ooh, i hope i didn't come off sounding like i was directly/indirectly criticizing anyone here...my post was directly in response to Rotary Soul's claim that anyone, given 6 months time, can drive smooth...all i'm saying is that some ppl either just can't or don't even bother (don't care or just too lazy to smooth off the clutch)...i'm saying this from my own experience and has nothing to do with anyone here =)

 

If everybody has expert level shifting skills, then why do some people burn out a clutch in 10k miles and others are still going strong at 100k?

Just walk through any shopping center parking lot and listen to people mercilessly riding the clutch in all the little 4 door sedans. Or go for a ride with your friend/neighbor/co-worker and watch them lug the pants off the engine. Yes, all of these people will proudly proclaim that they are experts at driving manual shifts.

I am sure that most of the people that bought the 8 can drive fairly skillfully, but most of us haven't owned the car for very long. Skillful shifting is very sensory and it takes a while to become one with the particular vehicle.

So let's all stop ganging up on one another and go find an SUV site to troll.

 

Who cares about the shifting. How to shift or whatever. Just as long as that driver is having fun. I always practice different ways of shifting.

 

i think this horse is dead.

oh and i guess i know what your talking about brx8, i have a friend that doesn't drive too well either... but i do think that those people drive that way cuz they're either lazy or don't give a ****.

 

no it isn't you still posted on it, didn't you

 

I've had my 8 for less than a month now. I learned stick with a 93 Civic hatch last month and yes I know how to shift smoothly on my RX8. It is also true that you go faster if you shift smoother.

When I was test-driving this RX8, I chirped the tires going 80mph when I shifted to 4th to go up to 90+. That's because the car was new to me and I had to learn it's gears' threshold.

If you can't shift smoothly, then it's guaranteed that you can't downshift properly and enter/exit a corner efficiently.

Sorry dude, I agree with you about not Camry-ing your 8, but your justification doesn't sum up. I'm 22 and I'm not saying I'm the best driver for shifting smoothly, but saying you have driven a stick for 12 years doesn't guarantee perfect wisdom. I know people who have driven a stick more than that who still can't shift right... even with a Camry.

ps. I forced myself to learn shifting smoothly even at redline on my RX8 because I don't have TCS and DSC on this. Very dangerous if I chirp the tires on a slippery road. I have fishtailed this baby once. Luckily, nobody was beside me.

 

For the most part all of your braking should be done by the brakes. When you enter a turn you need to finish your braking and shifting before you turn your wheels. some trail braking might be OK but that depends on the turn. Pads are cheaper than trany parts. just my 2cents