| Author |
Message |
Phil Hughes (Ferrarifixer)
Junior Member
Username: Ferrarifixer
Post Number: 249
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Monday, October 27, 2003 - 4:41 pm: | |
Also, in the lower gears (1,2,3?), a superquick stab of clutch is often beneficial as the time spent in each gear is shorter and power/torque is applied more harshly, but clutch is not necessary when the drive train load is lessened with car speed.
There's some great in car footage for the Aussie V8 supercars (H pattern 6 speed) that show many different driver philosphies for this. For example, some teams use only 5 dogs while some use 6. 5 sacrifices smoothness for speed with fewer missed gears. 6 is smoother but chances of going dog to dog are slightly higher.... |
Rob Schermerhorn (Rexrcr)
Member
Username: Rexrcr
Post Number: 857
Registered: 11-2002
| | Posted on Monday, October 27, 2003 - 7:53 am: | |
Tazio has great advice. Each car is different, and each driver's technique may be a bit different.
As mentioned, the load on the driveline must be reduced to shift properly. Tazio knows his stuff. For downshifts, one can try clutchless with just a slight blip of the throttle, again, to take the load off the driveline and assist in rev matching.
This takes a bit of practice to get into the rhythm, but then you can left foot brake everywhere.
Common newbie mistakes is too much blip (just a thousand rpm is all it takes), too slow shifting up and/or down, and confusion about the mechanics of it all and trying to shift up under power with no lift or power cut.
And, yes, some drivers require new dogs each session, some once a season.
Have fun. |
Tazio Nuvolari (Nuvolari)
Member
Username: Nuvolari
Post Number: 333
Registered: 9-2002
| | Posted on Monday, October 27, 2003 - 7:31 am: | |
Maybe the best tip I can offer is to really listen to the engine and feel what is happening in the gearbox through the gear stick. It is possible to be very fast with these gearboxes without smashing their internals as some do. Driving a dog box requires a firm hand to go in and out of gears and it is important to make sure that when it is time for a little force, that everything is turning at the same speed.
Using the clutch is not necessary however a lift on the throttle goes a long way to making the internals of the transmission last longer. There are 2 good ways to do this 'lift'. One is to marginally back off on the throttle while at the same time pulling on the gear stick. Once the new gear is in, mash on the throttle and off you go. The second way is that if you car is equipped with a rev limiter, you can time a gearchange by keeping your foot flat on the throttle and using the first cut from the rev limiter to act as your 'lift' to remove tension from the driveline.
To shift down I recommend using the clutch especially in wet conditions. This softens the gearchange and prevents a locked rear wheel that is an almost instant spin.
Sometimes, however, to be fast you need to be a little harsh on the box. A few years back I was racing in a series with turbo powered cars that were very sensitive to a tailing off of boost. For this reason the faster the shift the better. In going over the race data, my engineer noticed that I was being too easy on the gearbox and asked me 'how much do dog rings cost?' I answered him with 'I don't know' To which his reply was 'That's right! It's not your job to know or care. As long as the car finishes the race then do whatever it takes to save some time'
Job done...I picked up 0.3 sec around Brands Hatch |
Randle Roberts (Racerboy9)
New member
Username: Racerboy9
Post Number: 32
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Monday, October 27, 2003 - 12:10 am: | |
Any tips for driving a car with a dog ring transmission? I assume matching revs but any other tips to prolong dog ring life? I have heard some drivers can race several seasons on one set of rings while others can wear them out in a few races. |
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