double clutching

IMO it is a 1950s concept that is passe in modern cars. The counter arguement is stepping on the clutch twice as often means it wears out twice as fast, or in half as much mileage. Syncros made it possible for 99% of today's stick drivers get out of that parking space, pre-automatic women were like 2% of the drivers, now they all have Accords with 5 speed transmissions, the shifter litterally gets sucked into the next position and no matter how fast you let go of the clutch the car won't stall, for Porsche pricks they call it Tiptronic.

 

There's no need unless you're pushing hard and braking very late into slow corners, then there is very real gains and benefits in both lap time and mechanical sympathy.

But you need to heel and toe the brake and throttle and double de-clutch all at the same time, and you need practice for this, and the pedals need to be just right for you, your footwear, your style.

When you get it right, you'll know it.

 

I learned to double clutch many years ago in 18 wheelers. I also drove a twin stick 5X4 cement mixer before starting my own biz. With the trucks, you had to double clutch because there are no syncros, or, odd as it sounds, do not use the clutch at all. Our local track guru, Roland Linder, advised me to double clutch all Ferraris when downshifting from 3-2 at hiigh RPM. At the time, I had a 348 TB challenge and it did benefit from this in that situation. O/w, it would often give a little crunch going to 2nd in track situations. The truth is, if you get the revs just right while in neutral and the clutch engaged, it will go right into the next gear, either up or down without pushing the clutch in again. Anyway, I think it is never needed in modern 6 speed Ferraris and no other cars that I know of. The only other time you might consider it is when the tranny is still cold where double clutching will smooth out any tranny. Also, if you have a weak syncro on any car, double clutching will eliminate the crunch. If you can double clutch, you don't need syncros. In an emergency, like when my clutch cable broke in my old 328, I was able to drive it to the shop w/o the clutch saving a big tow bill. So, the skill does have it's advantages, though rare.

Dave

 

What are these gains over heal-and-toe?