Block changes vs Sequential Gear Changes on Track
Discussion
Hi,
Apologies if this is the wrong section but I am after some thoughts/advice regarding gear changes on track. In essence, my question is whether it is better to block change (eg. 4th to 2nd) or sequential change (4-3-2)?
My question is not about the gear change itself (I can heel and toe/rev match) but rather it feels as though the effort required to get a good (smooth) downchange from 4th to 2nd is more than if you go 4-3-2. The flipside to this, is that - timewise - it is easier to get one change in (clutch, gear, clutch) rather than two (clutch, gear, clutch, gear, clutch - and yes I'm assuming that we are not double declutching!).
So what is the "correct" approach for a road car with a normal gearbox (ie. not a sequential box)?
Any advice would be greatly welcome.
Apologies if this is the wrong section but I am after some thoughts/advice regarding gear changes on track. In essence, my question is whether it is better to block change (eg. 4th to 2nd) or sequential change (4-3-2)?
My question is not about the gear change itself (I can heel and toe/rev match) but rather it feels as though the effort required to get a good (smooth) downchange from 4th to 2nd is more than if you go 4-3-2. The flipside to this, is that - timewise - it is easier to get one change in (clutch, gear, clutch) rather than two (clutch, gear, clutch, gear, clutch - and yes I'm assuming that we are not double declutching!).
So what is the "correct" approach for a road car with a normal gearbox (ie. not a sequential box)?
Any advice would be greatly welcome.
Sequential most of the time for me.
It's less likely I'll f
k it up and put it in a lower gear than intended and grenade the engine and it helps keep the car balanced if you don't get it perfect.
E.g. if you block from 6th to 4th and hit 2nd by mistake. You're unlikely to not find fifth given you shouldn't be moving left at all.
It's less likely I'll f
k it up and put it in a lower gear than intended and grenade the engine and it helps keep the car balanced if you don't get it perfect.E.g. if you block from 6th to 4th and hit 2nd by mistake. You're unlikely to not find fifth given you shouldn't be moving left at all.
Simple answer is no real 'correct' approach.
I posted this on a previous discussion:
In general understand what you're trying to achieve with a technique. Good race drivers won't need to use most of these in a properly setup car but they will know how. Sometimes a technique may be appropriate for a very particular car/corner/condition.
e.g. In my rwd car the brake bias is not adjustable but you can use technique to get around that somewhat.
In the wet you don't get the same weight transfer to the front of the car so ideally need more braking at the rear. To achieve that I'll go down through each gear 4-3-2 changing optimally early (so the lower gear comes in at high revs) - this is to maximise engine braking at the rear. Same car and corner in the dry I would go 4 straight to 2 and change later (lower revs) as the front is doing most of the braking and the rear is really light - and any more braking can make it unstable and I wan't to minimise time with the clutch disengaged.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I posted this on a previous discussion:
In general understand what you're trying to achieve with a technique. Good race drivers won't need to use most of these in a properly setup car but they will know how. Sometimes a technique may be appropriate for a very particular car/corner/condition.
e.g. In my rwd car the brake bias is not adjustable but you can use technique to get around that somewhat.
In the wet you don't get the same weight transfer to the front of the car so ideally need more braking at the rear. To achieve that I'll go down through each gear 4-3-2 changing optimally early (so the lower gear comes in at high revs) - this is to maximise engine braking at the rear. Same car and corner in the dry I would go 4 straight to 2 and change later (lower revs) as the front is doing most of the braking and the rear is really light - and any more braking can make it unstable and I wan't to minimise time with the clutch disengaged.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
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