http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...0,944880.story

Great video also.

 

driving: the lost art


This is crazy news. In for more on the technical specifics...

 

Nice quote from that article^

 

i'll double clutch heel and toe till i die! it's for life! i don't care what comes out and what people say!

 

I can't wait to try the rev-matching feature.

 

"You can switch off the system and practice heel-and-toeing on your own"

so wtf was the point of that terrible article and this thread?

 

I wonder what happens when you try to blip the throttle on your own while it tries to do it's thing? It'll be a tough habit to break.

 

Should be pretty obvious.

You can turn it off, but it sounds like it will be better at rev matching than any person and certainly make duds drive like champs. It's an article about losing the art of driving to technical wizardry.

This system will no doubt reduce transmission wear, so all manufacturers will start implementing it, and soon there won't be a button to disable it and heel-toe will be forgotten.

 

I'm glad this technology is proving effective and not just a gimmick.

Computers and technology will always be able to shift faster than your typical driver, but there is more to it than just fast shifts. F1 style transmissions such as SMG and DSG and now this synchro-rev match will make things faster, but will never be as involving or fun to drive as a traditional manual.

The traditional manual is a dying breed, but there are many out there who will have it no other way.

 

People will continue to heel toe because it's fun, the same reason people still drive manuals. This technology still costs money. And clutches rarely wear out under warranty that isn't considered "abuse". Unless consumers want this, there is no incentive for the automaker to put it in thier cars.

IF consumers don't want it, it will go the way of pedestrian air-bags. Most people would rather have leather seats than spend 2K for an airbag that will most likely never delpoy and if it does, it will protect someone they don't know.

If people say they do, then we may see more of it. Frankly, I don't find it an insulting technology as long as it really works. If it's crap, then that's a different story. From the reports I've seen, it's pretty good stuff. No substitute for personal experiance though.

 

I'm going to turn it off, or I might just unhook the whole Rev Matching computer thing!

 

Exactly and then you can go ahead and heel-and-toe 'til the cows come home!

 

God...I could just see the gleam in their little ricer eyes....thoughts of stickers and graphics and ugly wheels racing through their minds.

 

Do you guys really heel-toe during regular driving?

I rev-match pretty much every downshift, but really don't heel-toe unless I'm hard on the brakes coming into a corner.

 

YES, i really don't even have to think about it. I screws me up when i drive my old beater truck, the pedals really don't allow it to be done.

 

I try to rev-match during regular driving for the same reason I use my blinker even when there's no one around -- I want it to be a habit. When you're on the racetrack, you want it to be automatic (i.e., muscle memory -- no thinking required). The street is a good place to practice rev matching / heel-toe shifting. And it's even safe to do on the street. Taking turns at 1.1G, on the other hand, may not be safe on the street

 

That's what I've been wondering too. Hopefully it will be smart enough to know that you're blipping, and compensate for it.

 

its ok you can shut it off anyways.

 

^^^+1

 

I generally only heel toe when I am braking hard coming into a corner. I do rev match constantly. I think this would be nice for when you are in traffic and switching gears frequently. I could see replacing it for all but the most expedient driving