Just wondering, how do you guys shift? A coworker of mine has a 92 mustang, and he says when hes racing, he doesnt take his foot off the gas. I tried that and it works, but its a little weird. Another friend of mine said soemthing about "hard" shifting or something, shifting without using the clutch. Just ramming it into gear. thats something i dont wanna try. And when you guys say dropping the clutch, what do you mean by that?

 

while we're on the subject, what does slipping the clutch mean?

 

The opposite of "dropping". I've heard the term "power shifting" not sure if that is accurate. When you shift with the clutch in and at WOT, or close to it.

 

so slipping the clutch is the opposite of dropping... well that makes sense. so now my new question is, what is slipping the clutch? if someone tells me what that is, i can use my super powers of deductive reasoning to figure out what dropping is. its tough being a genius.

 

Sorry bout that. Dropping = letting off the clutch so it pops out. Also, called side-stepping. Really good when trying to lay rubber on ground, or launching all wheel drive cars. Slipping = letting out slowly good for keeping tires from slipping and inducing torque steer, really bad for clutch. Expect to smell wierd odor coming from car. Kinda like when people learn to drive clutch, letting clutch out slow with throttle on.

 

I believe its not very good for ye ole tranny/clutch to powershift (ala, not taking foot off gas at all). But I don't know the exact gearheaded reasoning behind this. I just took it to be bad, because if it wasn't bad, drivers manuals would tell you to shift that way...

You can perform clutchless shifts. In theory, you could never use your clutch to perform shifts, but it requires precise timing, and is not especially good on the drivetrain components when you miss.

Dropping clutch = revving the engine, then letting off the clutch in one abrupt move (note: 'abrupt' is equal to 'stressful')

Slipping/feathering clutch = the opposite, as stated. Such as feathering the clutch on an incline to make your car stay motionless without using the brakes/e-brake. Also not good.

I'd suggest when racing, to shift like you normally were taught how to shift, and to make good, precise shifts. Shifting hard all the time isn't that good for the tranny though, so aim to keep that on the track.

 

Alright, if dropping is bad, and slipping is bad, then what is the correct way to engage first gear?

 

Very Very Carefully!!! j/k