124Spider

What "offended" my "delicate sensitivities" was your misreading my post, and then bashing me for your mistake. That's pretty stupid by any measure, and is not improved by this snotty post.

For your edification, since you admitted that you were unable to word your post better, a more reasonable response would have been, "Oops; I'm sorry for having misread your post. Nevertheless, I still do not agree that skip-shifting is hard on a transmission, and I will continue to skip-shift when I drive."

Merely telling me that I'm wrong doesn't bother me at all. Your assertion that I'm wrong proves nothing, of course. I would be quite happy to be proven wrong by someone who can give an understandable, technical explanation as to why the sychros do not experience extra wear from skip-shifitng, but a naked assertion, by one who has shown questionable reading comprehension skills, carries no weight whatsoever. Absent such an explanation, I will continue to shift in what I consider to be a safe way, just as you will continue to shift in what you consider to be a perfectly safe way.

Rotario

Yawn.

bowlhead

I do it alot also

beachdog

Skipping 5th gear

Such a benign question. Who thought it would get so volatile. No wonder there's war.

Rotary Rasp

iTrader: (2)

Really guys, I just wanted to know who else does it?

Shall we take a poll?

Rotary Rasp

iTrader: (2)

um, ok it appears that i dont know how to do a poll. will someone tell me how?

Tamas

iTrader: (1)

I do it very often.

SilverEIGHT

1,3,5 usually for casual driving in traffic and kick in 6 on a stretch
2 & 4 get used when I feel froggy and want to play which happens a lot.

rx8cited

https://www.rx8club.com/faq.php?faq=...b_poll_explain

rx8 - smooth!

Yeah sure, With comments like that you have obviously done a lot of driving on at track. NOT!!!!!!!

EandGWZ

How about uneven wear?

rx8cited

As in if you don't use fifth gear, it never wears out ........ what's wrong with that?

124Spider

As I said to the other folks who so pleasantly expressed their disagreement with me , you are certainly free to drive your car as you see fit. I was taught to downshift one gear at a time at the track (yeah, I've actually had instructors; what a concept), and every track video I've seen shows the driver downshifting one gear at a time. I don't mind at all if you think I'm wrong, just as I don't mind at all when you over-rev your engine.

Why the savage attacks, anyway? All I did was give the original poster my view, as he originally asked, and you guys keep crawling out from under the rocks and attacking? Awfully strange behavior, which does nothing to increase your credibility here or in any other forum.

TRZ750

Downshifting is the hardest time on the syncros. During a upshift the next gear, if one is skipped or not, the clutch disc and input shaft must slow down and natural friction helps the syncros do that. The synros have to do less if you take a little longer during the shift. So slaming the shifter for fast shifts is hard on the syncros. But during a down shift the clutch disc and input must be speeded up to match the higher speed of the lower gear. Again this is increased by slamming the shifter and a reason to toe heal abd double clutch to spin up the clutch disc. The speed difference is also important as then the syncros need to do more work. So a upshift from 2nd to 6th at say 35~40 mph, with a little hesitation during the shift is not much a problem. Also when downshifting from 6th to 3rd, to pass, also at 35mph is not much a problem as 35 mph is probably only 4K rpm in 3rd (OK someone can check their charts or calculators as this is just a guess). But a racing downshift only, one gear, when already at ~6K+ rpm will be a lot of work for the syncros. Especially if you downshift too much. If you want use the gear ratio charts and calculate the change in RPM for each shift as the change is what is important.

The change in RPM and time determine the work required of the syncros.

I all the time shift 1,2,4,6.

rx8 - smooth!

OK, You are on the track on a straight which is 4th gear. The next corner you are faced with is a hairpin which requires that after a big brake the next gear the car will need to use to drive it is 2nd gear. Whilst the braking process is occuring there is no need to use 3rd gear. In fact engaging 3rd gear during this process simply risks locking up the rear of the car resulting in a spin. At the end of the braking period the car needs to be eased into 2nd (otherwise the car will spin) Once this process has happened the power can be put on to start the vehicle around the hairpin.

I fail to see how using 3rd gear in this example which is something I do on the track in the real world is anything other than an additional risk of losing control.

By the way I have also had instructors with me in the car on the track. They certainly didn't have an issue with this technique. I happened to get the fastest times of 13 RX-8s on that same day the instructors were there.

The only way you can over rev by skipping a gear is if you do not have the car down to the appropriate speed for the gear you are selecting. You can just as easily over rev the vehicle by going straight into 3rd from 4th if you haven't slowed the vehicle.

I am not trying to attack anyone but if people here express opinions which I think are wrong I have a right to disagree and express my own opinion.

Peace Brothers

124Spider

If you heel/toe properly, there is no risk of locking the rear wheels or of upsetting the balance. BTW, why would locking the real wheels, when going forward in a straight line, cause a spin? It certainly would cause a loss of control, but not a spin. A FWD car would be different, but we are talking RWD cars.

You obviously had different instructors than I had. It is a matter of fact that real racing gear boxes are sequential; I wonder why?

No, not as easily. If you're braking at the end of the straight, for instance, where you're in 6th gear, and you know that when next you get on the gas, you're going to be in 3rd gear, if you downshift sequentially, the risk of engaging 3rd gear too soon is much reduced, and it also lessens the need to look at the speedo while doing this maneuver.

Certainly; I ask only that you do so in a civil manner, which you did not do in your earlier post. I'm not sure whether you were calling me an idiot or a liar, but neither one is very nice. Go ahead and express, in a civil manner, that you disagree, and give some backup to your statement, but do try to keep it civil.

Amen!

jenkins-crew

I just shift to what ever it needs to be in depending on speed and RPM......It's not too hard. :D

rx8 - smooth!

That is factually incorrect. If you lock up the rear wheels during a big braking period the car will spin! Why? Because you are shifting nearly all of the mass of the car over the front wheels (which are doing most of the work of taking speed off the car) As a result the rear of the car gets very light. If the rear wheels are turning they are still going to follow the front of the car. If they are locked up when the car hits a bump or there is ANY steering input the car will decide to "swap ends" and spin. This the major cause for spins from novice track drivers - not excessive cornering speed. These guys simply are not aware of the laws of physics as they apply to their cars. The only difference here between a RWD & FWD car here is that a FWD car is likely to already have more mass concentrated at the front of the car so this problem is likely to be worse.

You are obviously a better driver than me! Why do something that creates a risk of upsetting the car for no gain in lap times? If I used your technique in the example I have given the car would be in 3rd gear for probably .5 of second. I fail to see what this achieves other than risk!!

Have you ever been instructed in their use? I haven't.

Nubo

Not at all. I'm saying going from 4th to 6th in a close-ratio 6-speed transmission is no different than going from 2nd to 3rd in a 3-speed; in terms of the "gap". It's nice to have 6 gears, but it doesn't mean you have to use all 6 every time you drive.

No flaming intended. Just trying to illustrate a point. Don't let the fact that you're wrong blind you to my good intentions. (just kidding!!).

zojas

actually, according to the owners' manual, a 35mph road is the perfect time to be in 5th gear. it says the minimum speed to shift into 5th is 35mph, and 42mph for 6th (for best gas mileage). so on your long stretch of 45-50mph road, you should be in 6th.

unless you're trying to drive fast; then you'd be in 2nd at 45-50mph and accelerating hard

or if the road is curvy, you might be in 3rd so you can accelerate out of the curves without going totally ***** out (so as to stay on the road)

beachdog

The old VW bugs had red hash marks on the speedometer telling when to shift. I think that the 4th gear mark was at about 23 mph. Just try it. 4th gear at 23 and it would take the next half hour to get to 55.

In the 8 you better be running 93 octane if you are going to be in 6th at 42. If you run 87 or even 89 it's better to rev it higher.

Jellybean

Come on, guys!! The reason why proper cars have tachometers is to enable drivers to drive them properly. It's the rev band in which the engine is operating that determines how efficiently it's doing its job -- not what gear you are using. Drive on the tacho and you'll get the best performance/economy (whichever is your priority) that your car can give you.