If you are reading this page you probably are a car enthusiast, so no need to explain you what`s the gearbox for and blablabla, let`s get straight to the point!
When to shift?
First of all, in sport driving you want to keep your engine in its "power band", which may be not exactly were you expect it: let`s see how to find it:
Select a gear an keep it on a straight, full throttle, from the lower part of you rpm meter to almost the over rev. At some point you`ll feel a kick. That`s not (on most cars, each one is different) where you are supposed to shift, that`s usually the beginning of the power band or the marker for the first third of the power band, which last until the pressure on your back starts to weak.
Great, now you know where you are suppose to keep your engine, but there is something more you should know: changing gear is not something painless for the balance of the vehicle you are driving, so AVOID shifting, either up or down, during a turn. You need to know in advance what gear you are going to need when you are done cornering and you need to put it in BEFORE you enter the corner. Shifting during the corner is not a good idea, that would seriously harm your car stability and shifting after the corner would seriously delay the moment when you can go full throttle.
Yes, that`s pretty much it. There are some fancy things like heel-toe (I say fancy but i love that and I think it is really useful but it is also a learning step that goes beyond the purpose of this webpage) but you`ll learn about them later :-)
When to shift?
First of all, in sport driving you want to keep your engine in its "power band", which may be not exactly were you expect it: let`s see how to find it:
Select a gear an keep it on a straight, full throttle, from the lower part of you rpm meter to almost the over rev. At some point you`ll feel a kick. That`s not (on most cars, each one is different) where you are supposed to shift, that`s usually the beginning of the power band or the marker for the first third of the power band, which last until the pressure on your back starts to weak.
Great, now you know where you are suppose to keep your engine, but there is something more you should know: changing gear is not something painless for the balance of the vehicle you are driving, so AVOID shifting, either up or down, during a turn. You need to know in advance what gear you are going to need when you are done cornering and you need to put it in BEFORE you enter the corner. Shifting during the corner is not a good idea, that would seriously harm your car stability and shifting after the corner would seriously delay the moment when you can go full throttle.
Yes, that`s pretty much it. There are some fancy things like heel-toe (I say fancy but i love that and I think it is really useful but it is also a learning step that goes beyond the purpose of this webpage) but you`ll learn about them later :-)