Re: shoot the shift

["Khan M. Klatt" <kmk@pacificrim.net>]

At 3:44 PM -0700 7/30/98, Peter Loron wrote:
>Well, slipping the clutch into a lower gear to get a braking effect does put
>wear on the clutch and the synchros in the transmission. I use just the
>brakes to slow the car down (if just letting off the gas isn't sufficient).
>To properly set the car up for a corner that you have to slow down for and
>thus will want to get on the gas in a lower gear as your are exiting, you
>need to shift smoothly to avoid unsettling the car on it's suspension. A
>double clutch, rev-matched downshift is what you're looking for. Basically
>you:

Let me summarize this, if I can, and you tell me if I have the right idea.

In two steps:

1. Push in the clutch, and pull the gearshift into neutral (say from third
gear), and immediately let the clutch back out, all the while slowing down
to the speed at which you want to take the corner.

2. Lightly tap the accellerator to get the engine to rev to say, 3000 rpm
in neutral, and at the same time, push in the clutch pedal, and shift into
second gear, and then let the clutch back out while you accelerate through
the turn.


So in other words, just change gears as normal, except let out the clutch
when you reach neutral, tap the accelerator, and then shift into the lower
gear and let out the clutch as you accelerate.

Is this right? It sounds complicated, and somewhat unsavory to do for the
first time. Yechh, I don't want to grind my gears!!!

-Khan