like the others said, you gotta match the revs more closely to what it will be in the new gear.

If you're after full-on acceleration, then there's no way around the upshift lurches but they don't feel as uncomfortable because you're back on the throttle which scares away the gear backlash. Personally, I'd like to get a lighter flywheel so that the revs drop quicker. Anyone else feel this way?

 

Are you talking spirited shifting or everyday shifting? For upshifts when spirited driving, shift as fast as you can, and as you let the clutch pedal up, depress the gas pedal fully. The pedal work should be as fast as your feet can move. This will ensure that there won't be any backlash in the drive train, and will pin you in your set. For everyday shifting, you should still be applying throttle as the clutch is engaging. It's not a matter of how much throttle, but timing. If you are lurching forward (your body is getting forced forward against your setbelts), try applying throttle sooner. If your engine revs a little, apply throttle later.

 

Check out http://www.turnfast.com

 

That site doesn't tell me about the lurching I get from daily driving. The overreving and underreving part Donut explained it pretty well.

 

When you upshift, there's always gonna be a slight lurch, especially if you're doing it real fast. It won't be smooth unless you give it some throttle as you let out the clutch, I do this slowly cuz my feet don't work in incremental movements

I think you should be more concerned with lurching while downshifting. Usually, if you heel and toe correctly, you should be on an off the clutch in about a 1-2 seconds and there will be no lurch in the car.

To do this you need to get a feel for the car. It's very difficult to describe, take some turns you know well and practice going through the same turns multiple times. If you underblip, as Donut and SteveUCI pointed out, it'll feel like you're downshifting without heel/toeing. If you overblip, the revs will fall down to the right level after clutch release. This produces lurch. Just keep going through the same turn over and over. You know you're doing it right when after releasing the clutch the revs shouldn't stop falling as the clutch is fully released, but the car should also not lurch. The car should be stable and...well you'll just know it from the pit of your stomach.

My advice is to go through the same turns and heel and toe down to the right gear. Start slow in lower RPMs and watch the curb. The more and more you do it, you'll get a feel by listening to how high the engine is revving and how high it'll go up to in the next lower gear.

Also another problem, you'll encounter is when your heel reaches to blip the throttle, often times, beginners will depress the brake pedal more than needed while blipping the throttle. Practice by stepping on the brake pedal, keep it there then rotate your heel to blip the throttle. Stay in this position and continue to blip the throttle with your heel while keeping the same pressure on the brake pedal.

Hope this helps

[Edited by reecespieces on 05-07-2001 at 08:22 PM]

 

If you're trying to get your everyday upshifts to be buttery smooth, you have to match revs just like a downshift. But, it doesn't require a throttle blip, it's just a matter of timing. Select the next gear and engage the clutch just as the revs drop to the proper level for the gear selected. And, as the clutch engages, gently begin feeding in some gas. If the timing is right, the upshift should feel smooth. Similar to a downshift, if you let the revs drop too far, you'll feel the effects of an under-rev, if you engage the clutch too early or get on the gas too early, it feels like an over-rev.