360 F1 When to Shift? Manual Novice! | FerrariChat
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360 F1 When to Shift? Manual Novice!

Discussion in 'Technical Q&A' started by mydas, Aug 19, 2008.

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  1. mydas

    mydas Karting

    Aug 8, 2008
    52
    Vancouver
    #1 mydas, Aug 19, 2008
    First, my apologies to all of you who are experienced with gear boxes and manual transmissions, but I have never driven a manual car before - which is tough when you are an exotic car fan. Therefore, I have had to wait until e-gear and F1 paddle transmissions with "auto" modes came on the exotic car market. Sorry! OK, a few simple questions:

    I don't want to drive in auto mode since it probably results in too much clutch wear in my 360; therefore, can someone please share with me the "ideal" times to upshift and/or downshift using the F1 paddles. Do I look at the RPMs, listen to the sound, watch the speed or combine all of them together? Can you actually damage the engine by being in too high or too low of a gear (assuming you are NOT red lining the RPMs of course). Which would be the best indicator for upshifting? What about going uphill and downhill (I live in a mountainous area)?

    What about downshifting? I was told that this is actually not required since the car will automatically downshift for you in manual mode when coming to a stop, so is this even necessary? Thank you for any insight!
     
  2. Rifledriver

    Rifledriver Three Time F1 World Champ

    Apr 29, 2004
    37,072
    Cowboy Capitol of the World
    Full Name:
    Brian Crall
    #2 Rifledriver, Aug 19, 2008
    Auto mode will not wear the clutch prematurely. That is a wives tale that has some serious legs.

    DO NOT TAKE THIS WRONG.
    Park the Ferrari, rent a VW and learn to drive.

    Driving a car is far more than holding the wheel in your hands and guiding the car between obstacles. Your lessons were seriously deficient and some big gaps need filling in.

    Do it before someone gets hurt because you are being so distracted operating a machine that you neglect to guide it.
     
  3. Skidkid

    Skidkid F1 Veteran
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Aug 25, 2005
    9,518
    Campbell, CA
    Full Name:
    John Zornes
    #3 Skidkid, Aug 19, 2008
    Based on your post Brian is right on this one. You can't learn to drive from an internet forum.
     
  4. davebdave

    davebdave Formula 3
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Mar 18, 2007
    2,381
    Northern VA
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    Dave W
    #4 davebdave, Aug 20, 2008
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2008
    Don't get discouraged by the previous posts. I think F1 racers shift when a little red light goes on in front of them.
    You can not hurt the car by shifting early unless you paddle all the way up to 6th at 10 miles an hour (and it still won't kill it). In normal driving just shift by sound. If you want all she's got go to the red line. The paddles are there because the automatic feature can not know what your intentions are. If you are coming to a stop at a light, it sounds like you do not need to downshift. But, if you are not planning to stop, work the paddles down so that the rpms stay up a bit, this way you are ready to go at a moments notice.
    For steady driving on level ground I would keep the rpm around 2000-3000rpm. You can always drop down a gear if you want full power to pass.
    On a hill climb keep the revs up but never keep them steady near the redline. On a downgrade use the engine to slow you down and reduce brake temperatures and wear, but again I would keep the revs below 5000 for extended periods of time
    In a traditional manual you can overspeed the motor by downshifting to too low of a gear for your speed, but your car won't let you do that. Basically, your car won't let you hurt it. Find some twisty roads and practice. Caution , do not shift (up or down) in a tight turn.

    You probably won't have any trouble finding a passenger who can give you some pointers.
    Enjoy, Dave

    Disclaimer: I have never actually driven a paddle shift.
     
  5. mydas

    mydas Karting

    Aug 8, 2008
    52
    Vancouver
    #5 mydas, Aug 20, 2008
    Thanks Dave! That's the sort of insight I was looking for. Very helpful. I do plan on taking a performance driving course when the next one becomes available, but I do need to get the car home from the dealer and to the track at the very least and I would like to do that without relying on automatic mode. In the owner's manual there is a chart listing shifting speeds for "greatest fuel economy", (25 mph shift from 1 to 2, etc.) but fuel economy is not necessarily what I was interested in. The automatic mode for the car really likes to switch gears a lot. You can easily get to 6th gear in auto mode while traveling on city streets. 6th gear shouldn't really be needed until fast freeway speeds I was told.
     
  6. mydas

    mydas Karting

    Aug 8, 2008
    52
    Vancouver
    #6 mydas, Aug 20, 2008
    The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano and Enzo both have lights on their steering wheels indicating when to change gear with the paddles...
     
  7. Frari

    Frari Formula 3

    Nov 5, 2003
    1,194
    brisbane australia
    Full Name:
    tony
    #7 Frari, Aug 21, 2008
    Hi Mydas. do yourself and your car a favour and drive in auto mode until you get to the track and have someone give you a little tuition on a safe environment where all the cars are going in the same direction. A simple gearing mistake with a heavy accelerator peddle and you can be doing a 360degree turn and with oncoming traffic it could prove costly ,besides which are you licensed to drive a manual car? if not you could void your insurance as in Australia F1 as I understand it is classed as a manual car and if you have the wrong license your insurance will not pay out. Look into my eyes look into my eyes///// be very carefull
     
  8. davebdave

    davebdave Formula 3
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Mar 18, 2007
    2,381
    Northern VA
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    Dave W
    #8 davebdave, Aug 21, 2008
    Good advise for anyone new to a high performance car, even if they are experts with a stick.
    dave
     

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