This may be a dumb question, but here goes:

I'm a really proud owner of a new Z, but it's my first manual car. Needless to say, I'm pretty rough. It's been about 2 weeks and I can get around decently enough, but my starts are slow and definitely not anywhere close to drag racing standards.

I know that the drivers handbook gives shifting points, but does anyone have more details/tips on shifting in the Z. The hardest shift seems to be 1st to 2nd -- i'm not sure if I should be shifting out of there sooner rather than later. Thanks!

Also, I know this should probably be posted in the "compariso forum" but my good friend has a WRX and is dying to race once I learn how to drive. Any idea on who'd beat whom off the line and on the freeway?

 

haha, that manual says some rediculous numbers! I think it says for "freeway entrance" or something, for accelerating hard. It says to shift into 5th at like 35 mph or something obscene! Good luck making it to 60 in under 10 seconds accelerating by that manual

Hmmm, shifting. For full on acceleration, you of course want to shift right before redline, making sure to not over rev as you push in the clutch (back off gas). As far as launching, I don't really want to reccomend anything because you are new to driving this car, and a manual. Basically it just has to do with 3-4k RPMs then let the clutch out pretty much instantly. Then wind it out once it gets traction up to redline. If you start spinning to much, back off the gas a little. Just experiment launching from a stop at 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, so on. At 2000 you will spin a little, then it will bog down when the tires grip and you'll just accelerate normally. You have to find the RPMs that let you accelerate hard without to much wheelspin, and no bogging down. I've found depending on the pavement/temperature it's somewhere between 3-4k RPMs. You don't want to do this back to back, or often, by the way. Dropping the clutch like this isn't a good thing to do often.

Basically all of this just comes in time. I've never had anyone show me anything. As a driver I've just learned all of this on my own, and I think it's the best way to go about this stuff. If you're a real driver, it will come to you with experience and time. Don't go trying to rush yourself and doing something that is still really alien to you (driving a manual).

 

Here's a pretty good thread on shift points, torque, hp etc.

https://my350z.com/forum/showthread....threadid=20003

I'm now reading "Sports Car and Competition Driving" by Paul Ferere to learn how to put it all together. It has a lot of good stuff in it. Someone else also suggested a book called "Driving Fast" available from Amazon.

Takes a lot of practice, which with a Z, is not all that bad.

 

Here's a good web site on shifting and driving fast.

http://www.turnfast.com/tech_driving...shifting.lasso

The Z manual is an ok starting point and for ave. conditions, but way off for spirited driving. No one seems to have individual torque curves for each gear in the Z. But you can assume that you will get max acceleration by winding first gear out to redline (6600 rpm). When you shift to second, torque drops and so does your acceleration, so you want to hold first gear for as long as it goes up. However, running your engine at hig revs wears it out faster.

You should be able to take a stock WRX, esp rolling IMO. His AWD will get hin off the line quickly, while you may spin and hop if you don't get a smooth launch.

 

dont race or launch till your very familiar with the car. your asking to tear it up, also at 2 weeks, I doubt you have 1200miles on it, and I do reccomend breaking it in, if only so you spend 1200 miles learning the car, misshifts are a *****, and not being familiar with the shift throws is the best way to hit 2nd when going to 4th.

be gentle on the clutch, I shift at the points they specify sometimes.. but mainly only in the aspect of hitting 6th at 40mph, I often am there be the time Im done with 2nd or 3rd, after which I row through the remaining gears, clutch in, not ever actually engaging the gear, just going in and out. it helps the synchros.

for full acceleration, redline it. but again, I dont reccomend you do any such thing when you are unfamiliar with the car, the transmission, and the clutch.

oh and the rex will be no problem assuming you can drive decent, just be careful not to peel out, and not to stall(obviously) but youd be suprised how easy it can be to stall if you let out the clutch too soon... common mistake is to floor it and drop the clutch, 2 things will happen, one is you let out the clutch before the engine responds, and you stall, the other is you peel out, since that much umph followed by full power in 1st will peel, no question, you gotta hold RPMs constant, then let out the clutch quickly but above all SMOOTHLY, and right then or right their after, give it a bit more gas, smoothly taking it to full throttle by the time the clutch is all the way out. at about this time you should basicly be ready to shift into 2nd.