racing with gears

[wilsonp]

When you are driving around a racetrack (or too aggressively on the road), when do you shift gears?

More specifically, do you always stay in the lowest gear possible until redline?

If you are entering a curve, do you downshift while braking, or on exit to accelerate out?

 

[nsxtasy]

Originally posted by wilsonp:
When you are driving around a racetrack (or too aggressively on the road), when do you shift gears?

More specifically, do you always stay in the lowest gear possible until redline?

Yes. The NSX has a relatively flat torque curve. As a result, you have the quickest acceleration (highest torque at the wheels) by being in the lowest gear possible at all times. That means shifting at redline when accelerating.

Originally posted by wilsonp:
If you are entering a curve, do you downshift while braking, or on exit to accelerate out?

Basically, you want to complete your downshifting by the time you are reaching your slowest speed in the curve, so that you can have the quickest acceleration as soon as you get back on the throttle. This normal occurs as soon as you have completed your braking - either in the braking zone, or after any trail braking as you're turning into the corner. The quickest way to accomplish this is to "heel and toe" - downshifting (and blipping the throttle to raise the revs) at the same time as you are braking. You should already be in gear and hard on the throttle as you approach the apex of the turn, which is before you approach the exit ("track out").

 

[Yellow Rose]

Originally posted by wilsonp:
When you are driving around a racetrack (or too aggressively on the road), when do you shift gears?

78-7900 RPM

 

[TampaBayNSX-R]

I hold it to the floor until I hear my rev limiter blip three times...then I grab the next highest gear and repeat.

 

[docjohn]

Slow in fast out.If I have a choice to downshift an additional gear to gain say 500-1000 revs on exit I'll weigh multiple factors,most importantly if I'm chasing or am being chased.

 

[nsxtasy]

John is right.

The one exception I make to the above is that I don't always downshift if I'm going to have to upshift immediately after that; I would lose more acceleration during the two shifts than I would gain from being in the lower gear for a second or two.

As a general rule, I don't downshift to a gear where I'm going to run out of revs before I reach the track-out point in the turn. If I still have enough revs to use the lower gear even past the track-out point, then I'll use it.

 

[Track Junkie]

Re: when to downshift, unless you are extremely good and REALLY consistent at matching revs with a heel and toe blip, it is generally better to complete your downshift in a straight line, even if you are trail braking the car past turn in. That way, if you are at or near the limit at turn in, you drastically reduce the risk of unsettling (and possibly spinning) the car in the middle of the turn when you re-engage the clutch.

 

[nsxtasy]

Excellent advice, Track Junkie.