Upshifting and Downshifting

[eslai]

Well, the tranny broke, whether or not _I_ had anything to do with it is debatable.

Check this thread out:

http://www.986forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3459

[SD987]

I'd add the following and elaborate on my previous post...

I notice a surprising number of stick drivers who don't let the engine wind down and push in the clutch as soon, or too early as they start braking/decelerating. Letting the engine wind down dramatically improves brake performance and wear by using engine compression to help slow the vehicle. I’m not talking about engine braking, I’m talking about coasting/slowing with a gear engaged; not in neutral.

As far as engine braking goes, I would not recommend downshifting specifically for the purpose of slowing the car, only to keep the revs in the appropriate range so that if you need acceleration quickly you won’t be caught short. On that subject, variocam kicks in at 4200 revs (which is one reason they want you to stay below this range during break-in) and peak torque/power is produced between 4200-6000+. But this is not to suggest you need to keep the Boxster in this range to drive effectively. I personally downshift between 2000-2500 revs. I also don’t consider engine-braking to be running it in 3rd gear down a hill to stay at about 55, I’d consider that winding down, but just to be clear, if I was doing 75 down that hill in 5th gear and put it into 3rd without applying the brakes and matching revs, I would consider that engine braking.

Take the time to come to a full stop when going R -1 or 1 - R. I’ve been known to visibly wince when I see someone doing this. You're dealing with the two strongest gears and switching while rolling between the two just equals BAD. It’s a clutch, not a momentum-reverser.

Don't shift mid-turn. You're momentarily taking the drive component away when your car most needs it. I kick myself a lot on this one, instead of shifting down to second or third before a turn, I do it in the middle…not exactly powering through. This ties into heel-toe shifting and while I'm not personally concerned with classic heel-toe maneuvering I certainly would agree that blipping the throttle makes down-shifts smoother (classic heel-toe and blipping the throttle on a downshift are not to be confused as the same thing).

I noticed the adverse affects of the clutch-move into first instead of move towards first - clutch in the 987 5 speed when I would get jammed/locked out of first. This was just laziness on my part, and you can get away with doing this in a lot of cars but the 987 no-likee. Reducing the shifter travel when the clutch is disengaged will also improve your pull-away time, unless you’re one of those people who sits at the red light with the clutch in and the shifter in first, which is 2 Fast 2 Furious and 2 Long.

The above being said, I think the biggest culprit to poor clutch/transmission life is general technique. It amazes me that people can go their whole lives and be crappy shifters. But when you think how people are taught it’s basically like this:

The teacher tells them to put the clutch in, then let the clutch out while pushing down the gas…usually the teacher then puts his hands together palms down and starts waving them to simulate the pedal timing required to engage the pressure plate to the clutch disc. Not a lot to go on really…IMHO I think there's more to it then that if you want to shift with consistency and maximize your performance.

[deliriousga]

That was some of the best advice I've ever seen on shifting. Awesome post SD987!

My 2 personal favorites:

Originally Posted by SD987

Take the time to come to a full stop when going R -1 or 1 - R. I’ve been known to visibly wince when I see someone doing this. You're dealing with the two strongest gears and switching while rolling between the two just equals BAD. It’s a clutch, not a momentum-reverser.

I get chills when I see this. Don't do it in your automatic either if you want your tranny to last any time at all.

Originally Posted by SD987

Don't shift mid-turn. You're momentarily taking the drive component away when your car most needs it. I kick myself a lot on this one, instead of shifting down to second or third before a turn, I do it in the middle…not exactly powering through.

It can be dangerous in some cases. If you're going too fast and start to slip, you have no gear to help you get back in control.

One thing not mentioned that I see a lot is shifting up too early to "baby" the car. You should never shift to the next gear if you will be below 2K rpm after shifting. The owner's manual says 1500, but I personally like 2K so if you miss a little you're still above the 1500. Accelerating at low RPMs puts a huge amount of stress on the drive shaft and the engine. I read a tech question in Panorama one time from someone who would never take the Boxster above 3K rpm to help it last. They're probably killing their drive shaft and engine by stressing it soooo hard.

The best advice I think I could come up with is drive it like it's a, oh I don't know, PORSCHE! :dance:

[eslai]

Originally Posted by SD987

I notice a surprising number of stick drivers who don't let the engine wind down and push in the clutch as soon, or too early as they start braking/decelerating. Letting the engine wind down dramatically improves brake performance and wear by using engine compression to help slow the vehicle. I’m not talking about engine braking, I’m talking about coasting/slowing with a gear engaged; not in neutral.

Ah yeah, this is important--a lot of people coast around in neutral without realizing that this is dangerous. You can't get out of the way of someone if you're in neutral!

Originally Posted by SD987

The above being said, I think the biggest culprit to poor clutch/transmission life is general technique. It amazes me that people can go their whole lives and be crappy shifters...you want to shift with consistency and maximize your performance.

This is key, really. You can't heel-toe, rev-match, or any of that effectively if you aren't consistent with it. I know a lot of guys that drive around like hotshots but half of the time, they screw up their shifts... No good.

[deliriousga]

Originally Posted by eslai

Ah yeah, this is important--a lot of people coast around in neutral without realizing that this is dangerous. You can't get out of the way of someone if you're in neutral!

In GA, it's illegal to do this because of the reason you stated.

Originally Posted by eslai

This is key, really. You can't heel-toe, rev-match, or any of that effectively if you aren't consistent with it. I know a lot of guys that drive around like hotshots but half of the time, they screw up their shifts... No good.

Sooooo true. I don't know how to "heel-toe" but with the rev-match my wife was not a happy camper as I figured out the revs. Lots of feeling and listening to do, but you can't change driving style when you have a passenger. You'll never get it right that way.

[limoncello]

an informative site -

http://www.waycoolinc.com/z3/essentials/fixit/heeltoe/shifting.htm

the hard part is finding a place to practice. a deserted stretch of road is good. the track is challenging because there's a lot of other things going on.

at a track, you can hear the good shifters by the smooth transition from one frquency to another, and by the lack of "jump" in the car during downshifts. easy to explain, easy to understand, hard to master.