Manual shifting?

[sicbeing]

When should i switch gears? at redline or when the thing blinks?

if so, wouldnt auto be the best way to go since it always shifts at the right time?

 

[Necofurtim]

The point to shift is slightly different for each car, some get better acceleration in the next gear depending on the RPM's you shift gears at. The only way to find out is to experiment, but most are around just before the Red line.
As for using manual transmission, that is not the best way to go for speed.Besides ignoring peak RPM's it sometimes will stick in an higher gear entering a corner and you'll lose acceleration coming out of the turn because your in a higer gear.

 

[cb1021]

i dont know the technical stuff, but i use manual because its more challenging (fun). after getting familiar with the manual trans, it becomes natural which is kinda cool.

 

[Teh_Loserer]

i dont know the technical stuff, but i use manual because its more challenging (fun). after getting familiar with the manual trans, it becomes natural which is kinda cool.

Werd. I've been using a manual since GT1. I don't even think about it when I shift anymore.

 

[Solid Fro]

Who drives automatic?!

Show yourself so I can laugh at you.

 

[ving]

manual gearing:

• you can hold a gear thru a corner for ompimum speed thru the corner and maximum acceleration out of the corner

• manual gearing can also help with braking. doing this means you dont have to go as hard on the brakes and this in turn means elss quirming of the cr under braking

• there are also times where you want your "foot" to the floor but dont want to hit the red line...

• you can also jam you "foot" to the floor in say 3rd in a high powered car with out the fear of changing down, the wheels spining and losing traction and therefore under or over steering

hope this helps

from your thread in settings forum...

 

[kikie]

Who drives automatic?!

Show yourself so I can laugh at you.

Here I am!!

 

[IIC]

I played 1,2 and half of 3 before switching to manual, now I find it harder to drive auto!

 

[NeoKyo]

take it easy its a game?

its basically different for each car
best way to think about it is to use it like your bike
shift up near the red line, or when you feel your car isn't going as fast as it should
downshift when you break
your stopping distance will increase when breaking in a higher gear, so it is best to downshift gradually as the needle drops

 

[Jmac279]

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showpost.php?p=1573114&postcount=9

Keep power as high as possible ...

 

[G.T]

I think everyones said everything you need to know. For each car its different. For example some turbo cars you get better speed if you change 500rpm before the redline or more, because the more you rev, the less boost you get from the turbo in most cases.

VTEC engines are best for redlining because they keep on accelerating through the redline so you dont loose speed. So it doesn't matter too much if you redline there.

Experiment with the cars to find out. I think in the settings screen in the top right hand corner you see a graph with the cars torque and power curves, which will give you a first clue to what the car's like.

I've been driving manually for a few years now and I change gears automatically now without thinking about it. Two player mode I have to do in automatic though, because I can't hear my car.

 

[James2097]

I like manual for all the above reasons, and so that when I've got a really powerful car, I can upshift way too early while keeping my foot on the throttle when in the middle of a turn, this helps the car from spinning out/understeering/spinning the wheels too much.

I am always changing up/down gears to manage the slippage of the rear wheels when no TCS is on (all the time).

If you are playing on auto, man you are missing out big-time.

 

[DemonSeed]

I like manual for all the above reasons, and so that when I've got a really powerful car, I can upshift way too early while keeping my foot on the throttle when in the middle of a turn, this helps the car from spinning out/understeering/spinning the wheels too much.

I am always changing up/down gears to manage the slippage of the rear wheels when no TCS is on (all the time).

If you are playing on auto, man you are missing out big-time.

agree with james above. upshift in powerful cars is a blessing you wont get with auto. you can go into turn, stay in higher gear and still accelerate, but you wont get so much power to the wheels when in higher gear so its easier to stay on the road. and if you see that you can go faster, you just drop a gear. cant do that with auto.

and downshift to help braking is very useful.

 

[Sharkey]

My 5-year old son likes to play GT and he always uses Automatic Tranny, and when I start playing after him I sometimes forget to change the transmission to Manual and it's a HUGE shock every time the damn machine shifts by it self.

 

[boud101]

It depends what I feel like at the time and the situation. Most of the time I use manual but I will NEVER use it in any rally. Nearly every time when I have done so I have screwed up (probably because I'm an incompetent driver but thats not the point ). Also if I'm driving anything with 1000hp or above in a longer-than-average race I'll tend to leave the auto on to spare my poor fingers the torture that such persistent changing brings.

 

[Drifting Thunda]

Driving an auto is fine, don't let anyone tell you otherwise, but I can't stand the auto in GT.

I drive manual because you can engine brake far more efficiently than with auto. And I like the added sense of control of my cars.

 

[chinny]

Manuals are definately the way to go, I find I can consistantly change gears just before it hits the redline after a lap or so in new cars, meaning it doesnt bog down which is all good. Also it helps heaps with toey cars like the Ford GT so I dont have too many problems with braking, well except for the McBMW race car...
I also drive around in rallys 1 gear too high so I dont spin out at every corner.
Autos are for Yanks and old ladies.

 

[Samelborp]

Who drives automatic?!

Show yourself so I can laugh at you.

Your signature explains it all. And it's not funny.

PS: my sig may be not funny, either, but for different reasons.

 

[therealboyjones]

take it easy its a game?

best way to think about it is to use it like your bike

Do you mean ride it to the shops to get milk?

 

[AJP400]

Autos are for Yanks and old ladies.

👍


You should change gear just after peak power - which is obviously different in all cars. And where's the realism in auto?

Honestly, I am surprised that ANY so called GT enthusiast would use this children's function.

 

[Ruffest]

I use manual, it's just like real driving - shifting up and down manually makes driving more enjoyable! Although where I live (london) at traffic jams I wish I had an auto. I still wouldn't slag off any auto drivers, whether it's in GT4 or real life. It's their own choice what you go for... You granny's!

 

[punkrkr27]

Yes, I do drive auto in GT. I guess I just haven't spent enough time getting used to manual and I would probably be a lot more comfortable with it if I bought a DFP. Right now I just find it distracts me too much from watching my racing line. Although I guess I am a bit of a hypocrite 'cause I wouldn't be caught dead in a slushbox in real life.

 

[ZAGGIN]

i actually learnt to use MT's on rage racer for ps1. i had no choice, to complete the game you had to drive MT only cars in certain races, so i had to learn fast. by the time GT1 was realeased, i could use MTs no hassle. as it happens now, im easy with MT, and my present MT button configuration hails back to rage racer - the way i learnt and found most comfortable (R1 up a gear, rR2 down a gear - it complements my goofy pad grip perfectly!)

ok, anecdotes aside, GT should penalise the fools (jokin'!) that still use AT. how about MT only championships? that would teach em! old school racers often had marked differences between AT and MT cars, why cant gran turismo? GT teaches you everything else, why cant it teach you to change gears too? GT should also simulate AT better too, where the park? drive? etc as quoted earlier ATs are for yanks and old ladies; proper racers use MT!

 

[Gabkicks]

i actually learnt to use MT's on rage racer for ps1. i had no choice, to complete the game you had to drive MT only cars in certain races, so i had to learn fast. by the time GT1 was realeased, i could use MTs no hassle. as it happens now, im easy with MT, and my present MT button configuration hails back to rage racer - the way i learnt and found most comfortable (R1 up a gear, rR2 down a gear - it complements my goofy pad grip perfectly!)

ok, anecdotes aside, GT should penalise the fools (jokin'!) that still use AT. how about MT only championships? that would teach em! old school racers often had marked differences between AT and MT cars, why cant gran turismo? GT teaches you everything else, why cant it teach you to change gears too? GT should also simulate AT better too, where the park? drive? etc as quoted earlier ATs are for yanks and old ladies; proper racers use MT!

same here. I remember that lamborghini car i thought was so pwange. It was manual only. ah.... memories


The trick is... You want to shift as little as possible while still staying in the powerband.

 

[Jmac279]

👍


You should change gear just after peak power - which is obviously different in all cars.

I beg to differ ...

 

[punkrkr27]

I beg to differ ...

How can you differ? Every car has a peak power at a certain point in it's powerband. If you hold the gear longer than you are just wasting time because the car is not making any more power as the revs increase, in some cases a car can even start to drop in power after the peak point. Although, I don't know how accurately GT4 represents this in the game.

Questions for everyone who does use manuals in the game...

1) How do you know where the peak power is for each car in the game? I don't think I've ever seen a spot in the game where it shows at what rpm the peak power is.

2) How well does the computer deal with rev matching downshifts? Does it match properly without bucking the car and breaking traction?

 

[dolande]

In some other thread there was a link with the explanation on why you should shift after the redline but before the rev limiter kicks in. The whole idea was that even though you’re pass your engine peak power, it is still making more power and that rev than at the corresponding revs is you up shift. Does it make sense?

 

[punkrkr27]

In some other thread there was a link with the explanation on why you should shift after the redline but before the rev limiter kicks in. The whole idea was that even though you’re pass your engine peak power, it is still making more power and that rev than at the corresponding revs is you up shift. Does it make sense?

Well I guess I should specify... is that true for all cars in the game? In real life that is not always the case. For example, my Mazda Protege5 has the redline marked at 6500rpm with a rev limiter at 7100 rpm. However, power actually falls off after 6000 rpm and it's best to shift there.

 

[RedWolfRacer]

I actually use MT as a sort of clutch during turns. For like a split second, your car is not in gear at all kind of like a clutch or a neutral gear in between shifting. During turning, it's nice to have that so the wheels spin freely and adjust themselves when over or understeering. It's a tricky technique but I've used it for years on instinct alone. It has saved me countless times!

With AT, it won't shift down fast enough when I break, so I don't bother. Even when I used to play Rush and Ridge Racer, I used MT. Besides, it's a major bore just mashing the "X" button on straightlines. lol

One last thing: you CAN see your maximum power and torque in GT4 on the NTSC version anywho. At the top right corner in the setting screen, you can see a sort of dyno graph. You can click it and it will show up enlarged in the middle of the screen with the RPMs and HP and torque units all displayed. Redline is not shown but you can see that in game. With that knowledge, you ought to be able to adjust your gears properly for shifting.

 

[dolande]

Well I guess I should specify... is that true for all cars in the game? In real life that is not always the case. For example, my Mazda Protege5 has the redline marked at 6500rpm with a rev limiter at 7100 rpm. However, power actually falls off after 6000 rpm and it's best to shift there.

In the link the guy was talking about a Neon so I don’t know. I’ll try to find that link again.