Dear 355 owners, I just got my first Ferrari a couple of months ago. Its a 95 355 and I love it! Just want to ask if I shift from 1st to 3rd (skipping 2nd), does it hurt the gearbox? Thanks for your comments in advance. Cheers!
The simple answer is no. The more complex answer is also no. The synchro gears in any gearbox are somewhat 'speed' reliant to do their job perfectly. Depending on which gear you are in, the synchro gears will be moving at different speeds which will assist you in smoother shifting between gear sets. If you go from one gear to another with no resistance (after up to temp of course) those gears are doing their job. In worn out old 4 speed BMW manual transmissions, many will find that shifting the gearbox into 2nd first will assist getting into reverse when the trans is on it's last legs. Just don't go from 5th to 2nd, ie: the money shift.
The lockout plate is hinged at the top and kept in the UP position to get going. Once I'm on the track, I flip it down to cover the R, 1 and 2nd gear gates. When I pit in, I flip it back up for operation in the pit and garage areas. I don't need those lower gears on the track. The lockout is common on Challenge cars, but as a R -1 lockout. I added a SS cover to lock out 2nd gear too. It's secured by three screws. I can convert it back to a R -1 lockout by removing it. Here's the lockout, in the original R -1 configuration, in the UP position... Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I have to manually flip it down. You might also see that my gates were widened. They dremeled the gates for many of the Challenge cars when they raced. I guess they were the original "Slick Shift Gates." Hill Engineering sells a R -1 lockout: SG04LO - Gate Lock Out by: Hill Engineering - Hill Engineering Ferrari ...and the slick shift gate: SG04 - Slick Shift Gate by: Hill Engineering - Hill Engineering Great stuff for the track.
