driving techniques

[vcorruptc]

for all you people who just started out driving, here is a awesome write up from someone i know. if admin see could you guys sticky?

Simple Driving Techniques
By Jee-Soo Kim

Rev Matching

Rev matching is the process in which you would raise a lower gear’s rpm to match the rpm of a higher gear during a downshift. This prevents strain on the transmission, and brings a smooth transition from gear to gear.

How does rev matching work?
The concept of matching revolutions between gears isn’t too difficult to grasp. Imagine riding a 5 speed bicycle. When you’re in first gear, it’s super easy to pedal, but you can’t achieve a high speed. When you’re in 5th gear you pedal much slower, but you can go much faster than if you were pedaling really fast in first gear. The concept of gears on a bicycle and a car are very similar. Let’s say you are cruising in 5th gear at 60 mph and you are at 3k rpm. Now let’s say you’re in 4th gear at 60 mph. Is the rpm going to be the same between the two? Of course not. The rpm in 4th gear at 60 mph is going to be higher, lets say 4k rpm. So in this case, to rev match from 5th to 4th gear at 60 miles per hour, you would have to raise the engine speed 1k rpm before letting the clutch out in 4th gear.

Why would I rev match?
When driving your car at the limit, downshifts without rev matching can result in your tires locking up, causing oversteer, or other forms of loss of control. It also prevents wear and tear on the transmission, which was stated above.

How do I rev match?
Let’s say you are in cruising in 5th gear. To rev match down to fourth gear you would follow these steps:
1. Push the clutch in.
2. Blip the throttle to raise the rpm.
3. Shift down to 4th gear.
4. Let the clutch out when proper rpm is matched for your car’s speed.

Unfortunately I can’t give you exact rpm and speeds to rev to and match because different cars have different gear ratios. As you practice this in your car, you should begin to feel how your gear ratios are spaced and your driving should get smoother between downshifts.

Double Clutching
Forget everything Fast and the Furious taught you. That movie was gay. Double clutching is an advanced version of rev match downshifting.

Why would I double clutch when I can already rev match?
Well, because when you rev match, it still wears down your synchromesh in your transmission. Double clutching ensures that your synchros will not be used while downshifting (assuming you do it correctly).

How does double clutching work?
By letting the clutch out while in neutral, the synchromesh is released during the rev match. This ensures no synchros are worn down or used.




How do I double clutch?
Let’s say you are in cruising in 5th gear. To double clutch down to fourth gear you would follow these steps:
1. Push in clutch while simultaneously shifting into neutral.
2. Let the clutch out while blipping the throttle to match revs.
3. Push the clutch in again as you shift down into 4th gear.
4. Let the clutch out when the rpms are matched.

This takes a bit more practice than normal rev matching, but you’ll find that as you begin to master it, you’ll be able to do it just about as fast as a normal rev match downshift. Once again, as you practice it, the shifting transition should become smoother.

Toe-Heel Braking
This is just rev match downshifting or double clutching while hitting the brakes.

Why would I need to hit the brakes as I’m downshifting?
Well let’s get to the basics of racing. As you approach a corner, you want to be in the right gear before you enter it so that as you begin to exit, you’ll have the power needed to exit quickly. HOWEVER, you still have to slow your car down before the turn unless you want to become one with the wall. Toe-heel braking allows you to slow down while rev matching in order to save time. If you brake first and then downshift, you’ll be braking much earlier than necessary and will be slower on the track. You generally want to brake as late as possible before a turn.

So how do I toe-heel brake?
Well all the steps for different kinds of downshifting are already listed above. In this case you would just need to place your foot on the brake pedal while blipping the throttle.
There are however different techniques to this. In some cars that have their gas and brake pedals close to each other, the driver doesn’t necessarily have to put their foot horizontal to hit both pedals simultaneously. In other cars, you may need to contort your leg sideways in order to reach both pedals. Normally people use the ball of their foot on the brake pedal because it offers more sensitivity, and then use the heel of their foot on the gas. This is because the gas doesn’t need to be sensitively pushed, it just needs to be jabbed momentarily.

Equipment
You can of course buy certain parts for your car that ease the difficulty of these techniques and help you do them faster as well.

Pedals- racing pedals often are a bit wider than OEM pedals, therefore placing them a bit closer to each other. This can help out with shortening the gap between throttle and brake, making toe-heel braking easier.
Flywheel- a lighter flywheel will make rev matches much quicker. I learned to rev match and double clutch on my stock flywheel. After getting a lighter one, I noticed the throttle blips go much faster, resulting in faster downshifts.
Throttle Body- a larger throttle body will increase throttle sensitivity. The delay between when your foot jabs the throttle and the rpm rises will be shortened. In conjunction with a lighter flywheel, you can make your downshifts lightning quick.
Type R Sticker- this will help your car no matter what. Just stick it on for an easy 10 hp to the wheels.

[vcorruptc]

same guy, awesome write up for the tracks as well. sticky?

Simple Track Driving Techniques
By Jee-Soo Kim

Driving on a race track is much different than driving on the street, so there are many things to consider before going out. I have listed a few things to consider and to keep in mind for when you’re out on the track.

General Knowledge
1. If someone has been riding on your tail for more than a lap, let him/her(haha) pass you on the next straight. Pride will only ruin a perfectly fun day of track racing for others. If someone is faster than you, let them pass, and do your best to catch back up to them.

2. Always be aware of your surroundings. Whether it be debris on the track, a car right next to you, or a corner worker waving a black flag at you, always know what’s going on at all times.

3. Unless you’re competing in Challenge Cup, this IS NOT A RACE. While you do want to go as fast as you can, don’t take unnecessary risks out on the track. Mostly everyone out on the track is using their daily driver so everyone wants to drive their car home in one piece. It only takes one idiot who is too competitive to ruin a perfectly good track day for himself and others.

4. I don’t think I can reiterate this enough, but leave your pride at home. We’re all just going out to have fun. If a bone stock 4 door civic schools you, don’t let it get to you. Let it motivate you to learn to drive better for the next time. Don’t block other drivers from passing you and most importantly don’t let your pride stop others from having fun.

Simple Driving Tips
1. Don’t get owned by understeer. Do all your braking BEFORE the turn. When racing, the speed at which you enter a turn isn’t nearly as important as the speed when exiting the turn, so watch that entrance speed!

2. Don’t get owned by oversteer. Be weary of lift throttle oversteer while in sweeping corners, and don’t go too heavy on the brakes on the entrance of a corner. If you begin to oversteer, counter-steer only enough to have your wheels pointing in the direction you want the car to eventually go. If you countersteer too much, you will often lose control because your car will eventually snap back around too far. For front wheel drivers, countersteer while keeping your foot on the accelerator because the front of the car will pull the rear out of oversteer. For rear wheel drivers, good luck.

3. Get all of your shifting done before the corner as well. Searching for gears when you’re actually supposed to be powering out WILL slow you down.

4. Corners are just obstacles getting in the way of the straighaways. Get through them quickly and with good exiting speed to prepare you for the straights. A slow exiting speed is detrimental because it is like giving other cars behind you a 5-10 mph headstart on the straight. Slow down before the corner, turn through the apex, and power out of the corner.

5. Be aware of brake fade. Unless you have monster calipers on your car, after 20 minutes of hard driving it is not abnormal for your brakes to become less responsive. As you experience brake fade, learn to brake sooner so that you won’t die.

6. See Simple Driving Techniques #1 to learn how to shift while on the track.

[C25A1guy]

I merged the 2 thread since they coinside with each other. Gonna stickey and then add to the index

[RSXDC5]

good techniquies. thanks

[vcorruptc]

alrighty thanks mod!

[n0s_speed]

Originally Posted by vcorruptc

Type R Sticker- this will help your car no matter what. Just stick it on for an easy 10 hp to the wheels.

hahaha....love this quote.

wow, i didn't really know all about this crap(double clutch, etc.) till i read this posts. thanks guys. well, i've only been driving MT since i got my car, that was umm....about 6 months ago. but damn, i'll probably be studying this techniques, since i love the SPEED! and racing, LOL. shit that's why i got 4 tickets already, hahah!

ME <===

[vcorruptc]

ya this is a very good write up by someone i know (jee-soo kim). he has a type-r and is really good at driving...really good...

[C25A1guy]

Shifting Techniques. This style makes sure you don't mis-shift. Stolen from UUC.

Shifting Techniques Tutorial

The following pictures and notes are meant as a tip for people interested in preventing missed gears when driving in a spirited fashion. UUC Motorwerks claims no responsibility to it's accuracy nor effectiveness as it is meant to serve as an opinion which works.

Now that we have that settled, on with our lesson.

1.

Starting in 1st gear....

2.

Going to 2nd, pull straight back

3.

Going into 3rd from 2nd, backhand the shifter knob and push away from you...

4.

Pulling into 4th from 3rd, the shifter knob is still being backhanded...

5.

Going into 5th from 4th is similar to going into 3rd from 2nd, Still backhanding it, pushing away from you.

6.

Downshifting from 5th to 4th, you continue to BACKHAND the shifter knob. Don't hold it like you're going from 1st to 2nd (picture 2) as this is how people get into trouble.

7.

Push straight forward to move from 4th to 3rd.

8.

Going into 2nd from 3rd. Note that going into 2nd from 1st or 3rd gear has a specific hand position, different from going into 4th gear from 3rd or 5th. This is the key to this technique as your hand/brain will associate 2nd and 4th gear with different hand positions.

Good luck with this new technique. After a few days of driving, you'll see this is a very natural manner of shifting. As it may be awkward at first, you'll see that it has its merits when you start to drive faster. The motions in the pictures above work for any shifter, but if your shifter has excessive notchiness or requires high effort, this technique may not be as easy to emulate.

If images don't appear, goto this site:
http://www.shortshifter.com/techniques2.htm

[Clapoti]

[n0s_speed]

holy cow. almost 2 year old thread

[02RSXs.owner]

thx!! ive always wonder how to do this properly!

one question tho', im a bit confuse with the rev matching and the double clutching technique.

i can see the only difference in the two is that you have to hold the clutch down switch to neutral, release, gas to rev match and press the clutch in again to shift to fourth?
whats the difference from putting it in 4th gear while the clutch is down and match the rev then????

sorry.

[Cloud_Walker]

Good question, because that's what I do. Double clutching seems like a waste of time and energy.

[djbme83]

[Clapoti]

Originally Posted by 02RSXs.owner

thx!! ive always wonder how to do this properly!

one question tho', im a bit confuse with the rev matching and the double clutching technique.

i can see the only difference in the two is that you have to hold the clutch down switch to neutral, release, gas to rev match and press the clutch in again to shift to fourth?
whats the difference from putting it in 4th gear while the clutch is down and match the rev then????

sorry.

Originally Posted by Cloud_Walker

Good question, because that's what I do. Double clutching seems like a waste of time and energy.

Originally Posted by djbme83

Because the syncro don't have to do a lot of the work...

[JoshDavis6]

Originally Posted by 02RSXs.owner

thx!! ive always wonder how to do this properly!

one question tho', im a bit confuse with the rev matching and the double clutching technique.

i can see the only difference in the two is that you have to hold the clutch down switch to neutral, release, gas to rev match and press the clutch in again to shift to fourth?
whats the difference from putting it in 4th gear while the clutch is down and match the rev then????

sorry.

i dont think it matters if you rev match while its in neutral with the clutch out or with the clutch in after you get in the gear you want