Ok, has anybody else done this? I came around a corner tonight next to a Mustang GT. He and I both new we were going, so we hit it about the same time. I walked up on him at least a full car length by the time we hit 3rd gear. Up through third, then....WHAM! Going into 4th, I mis-shifted back into 2nd. The tires actually squealed when I let the cluth out, and the tach needle must have hit 8K. The contest was clearly over by that point, as I was probably 2 car lengths ahead of him (and we were going slightly up-hill, so I'd imagine that the torque of his V-8 made the race closer than it would have been on a flat stretch), but it was pretty freakin' embarassing. To make matters worse, there was another my350z.com Z owner behind me (who shall remain nameless).

This is the second time I've done this, the first while I was simply accelerating onto the freeway. Has anybody else done this? I've driven a stick since the day I got my drivers license, too (and yeah it's been almost 16 years since that day!) Damn...I felt guilty for abusing my car afterwards, even without the mis-shift.

Oh, and if you're going to flame me for street racing, please save it. I know it's wrong, and it's the first time I've done it in this car. Normally, I'm a real chicken on the road, so this was a rare thing for me to do.

 

haha i mis shifted like that before... bout 1 or 2 times i believe. Not a pretty feeling.. BUT GOOD JOB ON SPANKIN' THE GT

 

ahah at least you spanked that fool :P... well i haven't mis-shifted b4 but then again i don't have a manual car right now. my friend did it on his celica GTS though. he was in 5th, downshifting to 4th, but went to 2nd and blew up his engine.
-dave

 

Oooohhhhhh,.......I don't like to hear that.....

I was really concerned after I did it, but the engine seems to be fine....I guess time will tell.


Kelly

 

We do have somewhat close of a shift in the gears...

I let my girlfriend drive my car once and she had the problem of going from 5th to 4th. She drives a stick daily...

Since I havent had my car for about a damn month now, I'll probably be hitting 4th again....

 

I've done that once before, luckily caught before I let the clutch out. It happens. You're probably ok, just don't make a habit of it.

 

I don't know if it'll help much since I haven't done it myself but someone mentioned that switching out your shift **** could help a little bit. Going with a cylindler shaped narrow shaft will let you feel the angles of your **** a little more precisely.

I dunno...what's everyone else's take? (ones who have Nismo ***** or something of that sort)

 

short shifter on a Z would definitely be a problem

 

I have done that b4 but not on my Z though , i used to drive a WRX and i felt so embarassed cos there were 3 friends in my car at that time....

 

since my rogue short shifter and nismo ti shift **** combo, i have not missed a single shift :-) whereas before I've been known to miss those shifts a few times...darn sloppy gates

 

LoL, Did that on my test drive. 3rd to 2nd instead of 4th getting onto the highway. Good thing our stock rev limiters are sensitive. Needless to say I had them get me another Z. lol Havn't done it since.

 

Boy am I glad to hear that I'm not the only one who's done this. I think the Nismo shift **** is definitely in order.....

 

when i shift from 3 to 4, i aim the shift towards the 4 or 6 direction, that way if i miss 4th i will definetly hit 6th, which is no big deal, i just won't go very fast right away. Once you get to know your car beter you won't have this problem, you will have more experience at fast shifting. Also, the way you put your hand on the shift **** determines whether your mistake will be to a higher gear or to a lower gear. if your knuckles face the passengers side, you will most likeley miss to a lower gear, if your knuckles are facing the drivers side you will most likey miss to a higher gear. if your knuckles point to heaven, you will have a good race and will always win

 

That's good advice...Thanks!

 

I did it a few times in my LS1. No problems thats what the rev limiter is for. Except I had so much torque that it sounded like someone with a sledge hammer just banged some piece of metal.

 

3rd to 4th should be about the easiest shift out there, as it's just straight back. Are you trying to muscle the car into gear? If so, you're risking damage to your synchros... only time I ever have problems shifting is from 4th to 5th, where sometimes I go into 3rd, or when I'm downshifting from 5th / 4th to 3rd going into a corner, and I throw the car into 5th... that's about it though...

 

The statements about the rev-limiter as it applies to this particular thread confuse me. A rev-limiter prevents you from applying throttle beyond a certain RPM, right? So in a missed shift situation, it's the transmission pushing the engine, not the accelerator pedal. The rev-limiter can't account for this, so the engine would still be at risk.

 

I'm with you, this is the no-brainer of shifts, I think it's just that in the 'heat of battle' mode that I was in, I was definitely shifting as quickly as possible, and wasn't giving as much attention to the shift gates as I should have been.

 

Rev limiter, because its the ratio of mph/rpm/gear. The rev limiter saves your motor, but your tranny, driveshaft, and rear end just took a beating.

 

Both my son & I have missed by going into second when we thought it was fourth so your not alone.

Thank the Lord for rev limiter!!

I've done it twice but realized in a milisecond what I did & shoved in the clutch.