You may think shifting is a no-brainer function, but
in a sport where the difference of winning may be 1/100th of a second,
every detail counts. In this discussion we point out how to acheive
smooth, quick shifts that are easy on the hardware. We're assuming the
use of a typical H-box shifter in a street car for this.
Many people fall into two bad habits on the street when shifting.
First, Hollywood has taught everyone that it looks cool to always leave
your right hand on the shift knob. Wrong! You may as well tie your hand
behind your back as leave it on the shift knob. Your hand belongs on
the steering wheel--always. When you need to shift--shift, and get your
hand back on the wheel. Don't even rest it on the shifter for a few
seconds a head of time to "get ready." Every time your hand leaves the
steering wheel you've given up 50% of the tactile feedback you have
from your hands, and 50% of your capability to control the car. If
you're racing with other cars around you, you never know when you may
get tapped. Even when racing alone, mechanical failure may cause
handling trouble. You'll want both hands on the wheel when that happens.
The second bad habit some people have is shifting with excessive
force. Too tight a grip, and slamming from one gear to another will
actually slow your shifting down, and cause excessive mechanical wear.
Proper shifting uses an open palm grip on the top of the shift knob,
and a gentle but fast guide from one gear to another. We repeat---all
shifting is properly done with the hand open and cupped over the top of
the knob, not wrapped around it like a fighter plane control stick.
To shift from the top of the H to the bottom, start by forming a cup
with your palm and fingers. Place the palm of the hand over the top of
the shift knob. Using the underside of your fingers and your palm
against the knob, use a smooth straight-line motion to guide the lever
to the next gear. Assuming the shift lever has a fairly short travel,
the action involves your wrist for the majority of the movement. Do not
attempt to slam it or force it faster than it wants to go. If you are
locking your wrist and moving your whole arm at the shoulder, you are
using too much force.
To shift from the bottom of the H to the top, again start by forming
a cup with your palm and fingers. This time when you place the hand
over the shift knob, the emphasis of contact is on the heel of the
palm. Start with the wrist slightly bent up. Push the lever using the
palm heel in a straight line using your wrist to extend the position of
the palm heel while following through with a gentle push of the arm.
This shift is more arm motion than wrist.
When shifting across the H such as between 2nd and 3rd gears, do not
try to make a conscious jog in your hand movements. The linkage needs
very little input to make the diagonal path across neutral. Your shift
should almost look like a straight diagonal line. Making a distinctive
zig zag through neutral is strong-arming the shifter and will slow the
shift down.
Using smooth, soft control of the lever does not imply doing it
slowly. A gentle force of the lever will allow the shift linkage to
move freely through its natural motions. If you strong-arm the motion
you will end up forcing the linkage through lines that have more
resistance. This will slow the shifting down. Use as much wrist
movement as possible in place of moving the whole arm.
Some of you may be tempted to learn the techniques of "speed
shifting"--shifting without using the clutch--in the interest of saving
time. Many schools and professional racers have shown over and over
that there is no speed or lap time advantage to this, and it carries a
much higher risk of gear box damage.
