MotorHeadJoe

A friend of mine said when racing my 5 speed firebird I should Keep the throttle floored while shifting. Is that an effective/good technique or will it **** my car up beyond all repair?

TedH

That is how it is done.

I suggest practicing a bit first and only making ****s when you are comfortable with the technique. The action is to depress the clutch pedal barely enough to allow a gear change. The other action is to shift quickly enough so the rpm does not rise more than 200 above the initial clutch depression.

In my experience, very few people are a master of this technique. "Everybody" says they can do it, but if you listen to them go down the track, the only "masters" of the shifting game ae those who look like and sound like they are in automatics when they actually have a manual.

As far as screwing up your car, it is a definite possibility. Although the rev limiter is in place to protect the motor, the stock limiter is really designed to protect the engine in street driving conditions. As I recall the stock limiter cuts fuel, not spark, and that can create a lean condition...

Also you can easily screw up your shifting fork because of the snap necessary to make shifts that quickly, and there is increased likelihood of missing a gear.

The most important shifts in a street car are 1-2 and 2-3. The ET difference by simply shifting quickly from 3-4 vs powershifting is not as great as most people believe. The difference is certainly enough to blow a bracket race easily but in terms of impact, the earlier shifts are far more importance, as is the launch and your reaction time.

Also, you want a short throw shifter and a good clutch if you realistically want to be able to powershift with consistency and accuracy.

Z-RATED94

As tnt said, many claim they can power shift, but few do it right. I have only been in two cars where the drivers had the technique perfected. Both cars were 68 Chevelles. One a 427 and the other a 396 which I bought. The 427 is still in my friends possession some 40 years later. It almost killed him to have to put an auto in it once he reached a certain HP level.
Anyways, I was taught how to do it, but felt it was just to abusive on the driveline. Once you launch start pulling back on the shifter like you want to slam it into 2nd, it will not come out of gear under power. Have your foot half off the clutch pedal to the left side. As you start to quickly kick your foot down to shift, let it slip off the pedal about half way down. This is assuming you have a properly set clutch, and even set so it disengages a little more to the top of the travel and not the bottom. Since your already pulling back hard on the shifter, bam, it's in second. Repeat the same practice for the 2-3 and 3-4 shift. Takes a little practice, and you might scrafice a few parts, but once again, as tnt said, it should sound like a well built auto tranny going down the track.

slomarao

The true test of power shifting can only be seen from outside the car. If the nose falls during the shift your not doing it right. I have been driving stick for 7 yrs and racing for 6.
I still cant power shift if your using my standards to judge. I practice all the time, still cant do it. I can chrip 3rd very well (and I mean hard) but still have a mental block that prevents me froms doing it perfect.

As stated, you should only have a 200rpm gap. Try doing it from 2-3 when your not redlining the car. It will be easier mentally and mechanically. So make the bulk of your practice there, this will also be best on the car. It will sound like a auto.(already mentioned)
Missing shifts over and over again at redline isnt a good idea.

So leave the gas floored, barely push in the clutch. I mean like 15-20% of the way down, the slightest bit of engagement. Than slam it into the next gear. Thats pretty much it.

sc68z28

It's probably not a very good idea to power-shift a stock T5 trans.

---Bill.