Perfect Shifting?

  • Thread starter Thread starter chameleon2
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Just started manual 2-3 days ago. All my times are better. The game is a lot funner now.
If you don't understand why manual will give you faster times it is because of this:
----Lets say you want to go around the first corner at Mid Field with an auto. You do it, and then the gears basicly give you peak power to go around, so much in fact that you might need to brake and feather the throttle and what not. This will cause you to go around slower and not come out of the turn fast enough. NOW, with manual, you can switch the gear to a bit higher than what you would think it should be, so it is out of peak power (i think its called powerband?) You go around the corner with the gas pressed all the way with out feathering and you go about the corner at a more constant speed and the stability of this causes you to come out the corner much quicker.
It basicly alows for better control of your speed than breaking or letting loose on the throttle. Braking and letting lose on the throttle can also mess up your car balance causing you to oversteer or understeer. So basicly, manual makes things like that much smoother and a lot faster around corners.
Also, for the people who are afraid of going in and learning it, like I said, I tryed it for the first time like 3 days ago. Now I am confident with it and I am already improving on my old records. (Believe it or not, I have been using auto for about 2 years, and I never knew of online competition so I didn't see the need to check out manual)

Ok, hope that makes sense, and I might be wrong because I am just saying this off of 3 days experience with manual.
 
The fastest way through a corner requires ...

1) Proper line
2) Proper suspension setup
3) Proper braking before/into the corner
4) Proper acceleration out of the corner

If you have a long winding corner, typically the fastest way is to actually feather the throttle to keep you at optimum power without losing too much speed or, even worse, gaining too much speed and losing your line ... If you use a controller like I do, I've found that quickly tapping the throttle works very well ...

Manual doesn't typically make you faster through the corners, although it can improve braking distances with proper downshifting and, obviously, acceleration out of the corner ...

Not that there's anything necessarily wrong with your technique ... As I say, go with what works :)
 
i never use auto, dont have a feel for the car. plus i like manual, so you can trialbrake alot easyer lol..

plus theres not very much auto circit racers, only dragcars
 
Does engine braking even work in GT4 or even GT3? I've always wondered this?
 
theGTfreak
Does engine braking even work in GT4 or even GT3? I've always wondered this?
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I don't think so, you need a working clutch to simulate engine braking and the PS2 wheels, don't have a clutch.
And besides, if you listen closely, when the race cars in the GT series are shifting down you can hear them using "heel and toe" technique.
If you use this technique, you can't use engine braking, I think :dopey:
 
kikie
I don't think so, you need a working clutch to simulate engine braking and the PS2 wheels, don't have a clutch.
And besides, if you listen closely, when the race cars in the GT series are shifting down you can hear them using "heel and toe" technique.
If you use this technique, you can't use engine braking, I think :dopey:
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You don't need a clutch to engine brake, you don't even need to change down!!! Just lift completely off the throttle and you start to slow down, thats caused not only by friction of the gear box, road etc but by the engine-braking. Heel and toe technique enables you to get into gear quicker, therefore you have more control over the car... as any driving instructor will tell ya, only when the clutch is fully up do ya have complete control of the car lol :)

Usually the more torque a car has the greater the effect of engine braking. Also the torque powerband affects how much you feel the effects of engine braking, for example, a car with a small torque powerband that peaks higher in the rev range (honda vtec say) wouldnt have the same kind of engine braking as a car with a lower peaking, wider spread torque power band (diesels are a perfect example of this).

Automatic cars in real life can't really make use of the engine braking because of the way they transmit drive through the gearbox, sports modes help some way towards it but you still don't get the full effects.

True semi-automatic cars do have full engine braking because usually they have electronically controlled clutches (Aston Vanquish, DB9, Mazzer 4200, certain Ferrari's, VW's fantastic multiclutch DSG's etc) these systems also auto blip to simulate toe and heel and make the downchanges smoother.

Hope that makes sense, not too good at putting things into words but it looks pretty clear lol! :crazy:
 
theGTfreak
Does engine braking even work in GT4 or even GT3? I've always wondered this?
Click to expand...
I know it works in GT2, so I would assume the same in GT3 and GT4 ...

In the braking tests, you'll find that your braking point is a several feet closer to the finish using engine braking ... Not a HUGE difference, but it makes getting Gold that much easier ...

Besides, in actual racing, you'll want to downshift anyways, so you're in the proper gear going into the corner ...
 
Vee_8
Heel and toe technique enables you to get into gear quicker
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Actually, heal and toe shifting is used for rev matching [kind of the opposite to compression braking]. Basically matching rpms for the drivetrain and the gears, this gives a smoother ride while cornering. If you're taking a corner at the limit the slight jult that happens when the drivetrain and gear box try to match rpm's could get you off balance just enough to lose it.

GT3 rev matches for you automatically, you can hear the blip of the throttle while down shifting.
 
I just use manual since GT1. I mean manual doesn't require more attention than automatic at all. I can drive extremely good laps and everything on manual and always perfect and consistant too. I just feel like you have more control over your car behavior. When you're good at manual shifting you have a great advantage in cornering.

Plus, I just think manual is more fun. I mean you have more feeling over what your car does and you can beat the hell out of it if you want to, or go softer with it, you decide. With the automatic transmision, the gear shifts always at the same level, that is at redline.
 
synergytheory
Actually, heal and toe shifting is used for rev matching [kind of the opposite to compression braking]. Basically matching rpms for the drivetrain and the gears, this gives a smoother ride while cornering. If you're taking a corner at the limit the slight jult that happens when the drivetrain and gear box try to match rpm's could get you off balance just enough to lose it.

GT3 rev matches for you automatically, you can hear the blip of the throttle while down shifting.
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which is like i said, get into gear quicker (smoother if ya like), right up until the ''smoother ride whilst cornering'' ??!! :scared: Do you drive?? You shudn't really be changing gears whilst cornering, that tends to be VERY scary in a high power rear driver or even a tail happy hot hatch!!

When im racing i usually change down to the gear I want before I enter the corner, then use the throttle to control the car whilst its ''on the edge''. I NEVER change down whilst in a bend :scared:

Then again I suppose it doesn't matter doing it in a game, after all, virtual car seats are easier to clean than real life ones! lol ;)
 
Thanks a lot for all the info guys....the calculations are really helpful, I pretty much now understand it all. But I wonder, are there any downsides on doing heel and toe?
 
chameleon
I know it isn't used anymore. I just wanna save my synchronizer rings on gears :D
You say there's no need for it. I'd say learn the basics first, before you can move up ahead. How can you properly learn blipping the gas if there's the synchronizer rings that are in your way determining if you were on the perfect amount of revs? It's doable I suppose but when you need to learn it from scratch I suppose it's best to start learning the old basic techniques. You're right that it's not necesary anymore. accept from saving you synchro rings, there's no need, it's slower and is a whole lot more work.....but once I get everything perfect, my shifts and especially downshifts will be just perfect!

If someone thinks it's totally not needed, please elabolerate.....
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It can be necesarry even in this day. Years back I had a 1972 Jeep CJ-5 3spd with bad synchros. I learned the double clutch real fast. Still use it today on my '88 Civic Wagon with 175K+ mi to get into 1st on a rolling stop to lessen to gear bind.
 

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