The 24 Hours of Lemons Forums → Lemons Newcomers → Manual Transmission Shifting help.
I will be running my first race at CMP in Sept and it will also be my first time running(or even driving) in a car with a manual transmission(well at least an h pattern, driven a Legends car for about 6 session 10 laps each during a test) . Any tips or advice anyone can give me to get up to speed with using the manual?
Find someone you know well who has a manual (preferably a beater) and borrow it for a few days. The toughest part of driving a manual is starting without stalling the engine, and it's not really that tough but does require a little bit of practice.
I will be running my first race at CMP in Sept and it will also be my first time running(or even driving) in a car with a manual transmission. Any tips or advice anyone can give me to get up to speed with using the manual?
Wow. Talk about a bad time to learn! With that said, you'll be better off without an auto tranny for sure. Autos SUCK for a race.
gsmith2424 wrote:I will be running my first race at CMP in Sept and it will also be my first time running(or even driving) in a car with a manual transmission. Any tips or advice anyone can give me to get up to speed with using the manual?
Wow. Talk about a bad time to learn! With that said, you'll be better off without an auto tranny for sure. Autos SUCK for a race.
Unforunatly going to an auto would require a complete new car as the one my team is running is completely ready to go right now.
The largest problem with manuals is taking off, plain and simple. What size engine are you running, 4 cylinder engines are so much easier to stall than v8s due to their minimal torque. Just practice taking off and the rest will come with time.
i hope the clutch is good. maybe you guys should invest in a spare
seriously though, borrow someone's and practice for a while. i bought a car with stick before i knew how to drive it. i just drove it around for a day or 2 and was fine. well fine enough not to stall out, but not great. just takes practice like anything else
The largest problem with manuals is taking off, plain and simple. What size engine are you running, 4 cylinder engines are so much easier to stall than v8s due to their minimal torque. Just practice taking off and the rest will come with time.
1990 Miata. I know about the stalling with the Legends car. Plus I've been told is that the Legends is the hardest to take off in for a street or race car by quite a few people.
I'm pretty sure you'll get the hang of it pretty quick. Everyone's right, starting is the worst part. But how many times are you going to be starting from a dead stop on the track? Get moving and then row them gears!
I'm pretty sure you'll get the hang of it pretty quick. Everyone's right, starting is the worst part. But how many times are you going to be starting from a dead stop on the track? Get moving and then row them gears!
Good point about that I was down at the Spring CMP race and the only time you should really need to start from a dead stop is when leaving the pit or if you get caught by the pit out sign at the pit exit. Any advice on downshifts?
Im just trying to get as much real advice from everyone on here who has done it for I don't look like a complete idiot out there my first stint. I know articles on the net can help but I figure this would be better as you know what is actually happening out there.
Only thing that will really help you is practice, to be quite frank.
3 members of our team had never driven a right hand drive car before entering the track in our Lemons mini-- imagine trying to learn all that shifting stuff while shifting with your LEFT hand. 1 driver couldn't quite reach the shift lever and we had to clip some vice grips on there for him to grab on to.
Im just trying to get as much real advice from everyone on here who has done it for I don't look like a complete idiot out there my first stint. I know articles on the net can help but I figure this would be better as you know what is actually happening out there.
Learn to shift and downshift BEFORE you get to the race. It's one less thing to worry about on the track - and being a novice there are already way too many things to worry about and become mentally overloaded with.
Which car #/type are you? I like to know who to look out for at downshifting spots. No offense, but I am being serious.
Which car #/type are you? I like to know who to look out for at downshifting spots. No offense, but I am being serious.
If nothing changes #103 Miata. Plans are to send me out during the last 2 hours of the day on Saturday and Sunday. I plan this way fewer cars on track which should allow me to run a bit better. We are already signed up to do the test day on Friday so by end of day Saturday start of Sunday I should be getting half way decent at it.
And no offense taken. I've been out there with rookies quite a bit in karts before and I know what you are saying. I've raced quite a bit before but just never in cars (2 24 hrs of LeMans open kart(yes in France), 1 24 hrs of Batahla,Portugal kart, and raced in all 3 of the major endurance races at VLK in Chalotte, NC and actually was on the team that won the 2008 24 hr race at VLK. Plus I also solo 1.5 hrs on the outdoor track at Lowes Motor Speedway twice a yeat and have been doing that for 4 years now and never have been beaten yet in that race for my class.)
Remember this phrase: "If you spin, two feet in"....meaning that if you get in trouble depress both the clutch and the brake at the same time, any time you lose control of the car...if you use just the brake, you'll end up stalled, which is embarrassing in the middle of the track with dozens of crapheaps trying to dodge you with dodgy brakes....At many driving schools, if you spin two feet in is the first thing they teach you...
I knew a few people who learned on rental cars sadly I'm pretty sure the days of finding a manual rental car is pretty hard, but you can always call them to see.
The other way is a bit shady but I heard people suggest going to used car lots and test drive some manual ones. The key is to find some lots that will let you drive without the dealer.
I knew a few people who learned on rental cars sadly I'm pretty sure the days of finding a manual rental car is pretty hard, but you can always call them to see.
The other way is a bit shady but I heard people suggest going to used car lots and test drive some manual ones. The key is to find some lots that will let you drive without the dealer.
Yeah I tried the rental car approach no luck there as about the only thing they got is Hi-Po Mustangs and Vette's(plus hard to get a 24 year old in one of those without paying an arm and a leg for the rental fee.) Luckily I do have someone I am going to practice with (at least on the upshifts and take offs).
Which car #/type are you? I like to know who to look out for at downshifting spots. No offense, but I am being serious.
Agreed. Upshifting is much easier than downshifting, so be careful man. Besides it being pretty easy to make your engine go boom from over revving, you can lock the rear wheels and spin causing a wreck for you and others.
FYI - things get more intense at the end of the days. The cars that break were typically driven by inexperienced teams so as the day goes on there are the better teams with better cars being driven more agressively. The least intensive racing is typically mid-day.
Luckily I do have someone I am going to practice with (at least on the upshifts and take offs).
Again you don't need to worry as much about the upshifts. In our Honda we will likely need to shift at least 10 times per lap (counting upshifts and downshifts) so if you do the math over the weekend that is a lot of shifting. Downshifts can cause more damage than any other shift.
Get all the practice you can beforehand man...seriously.
I have taught many-a-friend (mostly females) to drive a stick (a few of them I have also taught heel and toe). I have a pretty fool proof mehtod for learning. The biggest issue is starting out, as stated before. Get a car with a stick and have someone who knows how to drive a stick drive it to a big open parking lot (or equivalent. Practice starting and stopping WITHOUT using the throttle. Once you can master starting a manual transmission without using the throttle, you will be ok.
You should practice driving the car around and shifting from first to second and starting and stopping ALL without using the throttle. Basically you are learning to use the clutch. Once you feel comfortable with that, you can start adding a little throttle to get some speed.
SAGE ADVICE: DO NOT REST YOUR FOOT ON THE CLUTCH. ONCE THE CAR IS ROLLING REMOVE YOUR FOOT FROM THE PEDAL. You WILL toast your clutch in quick order in a race if you rest your foot on the clutch pedal.
Once this is down, you can learn rev-matching, heel/toe, and double clutching. But those are in my advanced course. 
I have taught many-a-friend (mostly females) to drive a stick.
'Taught females to drive a stick' LOL...me too!
While we are giving tips I'll share another. Believe it or not the way you actually grip the shifter with your can affect finding the intended gear. Especially when shifting from 2nd to 3rd or from 4th to 3rd. Use the heel of your palm and don't wrap any fingers around the shifter on these shifts. The shifter mechanism has a 'center spring return' (neutral if you prefer) when the shifter is moved out of gear. When you upshift from 2nd to 3rd, if you use the heel of the palm the shifter will automatically go to center when it's bumped out of 2nd, thus lining it up directly with 3rd which is straight above. The same goes for shifting from 4th to 3rd. This method will keep you from finding 1st gear by mistake when you wanted 3rd.
Of course you could also approach this like the race car, cruise craigslist for a cheap manual car. Although unlike the race car when your done with it you should be able to sell it for as much if not more than you paid for it according to how good a deal you got on it.
Bah! Real Lemons cars have three-on-the-tree!
Bah! Real Lemons cars have three-on-the-tree!
That would be cool! Been a long time, but I have driven a car (truck really) with a column shifter. Damn I'm getting old!
I once raced a car with a three-on-the-tree....a 1970 Dodge Demon. Strangely, I didn't win....
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