Short shift gear change ??

[icb]

Watched an old TG and JC talking about Stig and short shift gear changes in that Swedish supercar. Can anyone tell me what it means. Thanks a lot.

[GravelBen]

Generally it refers to changing gear lower in the rev range than you might otherwise. ie it may have been changing up at 6000 instead of 7000 rpm to take advantage of a torque curve thats best at mid rather than high revs.

During races drivers also do it to conserve fuel.

[townrow]

And also short shifting can help keep the car balanced through the exit of a corner where smooth accelration is required.

[Hollywood Wheels]

I also short-shift to allow the engine/oil/gearbox to warm through for the first ten minutes after starting the car, to avoid engine damage.

[GravelBen]

Hollywood Wheels said:

I also short-shift to allow the engine/oil/gearbox to warm through for the first ten minutes after starting the car, to avoid engine damage.

good point, though probably not why stiggie was doing it in the K'egg


I hate being in cars with people who thrash them from cold, almost like it hurts me too because I have some mechanical sympathy (sad I know). Never take mine above 3000rpm until the temp gauge has come up, unless I really have to (like hitting ice and needing to give it some gas to swing it round a corner ).

[flemke]

I can also refer to "block-shifting" up.
If you've got, say, a 6-speed 'box and you're building up speed on an entry slip road, you might well accelerate up to 70 or whatever in 3rd in order to blend in, then once you've reached your cruising speed there's no need to go into 4th.
You would go directly into 5th or even 6th. This is another form of short-shifting.

[TripleS]

flemke said:

I can also refer to "block-shifting" up.
If you've got, say, a 6-speed 'box and you're building up speed on an entry slip road, you might well accelerate up to 70 or whatever in 3rd in order to blend in, then once you've reached your cruising speed there's no need to go into 4th.
You would go directly into 5th or even 6th. This is another form of short-shifting.

Beg pardon flemke, but are you sure about that?

I thought short shifting meant changing up at relatively low revs. What you have described is a block change (going directly from 3rd to 5th or 6th) but using highish revs. in 3rd means, to my mind, that this is not a short shift.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[vonhosen]

Short shift is merely not using anything like the full rev range & block change is taking a gear without an intermeadiate gear. It's possible to combine both.

[TripleS]

vonhosen said:

Short shift is merely not using anything like the full rev range & block change is taking a gear without an intermeadiate gear. It's possible to combine both.

OK thanks, so it's refraining from using the full engine speed range, rather than as I thought, confining yourself to lowish revs.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[vonhosen]

TripleS said:

vonhosen said:

Short shift is merely not using anything like the full rev range & block change is taking a gear without an intermeadiate gear. It's possible to combine both.

OK thanks, so it's refraining from using the full engine speed range, rather than as I thought, confining yourself to lowish revs.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

Not quite what I'm saying (if you mean it's changing up at anything less than red line). You could for instance squeeze to 3,000rpm in 2nd & then block change to 4th.