i have just learned how to drive stick, i no the basics and am comfortable with it. however i was curious of any advanced techniques out their that could boost performance that i could go practice on this weekend.


also one other thing, i feel like im hurting my transmission when i down shift into 3rd. should i be braking when i got from 4th to 3rd? i feel like the rpms are way to high when i shift down.

 

If you feel like the RPMs are too high when you down shift, slow down some more before you do. You don't have to hit the brakes, just let the engine slow you down.

Practice up shifting quickly to get that 0-60 time down.

 

You have to blip the throttle while downshifting to match rpm in the lower gear.

 

You will just have to get the feel for what your car likes. Just takes a little time to get to know it.

 

thanks alot everyone. one thing i was wondering was how to do burn outs on a manual car, i looked it up online and i cant seem to get the hang of it. i figured i should know how to do this before i go to the track. also i assume i should be in the highest gear when i burn out so i dont over rev the engine right?

 

How high is too high? You say the rpm goes too high, but what does the tach tell you? For normal daily driving, you don't really need to downshift as you brake.

If it's your first time out at the track and you're on street tires, don't bother with a burnout. Street tires tend to get greasy when heated up.

if you really want to know how to burnout, stick to 1st or 2nd gear (no way you're gonna get it to break the tires loose in 6th gear. i suppose you might get a chirp out of them, but that's probably gonna be it and it's just a good way to break stuff). Basically, you wind the motor up and dump the clutch (not too fast to break stuff, but not so slow that you just launch). Instantly stab the brakes and maintain throttle. From there, it just takes practice to be able to balance enough brake force to keep you from rolling forward with enough throttle to keep the wheels spinning without bouncing off the rev limiter. It's up to you and your right foot to not over rev the engine. I try to keep it around 4-5k rpm.

 

save some money for a driving school. the practice and experience will go a long way. I wish i did when i was 17/18.

 

Right foot controls the throttle and brake, left foot does the clutch.

Practice!

 

I drive with half my foot on the brake, half on the gas. When I downshift, I'm on the brakes while I blip the throttle. Practice that.

 

i was taught by this method! take your shoes off so you get a feel of the clutch ingaging and not ingaging !

 

thanks for the replies everyone. on the topic of town shifting, could the reason i seem to be overreving when i down shift have something to do with not having the right tranny? my car originally had a 350 in it, now it has a 402, is it possible that maybe the engine is too powerful for the tranny and thats why its always reving too high?

also on that same topic, i am noticing that i quickly get into 4th gear (i have a 4 speed). ill be in fourth driving around 30-35. the reason being i feel like its over reving in 1-3 at this point. could this just be my imagination or could this be another cause of having a tranny that cant keep up with the engine? thanks alot agian.

 

If you are overreving that means that you shifted into low of gear for how fast you were going. And as for getting into 4th real early. Part of it is just the fact that you have a 4 speed. And the other could also be your rear end gearing. What gears do you have? Or do you know?

 

More likely because of the rear end ratio.

 

i dont know what gear ration is in, but i am looking on putting in some 411's. i assume the better the ratio equals greater acceleration which would mean less time in 1-3? thanks agian for the help. im slowly learning haha.

 

Yes, 4.11's will have better acceleration. When you are down shifting, you need to do what's called "rev matching". Like wildweasel said, you need more throttle. Basically with experience you will be able to know what rpm the engine will need for a lower gear. You basically match that rpm, before you enter the gear, i.e. smooth transition, no hurting tranny/clutch.

Rev matching: Clutch in, shift to lower gear (ex. 3-2), throttle to higher rpm, clutch out. With practice you should be able to transition gears smoothly with no jerks. Once you have that down you can practice the heel-toe technique.