mike25

sorry for this retarded question but i am new to the manual shifting deal and i was wondering what powershifting is?...can anyone tell me..any help would be appreciated..thanks

LopsidedJester

From what i've been told and tried its when you keep your foot on the gas when shifting, reving the engine to higher rpms (not too high, we don't want to hurt the engine) and dropping the clutch into the next gear (all done quickly). This usually results in a larger jolt into the next gear creating more tire spin and keeping the momentum up in the engine, mainly done from 1st to 2nd. (i wouldn't recommend it if your tires don't spin cause thats a lot of force just slamming it into gear)

StreetDreamz

Powershifting requires no clutch at all. Powershifting is slipping a transmission in and out of gears at just the right RPM so it doesn't grind or bind. Precise rev matching is key here. This is vey bad for the transmission but can increase your quickness on race tracks rather well. And by racetracks I don't mean dragstrips.

BlackSS05

thats why your tanny is burnt to ****. power shifting is like what the 2nd post said. you use the clutch but you go it quickly. what you are talking about is rev matching.

StreetDreamz

Powershifting requires no clutch work...trust me. You should always rev match even when you do use the clutch. It's okay. We don't all race here. And I hope you aren't talking about my transmission being "burnt to ****". Lol.

memphisr24

I was taught streetdreams way...well told lol. I'd never try it though. EVER. ITS BAD. It's not worth going .2 seconds faster and buying a new transmission.

StreetDreamz

You are 110% correct.

Nocturn

Umm shifting without a clutch is something I don't recommend. For one you can pull the transmission out of gear without the clutch but to try and rev match using only the engine speed and the transmission drive gear speed is not an easy thing to do, let alone do it fast enough to try and get a faster time.

Anyways, powershifting as I'v always known it, is keeping the throttle fully open while shifting, while this can net faster times if you have good traction, it will, not might, but WILL destroy your transmission, I am currently about to spend a grand having myne fixed for this vary reason. I suggest you don't do it, especially in a FWD car as it can break other things as well.

StreetDreamz

On the contrary it's a very easy thing to do, all it takes is a little practice. Watch some pro circuit drivers in big Solo-II events and stuff. Half their corners are clutchless on the tighter turns. You pull it in and out fast enough it all just glides right through. It's quite cool actually. And it does a little less damage than you people on here think it does. I'm just trying to define powershifting for the man's questions. No need to get all jumpy people.

zinner

I thought powershifting with shifting (with the clutch) without lifting the throttle....

280Z1977

It is with what we are talking about. It is also known as speedshifting. Same with what StreetDreamz is saying. Both terms are used in drag racing and course racing, but have different meanings with the different events. So yes StreetDreamz you are right, BUT not everyone else is wrong.

Also both are very hard on the tranny and clutch.

mi6_

Yes, you are 100% correct. Powershifting is really just another term for rev-matching. When you powershift, all you are doing is rev-matching as quickly as possible, with no use of the clutch. Provided you do this well, it provides the quickest shift with no damage to the powertrain components.

Mercury

I thought rev-matching was when you down shift and you throw the rpms to be at whatever RPM you would need to be in to maintain the current speed in a lower gear.

mi6_

Rev-matching refers to matching the engines speed to the gear you are selecting. This could be while shifting up or down. If you are upshifting all you do is lift a little, pull the gearshift to neutral, and match the revs where the next gear will be at your given speed.

You may be getting confused with heel-toe downshifting. This is where you are braking into a corner and need to quickly and smoothly select the next lower gear while racing. You brake with the toes or upper side of your right foot. While doing this, you pop the clutch with your left foot and select the next lower gear. While doing all that (and still braking), you "blip" the throttle with the bottom of your right foot to match engine revs to the lower gear. Then, you just let the clutch out and you have smoothly and quickly downshifted a gear, allowing you to power out of a corner. This is the quickest way to downshift in a road car, and is very quick (less than one second), and is very easy on the clutch, transmission, and engine.

Rage915

this has nothing to do with the post above, but at what RPM do you all launch or stage your cars at?

Alex47

Power shifting is not lifting the gas from the floor wile shifting. I starting doing it when i got my short throw shifter. It only really needs to be done with turbo cars, it keeps the boost up so you don't have to spool the turbo back up to full boost every shift.

PLUS when i do it most of the time i shoot some flames out of the exhaust

avro206

power shifting is using the clutch and not letting up on the gas when shifting.

The other way is just not using the clutch----which is stupid to do in a synchronized transmssion. I drive an 8 speed dump truck and they are not synochronized, you have to rev match every gear you shift--up or down.

StreetDreamz-- I knoiw what you are saying but your the first person I have ever heard describe powershifting without using the clutch. It is using the clutch.

R33P3R007

you people are confusing.

When I POWERSHIFT I shift just before redline, Using the clutch but never lifting my foot off the floor.

Pully Police

Well...maybe to help clear things up a bit....You guys sound like you are talking about heel and toe.


- Powershifting: Upshifting with the clutch while still on the throttle....requires good tires.

- Floating the gears, Floatshifting, Cornershifting, Syncshifting (ALSO SEE: HEEL AND TOE): Upshifting/Downshifting without the clutch and using rev-matching to sync the speed of the engine to the speed of the tranny in the gear that you wish to be in.

- Double Clutching: From Wikipedia: When shifting up on a double-clutched vehicle, the clutch pedal is pressed and the gearbox shifted into neutral. The clutch pedal is then released. As the engine idles with no load, the rpms will decrease until they are at a level suitable for shifting into the next gear. The driver then depresses the clutch again and shifts into the next gear. The whole manouver can, with practice, take no more than a fraction of a second, and the result is a very smooth gear change. However, in order to downshift, engine revs must be increased while the gearbox is in neutral and the clutch pedal is released. This requires the driver to shift into neutral, release the clutch pedal, apply throttle to bring the revs up to a suitable speed, depresss the clutch again, and finally shift into gear. This operation can be very difficult to master, as it requires the driver to gauge the speed of the vehicle accurately and is often conducted as cars in front slow down. Basically: 5th gear....clutch in...shift to neutral...clutch out...blip throttle...clutch in....shift to 4th...clutch out.

- Heel Toe: From Wikipedia:
Heel-and-toe is a driving technique used in performance driving. It involves operating the accelerator and brake pedals simultaneously with the right foot, and has the purpose of freeing the left foot for normal activation of the clutch or double declutching while downshifting.

Heel-and-toe is usually used before entry into a turn while a vehicle is under braking to prepare for the transmission to be in the optimal gear to accelerate the vehicle out of the turn. Another benefit of downshifting *before* entering a turn is that if one makes a mistake and doesn't get the revs matched correctly, the jolt to the drivetrain won't upset the vehicle as badly if it's still going in a straight line; the same jolt while turning may upset the vehicle enough to cause a nasty spin.

Performance vehicles are usually modified (if necessary) so that the heights of the brake and accelerator pedals are closely matched to permit easy use of heel-and-toe, and that the pedals are not too far apart.

The name, stemming from earlier automotive designs where the accelerator pedal was on the left and could be actuated with the heel while the brake pedal was actuated with the toe, is misleading regarding how the technique is carried out in modern cars, i.e., operating the brake with the left edge of the foot, while rocking it down and to the right to operate the throttle. With practice, it becomes possible to smoothly and independently operate both pedals with one foot. The technique is common in all forms of motorsport, especially rallying.

-P

R33P3R007

NIce ^^

BLKSS

Indeed ^^ Good write up.

Pully Police

Thank the buggers at wikipedia and all the people that contributed to the knowledge base over the years

I just like to back up what I say...I wish more people would do the same...cuz I could say that I autocross every weekend and know my stuff inside out - no one would be the wiser and would just take my word for it. I would rather have a credible source to stand behind.


Some humbling thoughts I use to keep any ego in check (including my own):

"A wise person knows that they know nothing and as a result, their mind opens up and accumulates knowledge....an ignorant person thinks that they know everything and closes their mind to keep others from seeing that there is nothing in it."

"How can you expect to learn anything of you think you know everything?"

"The more knowledge that you obtain, the more you realize that what *you* know is completely insignificant."

-P

kissmySS

Im a sucker for quotes and thoughts like that, some of them can be quite inspiring.....

Pully Police

Ok...just for you...check The Lounge.

-P

red_wing_2121

YOu do not need to rev-match on newer transmissions. That is why newer transmissions have synchronizers in them, so you do not have to rev-match. It creates a smoother shift.