Performance driving techniques?

[2011 SS]

What are some things to practice with an M6? Should I be keeping the gas pedal to the floor while shifting or just reving it after I push the clutch In then slam it into gear.

[ihaveacamaro]

well if you keep the gas pedal to the floor and you release the clutch that's popping the clutch which usually results in a burned rubber and smoke. lots of smoke.

but those aren't good performance wise. burned rubber means that your wheels are turning but your car isn't moving as fast as it would be had your tires not been burning.

I would say the best thing is to learn to shift fast (maybe invest in a short throw shifter) and to learn how to properly rev match your gears.

another thing is that the optimal place to switch gears isn't at the redline. you should practice to find the best "sweet spot" for shifting.

[SSGUNNER]

Shifting without hitting the clutch. Not sure what its called but i used to do this on my dads S10.

[PeeBee]

Originally Posted by SSGUNNER

Shifting without hitting the clutch. Not sure what its called but i used to do this on my dads S10.

It's called "a good way to ruin your synchronizers"

[PeeBee]

Originally Posted by 2011 SS

What are some things to practice with an M6? Should I be keeping the gas pedal to the floor while shifting or just reving it after I push the clutch In then slam it into gear.

While upshifting, keeping the throttle wide open will only make the number of rpm that the engine has to "drop" going a gear up bigger. This will put extra load on the clutch/syncros in your gearbox. The only way you can improve your upshifting, is by indeed finding that "'sweet spot" for the engine to get into the right power band, and speeding up your footwork.

For downshifting, it becomes a different matter.

You can use the "rev matching", this is basically blipping the throttle before releasing the clutch, to get the engine to the same rpm as the gear. To learn: when driving in 6th, downshift, and see what the rpm is in 5th, while coasting at the same speed. This is basically the "throttle blip" you'll need. Practice in getting it "smooth", then start working your way down on the gears (6 -> 5, 5 -> 4, and further down to 2 -> 1, which is the hardest one to get right).

With the synchronised gearbox you don't need do "double declutch" anymore, but it's still fun to learn. Normal "downshifting", you press the clutch, change gear, release the clutch.

Double de-clutching: press clutch, put gearbox in neutral, release clutch, rev match (allows you to sync the input shaft of the engine), press clutch, change gear, release clutch. As I said, not many people know how to do this anymore, due to the syncro gearboxes, but it's a technique that helps gaining control of the "twitching" of the car, especially on track.

Once you get that right... you could still try adding heel-and-toeing (basically braking and applying throttle while you do the gear changes).

[Scrapppy666]

Don't hold it to the floor while shifting... good way to break stuff if you don't know what you are doing. Just practice and be quick with your feet... powershifting isn't worth the risk IMO.