how to downshift properly when racing using g27+gearbox+clutch?

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digitalic

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I have a hard time of getting downshifting right when racing, its so much different from daily driving a real car because when racing you have to react so much quicker.

Let's say I am doing 130mph+ at a straightaway and approach a sharp corner and apply the brakes to get my speed down to about 35mph, can i shift from 6th to 2nd gear? or do i have to go from 6th to 5th to 4th to 3rd and then to 2nd?

Would love to hear from some of you racing pro's on here who use the g25/g27 with the clutch and gearbox to race. I also read up about heal toe method as well, but that seems even more complex.
 
Am all for realism so i down shift as i do in my real car. Skipping gears while you can do it in real life i wouldn't recommend it as you can sheer gears that way and break your box.
 
that seems like a lot of work every time you approach a corner, do they downshift to each and every single gear when racing in real life?
 
Yes they do mate, else you run the risk of wrecking your gearbox. It's ok though...i'm new to the wheel and i'm getting used to downshifting now...it'll come to you. It's more rewarding too.
 
I would say skip gears. Changing down through each gear is just a waste of time. You are decelerating so quickly it is pointless to try and hit every gear on the way down.

Even just average driving in real life I often skip gears. In fact when learning to drive (many years ago :-P ) learning to block change (ie 5th to 2nd or 4th to 2nd) was just par for the course.
 
It's all about engine braking. You brake harder when you downshift, you keep more control of the car, and maybe save the brakes a little. Don't forget to dip the throttle when you downshift to save the clutch.

Some things are not simulated in gt5p though, so it's not really necessary.
 
anything to achieve realism is worth trying.. i say practice going through each gear.. youll probably enjoy it more once you got it down.. unfortunately my shifter is sequential.. wish i had an H-shifter and a clutch with my wheel..
 
GreyFox666
anything to achieve realism is worth trying.. i say practice going through each gear.. youll probably enjoy it more once you got it down.. unfortunately my shifter is sequential.. wish i had an H-shifter and a clutch with my wheel..
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True that!

For some people its all about going as fast as they can. For me its all about realism. Cockpit view plus H shifter and clutch for the ultimate win! :D

I have some experience driving my road car real fast too. I downshift through all the gears heal and toeing on easy braking zones, but in difficult (bumpy/curved) braking zones, I brake in my high gear, speed matching to the approprite apex gear before shifting. With the latter I always try to double clutch as well, but sometimes I forget :dopey:

When I eventually get my new wheel for GT5 I will transfer this driving style to the game :)
 
I go through each gear with the G27, and don't feel like it's too tough to keep the revs where they should be. I need to practice heel toe though. Hitting every gear using a hell toe downshift makes it so much tougher.
 
Captain Roh
True that!

For some people its all about going as fast as they can. For me its all about realism. Cockpit view plus H shifter and clutch for the ultimate win! :D
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i like going fast and all, but i like being clean and realistic better.. im not getting any younger.. gotta enjoy w/e imagination i got left.. my dream setup would be Vision Racer VR3 with a D-Box, a G27, and any 7.1 headset.. again only a dream.. since i be broke. im just trying to muster up enough to get a Buttkicker for my office chair..
 
I'm also just getting used to a new wheel.I have the Logitech GT Force wheel.

I noticed you posted about downshifting from high speeds,well this method took me a while to figure out,but this is how i managed to learn this.

So i'm going along on the Daytona Road course and i was always losing control(from downshifting) of my car on the turn after the long straight.The way i corrected this was i would not downshift at all until i was at the appropriate speed for the corner.Then i would quickly downshift to the appropriate gear.I was going from 5th to 2nd in a split second.

Not sure if this is the correct way to do this,but this method has helped me tremendously.
 
If you downshift too early and overrev the engine, you can lose control. If you downshift as you are Starfire, you don't get the benefits of the engine brakes. The higher revs of a lower gear help slow the car down more, so what you need to do is find the point where downshifting will put the revs below the redline, but not less than halfway to idle. That's a general rule I've followed. Different cars will act differently because of their redline, number of gears, and gear ratios. Cars with more braking power will require you to downshift quicker too because you are slowing down alot faster. Go watch some on board videos of race cars on road courses and have a listen.
 
thanks for the tips everyone. I am getting better at downshifting, was practicing all night today. I was doing time trials in the Ferrari F40, that thing has a crazy 2nd gear. Anyways, you guys let me know if I'm doing this properly. So I am in 4th gear doing about 135mph and then as i approach this corner i slow the car down to about 90mph and press the clutch and hold it in while i shift down from 4th to 3rd to 2nd, as im about to exit the corner i apply the throttle slightly and let off the clutch (while im still in 2nd) and then as it gets straight i hit WOT and then shift to 3rd. Is this correct?
 
Do not skip gears! Bad practice for real life, these things become instincts you carry into the real world. And its not point less and time consuming. Rev match downshifting will give you better control, faster braking and limit the chances for a spin out.

DOWN SHIFT THROUGH THE GEARS
 
digitalic
.... Is this correct?
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...no very wrong lol.

Here's how: doing 120 coming into turn ahead in 4th gear, brake with your right foot-while continuing to brake and speed is down to 90 or so put your left foot on the clutch and roll your right foots heel on the throttle and stab the gas while continuing to brake and putting the car in third. Then release the clutch in 3rd and wait until the car is in 2nd gear speeds to repeat the process over again... and you are braking with your right foot thru the entire process, 3 pedals 2 feet- yes you have to press both gas and brake with right foot at times. good luck
 
You don't have to press the throttle but it is recomended. As i have never driven a true stick shift on a video games i can't speak for racing speeds or racing type gears. But, In a road car (in my case a 96 hyundai accent 5spd) you can let off the gas and apply the bake then press clutch change down let out a little bit til you here the engine braking then repeat til' you're stopped or at the desired speed. As far as reading the rpm's I didnt have a Tach so I can't enlighten you too much more.
 
now i know the topic is refered towards a G25/G27.. but since im bored and have no life i think i mightve translated this technique towards a wheel with seq shift and no clutch.. as im braking i hold the throttle from a 1/4 to a 1/2 way (feather).. i instantly spike the throttle (without over reving) when i downshift, feather, and accel out the turn... huh.. huh.. what do you think.. the car sounds good when i do it too.. it doesnt bog down low to where it sounds like crap exiting the turn...
 
Absolutely nothing wrong with skipping gears - it helps you keep better control of the car - although if i was in 6th gear flat out i wouldnt go from 6th to 2nd - i'd probably go 6th - 4th - 2nd......

If you went 6th to 2nd youd have to sit on the clutch or just plain brake in 6th gear till your speed is down enough to engage 2nd but thats a terrible way to drive as you would lose braking control.

This will be different in every car you are in as it depends on gear ratio's and dependant on which speed & rev you are currently at.


Forget the people who mention coming down through all the gears - you think thats gonna save you time at the track?
 
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barryl85
Forget the people who mention coming down through all the gears - you think thats gonna save you time at the track?
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hmm lets see.. i.e 24hr event, no heel toe skipping gears, do you think the tranny will last... im no expert but probably not...
 
GreyFox666
hmm lets see.. i.e 24hr event, no heel toe skipping gears, do you think the tranny will last... im no expert but probably not...
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Yes I do

Does that answer your question?

If your a good enough driver skipping gears will cause no harm to your gearbox what so ever, where is people getting the insecurities about skipping gears? What harm is it doing to your gearbox? Your more likely to cause harm to the engine by over revving it.
 
This also depends what style of gearbox your talking about and what style of shifter you have as some wont allow you to skip but thats because of the ratios you would never need to.

A normal cars H style gearbox will be able to skip gears with ease - on a downshift making sure you revmatch. (if you dont your clutch will go)

There are dog boxes with straight cut gears - i have never used one in real life so i cant talk about skipping gears in that.

A race car set up for a specific track will have short gear ratios or gear ratios where you will never really need to skip gears - you cant justify generalising any subject about gears or gearing as they are always designed for specific purpose.
 
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Yes you can skip gears but it depends on the situation. I usually try to pay as many gears a visit as I can
to try to maximise engine braking and stop the wheels from locking up. However I do agree with what barryl85 is saying.

This is my video replay for this months Suzuka 750PP Online time trial event, currently in 13th position.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBXWmeuL6HI

Sorry for the extremely poor quality. I used my G25 and I used the clutch for the whole lap. You can't really see the 'N' between the gear shifts due to the low framerates but you can see the throttle input during downshifts to show rev matching. As you can see I try to visit all gears during downshifts but sometimes miss. In situations like that sometimes you have to make a compromise and skip a gear. It is quite difficult with the Lotus since the car slows down very quickly.
 
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