Just another night I was playing around with my friend's 2001 Audi 1.8T 5-speed manual. For some reason he always beats me. Damit.
I thought those 1.8T weren't that fast. Car is very nice though. I have 2000 SE 5-speed.

Anyways. This time my friend is going behing me and I see he started gaining on me. So I am doing about 50mph in 4th gear and I decided to drop it into 2nd. Now I am at the end of 3rd gear and he is still gaining on me. Anyways I was really suprised. I thought that 2001 1.8T run like 16.1 sec in quarter mile.

Basically.. I should have probably used 3rd gear in that situation. I don't know why I used 2nd at that speed. I think it slowed me down.

Also what is the best RPM to lunch the car? Should I slip the clutch or drop it? Slipping clutch usally I noticed gives better traction.

My Max needs an oil change, maybe that will help me beat him...

Thanks.

 

Redline every gear! Shifting to 2nd at 50 was the right thing to do since it put you right into the powerband.

 

if you eat in your car you should granny shift.
but launching the car, i dont set it on an rpm, i just let go of the clutch and hit the gas, no wheel spin.

 

In my experience, revving to 4000-4500 and walking the clutch out will give you the best 60 foot time and best launch. You'll have to practice, though. You want to keep the rpms up in that range without spinning the tires, but if you walk it out too fast, you'll bog. Practice makes perfect.

Dropping the clutch almost always results in either smoking the tires or horrible wheel hop. If you are going to drop it, I would suggest keeping it under 2500.

 

Take the rpm''s up to 4000 and walk out the clutch. Be sure to have your arm ready for a quick shift. By the time you have your clutch walked out you should be near 6000 rpm....SHIFT!!!!You should only stay in first up to 6000 rpm....anything past that you are risking hitting the redline....and we know that means "Game Over".

 

Also, so going into 2nd when doing 50mph is normal. I felt like it slowed me down. Maybe going to 3rd was a better idea.

I need to learn to drive my 5-speed better, I am tired of being beaten by my friend's 1.8T Audi.

 

It might have felt like you slowed down because that's probably what really happened. If you do a downshift like that without rev-matching you'll probably get a little engine braking as you engage the clutch. But if you keep your foot on the gas and the revs up as you're downshifting that won't happen and the instant you engage the clutch you can gun it and that would probably be a lot faster.

I'm not sure what the redline shift points are in the 5spd but if you just threw it into 3rd that would have been one less shift since you didn't go to 3rd and were already at speed. That might have been faster too.

But you should be able to beat your friend's 1.8T 5spd unless he's chipped or has some mods.

 

MOBOY-

What do you mean by "Game Over"?

I redline on a regular basis. You almost have to push to the redline since the Maximum HP is at such a high RPM. I think if you shift at 6000, you are leaving some power unused. I bump into the rev limiter on occassion (I am usually just getting on the clutch and starting to back off the gas in order to shift when I hit it), but it has never slowed me down or caused problems.

Last week a Camaro SS didn't yeild getting on to the highway and ****ed me off. I redlined and didn't let up in 2nd gear. At about 6700 rpms, with the gas still buried, it felt like all fuel was cut. I got thrown forward a little, shifted to third and kept going hard. Other than the fact that fuel was cut for a second or two, there were no adverse effects (although I agree, this 1-2 seconds could really hurt a 1/4 mile run).

Anyway, just wondering what you meant and wanted to know about some adverse effects that I may not know about redlining. Personally, I think our engine could run to 7K on a regular basis without doing any damage, but

 

just like what SteVTEC was saying above..
if you downshift hard without reving up rpm...you car will jerk forward and back and cause you to slow down little bit..
you gotta know your car..like how many rpms you're running at 50mph in 2nd gear..and rev it up before you engage your clutch and gear..this way, it'll be much smoother and faster and you won't lose time.

 

man... i wish i could participate in this conversation... bugger auto.

 

I think you answered this one yourself...if you have a 1 second stall...you ain't gonna catch up....trust me on this one!

Will it do damage to hit the fuel cut? I know it does a number on my car when I hit it....and if I am racing I would rather be shifting at 6000 rpm 1-2 shift than hitting that fuel cut and have my car bucking around until I can make the shift. Plus...the first gear winds up so quickly that you better be thinking about shifting at 6000 rather than waiting....all of the other gears I wind out to redline.

 

yup!! 1 sec stall is huge!!!! especially when you're doing 1/4mile runs....i was racing a Camaro Z28(manual) at a track and i 'accidentally' hit the redline and my fuel was cut from me!! i was slightly ahead of the Z28 all the way until i hit the freaking fuel cut! and i ran 15.4 vs Z28's 14.7...so the consequences are clear~

 

gotcha...sometimes I'm a little slow

Thanks!

 

Rev matching is crucial on the downshift. I pretty much have it down to a science. . . one big blip per gear. There should be around a 750 - 1000 rpm difference between each gear and I've gotten that down to one blip of the throttle.

Second gear was the right gear at 50 mph. At 60, it is more questionable. I THINK third might be better because you would stay in 2nd for such a short amount of time.

As for shifting at red-line, that's a must. If you are paying attention, you should easily be able to shift right at red-line -> which is where you should shift.

 

I was just suprised that he was actually catching up to me when we did that roll on run.
I did go to 2nd and I matched the revs, I think I was going about 50-55mph at that time.
It brought me up to red line almost in a second.

So I think I just wasted time by going in to 2nd and going right into 3rd.

 

You may be correct. That's a tough call sometimes.

Another thing to consider, if he was already gaining on you from a roll, he was probably at a favorable rpm/gear combo for his car. Once he started gaining on you, he had momentum so you not only had to match his acceleration, you had to exceed it.

Try this - YOU initiate the race. Roll him from about 80mph in 3rd gear. I'd bet you will walk all over him.

 

Even though you were only in 2nd for a short amount of time, it was still correct. You got the engine into the sweet part of the power curve. IE, you drop to 2nd, redline, then shift into third. When you hit third, you will be at @ 68MPH and about 4500 RPMs (doing this from memory, so don't quote me). This is still right around the peak torque level for the engine...and torque is your friend. If you had gone to 3rd at 50-55MPH, your RPMs would probably be around 3000, well short of your peak torque. I can guarantee that the time spent shifting from 2nd to 3rd is less than the amount of time wasted waiting for the engine to spool up from 50MPH in 3rd gear (serious bog issues at WOT and 3000RPMs). The key on the downshift from 4th to 2nd at @50MPH is 1) engage clutch...2) blip gas to match revs...3) disengage clutch/drop the hammer at the same time. You want to be at WOT when the tranny engages, this will help to reduce/eliminate engine braking.

I even do 4th/5th to 2nd shifts up to 60MPH. Besides the fact that it keeps the revs up, it sounds cool. The tranny puts the Max at a slight disatvantage from 60-70MPH. You're stuck shifting to 3rd and the result is a long time to redline. If you're on the highway, and you think you might race, keep your speed around 75 or so. Then, when you need to downshift, you hit 3rd in its sweet spot.

 

Yeah on the highway I always drop it into 3rd. I used to downshift to 4th, but 4th and 5th are so close to each other. You almost get no power from doing it.

Yeah driving 5-speed is fun.. Just driving it better can be even more fun

 

Agreed! From 80 in third to 120-125 in 4th you will walk on him bad! Bottomline is don't get caught out of optimal gear, don't let him hit wot before you, and redline each shift.

 

Hey I'm the friend with the 1.8
Dany, we all know maxima is faster than factory 1.8...(Even with my K&N) But this time... I spanked you bad ! Shame on you !
But wait till I get my chip, then we race !!!!!
Also, any of you guys know whether exhaust voids warranty ?
And what chip would you recommend ?
-Mike

 

You have to agree that when you are walking out the clutch in first gear and you get up to 6000 rpm...you better get that shifter in motion or you will hit the rev limiter....and 1-2 gears are geared low enough that I dont think you are going to go faster by going all the way to redline in 1st. I know if I take my car all the way to redline in first I cannot get on the gas hard in second because my car will be in the ditch.

 

That sounds like an auto. I hit the clutch right at redline/fuel cut - no need to shift/hit it earlier. You are correct, though, you do have to be careful or you will hit the limiter.

I think that the post 6000 makes a BIG difference. Lots of hp in those 600 rpms, that's the sweet spot for our cars. Also, if you shift at 6k compared to 6600, you will be correspondingly lower in the power band for the next gear. As it is, we can't use all the hp we have because we are forced to shift at peak hp.

 

That sucker makes peak power at 6400rpm - 100 short of REDLINE - which basically means that that **** will pull hard all the way to the red and to extract maximum performance you'll want to shift at redline. My Accord V6 for comparison makes peak power at 5500rpm so while we still get maximum performance with redline shifts, it doesn't pull nearly as strongly up to redline as the Max will - mostly because we only have a single-stage intake manifold vs. your cool dual (wish I had one )

If you're shifting at 6000rpm you're not extracting maximum performance from your Max and maybe that's why your 1.8T buddy is beating you...even he says you should be able to beat him Maybe you guys should switch cars since he seems to be the better driver and watch him spank you in your Max with you in his 1.8T

At the opposite extreme of this are old-school pushrod-OHV engines with crappy induction systems that cause the engine to fall flat on its face above 4000rpm or so. If you have an early power peak, like 4000rpm on older Mustang V6's that pretty much means that the engine is choking for air at high rpm's and you actually get better performance by shifting well before redline on those things...hahaha

jOO must shift at redline to realize the full performance of the Max!!! :-D

 

Are you sure you not chipped or something. Maybe that K&N that we put in last weekend must gave you like 10hp or someting .

But anyways, you drive good. You car is pretty fast for 1.8L..
Now I am gona shift better and kick your ***..


Laterz.

 

dude drive hardcore like me. i shift all gears, just before red and nobody beats me. I still have the stock intake, but a drop in K & N and i been whipping Hondas, Mustangs, Toyotas, VW and more all the time from a dead stop. this car can do a lot stock as it is. just drive it and you will see. i max my engine several times too hard and i hit red and engine would shut for a few secs, but i'm getting the chip soon to control that, then i will be kicking LEXUS ***. i in mean to be be bragging, but my maxima kick asses everyday

 

Talk to MaxHawk on this forum. Send him a PM.. he's Mr Audi. Good luck.

 

ok.....school is in. If you want to correctly downshift your car into second from 4'th you need to DOUBLE CLUTCH. This (if done right) will feel so silky smooth you'll never want to shift another way again. The synchro never actually needs to do work if you do it right.

1. push in clutch put car in neutral and let clutch out.
2. blip throttle
3. push clutch back in and put into gear. As soon as it is in gear let your foot off the clutch.

If you do this right the shifter won't have a notchy feel, it will glide right in. Also, if you do this all the time, you will save your synchros in the trans which is a big time expense when the car gets older. On top of it your should have walked all over that 1.8t. No matter what speed.

 

anyone had installed a short-shifter and aftermarket clutch on 5gen? your experience?

 

I've tried to execute true double clutches in the past, but get frustrated. It's not the footwork, it's the gear selection. If I want to go from 5th to 3rd, I can do it with precision in one fluid motion without doubling (but blipping the throttle while the clutch is engaged). However, if I double, it messes up my timing with the gear shift. I end up hunting for the gear. I think I just need practice.

My question is this. If you simply engage the clutch, then blip the gas, change gears and then disengage the clutch - are you still reaping the benefits of double clutching? Or do you have to engage the clutch, put the tranny in nuetral, disengage the clutch, blip the throttle, engage clutch, switch gear, disengage clutch (true double clutch)?

I understand the basic function of the synchros, but not the intricate details of what goes on in between the tranny and clutch.

Thanks!

PS - how many times can a person use "clutch" in one post???

 

Nope.....unless you actually double clutch, your not "reaping the benifits". I will explain at some other time, im tired and need a nap.

 

Even with a chip and drop in K&N you should take him.