# Speed Shifting **URL:** \ **Category:** Canada Nissan Automotive\ **Created:** [September 28, 2006, 6:07am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/speed-shifting/144462 "2006-09-28T06:07:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rastaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a87d85/32.png) [@rastaman](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/rastaman)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 6:07am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/speed-shifting/144462/1 "2006-09-28T06:07:44Z")
Any tips on shifting gears really quick whiles maintaining a smooth transition(i.e. no whiplash) from gear to gear? Much appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![canadianskyline](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/41988e/32.png) [@canadianskyline](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/canadianskyline)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 6:25am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/speed-shifting/144462/2 "2006-09-28T06:25:30Z")
Practice. ---
**Author:** ![RS13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@RS13](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/RS13)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 6:52am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/speed-shifting/144462/3 "2006-09-28T06:52:05Z")
NEVER LIFT OFF THE GAS. Easy ---
**Author:** ![TyPhOOn](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/typhoon/32/5800_2.png) [@TyPhOOn](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/TyPhOOn)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 7:01am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/speed-shifting/144462/4 "2006-09-28T07:01:55Z")
> [@RS13](#): > > NEVER LIFT OFF THE GAS. Easy I had a friend who was hilarious and did that … biggest hit ever … “my back” ---
**Author:** ![Variable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/cab0a1/32.png) [@Variable](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Variable)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 7:24am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/speed-shifting/144462/5 "2006-09-28T07:24:58Z")
I don’t take my foot of the gas when upshifting my race car. But my ecu allows me to cheat like that. 😛 Hondata + Full throttle shift FTW! ---
**Author:** ![TyPhOOn](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/typhoon/32/5800_2.png) [@TyPhOOn](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/TyPhOOn)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 7:48am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/speed-shifting/144462/6 "2006-09-28T07:48:14Z")
its like srt4 and their cheater boost ecu ---
**Author:** ![beatshack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f0a364/32.png) [@beatshack](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/beatshack)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 11:56am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/speed-shifting/144462/7 "2006-09-28T11:56:30Z")
maybe my ecu is like that too, my rpms usually sit at 4,500rpm for a second after a 6,500rpm shift (even with full throttle) then accelerates like normal… i’m gonna try powershifting 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DatsunDave](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/datsundave/32/5805_2.png) [@DatsunDave](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/DatsunDave)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 12:48pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/speed-shifting/144462/8 "2006-09-28T12:48:56Z")
Go read Carrol Smith’s “Drive to Win” and you will learn why you shouldn’t really worry much about speed shifting. And as was said earlier…practice. ---
**Author:** ![RS13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@RS13](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/RS13)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 3:45pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/speed-shifting/144462/9 "2006-09-28T15:45:46Z")
> [@TyPhOOn](#): > > [quote=RS13]NEVER LIFT OFF THE GAS. Easy I had a friend who was hilarious and did that … biggest hit ever … “my back”[/quote] I did that all the time with my KA. Maybe thats why my second gear syncro was not the best. I also did that in my SR but i start shifting at 6800 so i did not hit the limiter. ---
**Author:** ![rastaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a87d85/32.png) [@rastaman](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/rastaman)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 5:23pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/speed-shifting/144462/10 "2006-09-28T17:23:56Z")
kk, got it practice! practice! practice! ---
**Author:** ![imported\_chronic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@imported\_chronic](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/imported_chronic)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 6:07pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/speed-shifting/144462/11 "2006-09-28T18:07:56Z")
What kind of a shift stick do you have on your transmission? ---
**Author:** ![imported\_silvia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@imported\_silvia](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/imported_silvia)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 6:56pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/speed-shifting/144462/12 "2006-09-28T18:56:43Z")
set your goal for smoothness, not speed. the speed will come later after you have perfected the smooth shift to the point that you could blindfold a guy and drive him around town, and he would think he was in an automatic. Smoothness will award you with longer life out of drivetrain components, and when racing, smoothness will give you more grip and predictable loss of traction, with easy recovery. shifting smooth is SO important in my opinion, then you get faster at it. and after driving your car ALOT you get a feel for it, so you don’t ever need to look at your speedo or tach, you can just feel it and hear it. you can rev match any down shift without thinking about it. those things will make you way faster than a quick shift ever could anyway! ---
**Author:** ![beatshack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f0a364/32.png) [@beatshack](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/beatshack)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 11:49pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/speed-shifting/144462/13 "2006-09-28T23:49:05Z")
^^ good advice… ---
**Author:** ![rastaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a87d85/32.png) [@rastaman](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/rastaman)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2006, 7:16am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/speed-shifting/144462/14 "2006-09-29T07:16:38Z")
> What kind of a shift stick do you have on your transmission? I have the stock gear box. > set your goal for smoothness, not speed. the speed will come later after you have perfected the smooth shift to the point that you could blindfold a guy and drive him around town, and he would think he was in an automatic. Smoothness will award you with longer life out of drivetrain components, and when racing, smoothness will give you more grip and predictable loss of traction, with easy recovery. shifting smooth is SO important in my opinion, then you get faster at it. and after driving your car ALOT you get a feel for it, so you don’t ever need to look at your speedo or tach, you can just feel it and hear it. you can rev match any down shift without thinking about it. those things will make you way faster than a quick shift ever could anyway! You mentioned a couple of concepts here. Can you elaborate: - Rev Matching - How does one practice smoothness?" Well i know that, but there is right way to do something and a wrong way. What should i be doing to do it the right way. - ---
**Author:** ![GTR-Dad](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/gtr-dad/32/5813_2.png) [@GTR-Dad](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/GTR-Dad)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2006, 7:42am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/speed-shifting/144462/15 "2006-09-29T07:42:55Z")
> [@rastaman](#): > > > set your goal for smoothness, not speed. the speed will come later after you have perfected the smooth shift to the point that you could blindfold a guy and drive him around town, and he would think he was in an automatic. Smoothness will award you with longer life out of drivetrain components, and when racing, smoothness will give you more grip and predictable loss of traction, with easy recovery. shifting smooth is SO important in my opinion, then you get faster at it. and after driving your car ALOT you get a feel for it, so you don’t ever need to look at your speedo or tach, you can just feel it and hear it. you can rev match any down shift without thinking about it. those things will make you way faster than a quick shift ever could anyway! > > You mentioned a couple of concepts here. Can you elaborate: > > - Rev Matching > - How does one practice smoothness?" Well i know that, but there is right way to do something and a wrong way. What should i be doing to do it the right way. > - Rev matching applies during a downshift and means that you blip the throttle while the clutch is disengaged so that when you engage the clutch again in the lower gear, the engine speed will not change and therefore the car won’t get unbalanced during a shift. This is also one answer to your second question. As far a smoothness goes, if you’re thinking about it, and care about it, you’ll find a way. Ross Bentley’s ‘Speed Secrets’ is an excellent driver smoothness book. He says to avoid treating the throttle as an on/off switch and avoid sudden application and release of the brakes. Sudden actions unsettle the car and reduce available grip so you can’t drive at the limit. His uses languauge like “squeeze” the brakes and “ease” the throttle on. He’s also quick to point out that when you get good at this, it doesn’t take a long time. Learn to do it quickly, but smoothly and progressively. Smooth comes first, fast comes later. Smoothness is something you can make huge gains on without going fast or pushing cornering limits on the street, but it builds skills that make you much faster driver. Aaron pointed me in this direction during my first track day ever and I can tell you it works great! Dan ---
**Author:** ![InitialD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d07c76/32.png) [@InitialD](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/InitialD)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2006, 8:47am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/speed-shifting/144462/16 "2006-09-29T08:47:55Z")
get an automatic 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![imported\_silvia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@imported\_silvia](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/imported_silvia)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2006, 8:57am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/speed-shifting/144462/17 "2006-09-29T08:57:24Z")
like GTR-DAD said! when you downshift, you put the clutch in, pull the gear out, rev the gas up, at a medium speed let the clutch out in the next gear. if you do it right, you won’t have any jaring, head snapping movements when the clutch grabs, and this is alot better on your syncro’s and clutch. Smoothness…you know how when your accelerating and you shift at say 5,000rpm, then when you get it into the next gear going the same speed your going like 3,000rpm. well the trick to smoothness here would be to have the next gear engaging at the exact time the rpm’s have fallen to the point they will be operating at in that gear. I also find that with the right timing, when you lift the throttle, you can slip the shifter out of gear, into neutral without any resistance or harshness, very smoothly. then you put the clutch in to engage the next gear(unless your a rally racer). this can be very smooth, and really lowers the amount of time your clutch is engaged, and rpm’s are falling, helping have a quicker, smoother shift. And like just mentioned, your pedals aren’t on/off switches. smoothly and progressively apply brakes and throttle. smoothly let out the clutch, dropping the clutch is for drag racing, not normal driving. ---
**Author:** ![Variable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/cab0a1/32.png) [@Variable](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Variable)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2006, 1:19pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/speed-shifting/144462/18 "2006-09-29T13:19:43Z")
I consider that a basic part of driving a manual car… Who teaches these people to drive ? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![rastaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a87d85/32.png) [@rastaman](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/rastaman)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2006, 1:23pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/speed-shifting/144462/19 "2006-09-29T13:23:54Z")
i kinda taught myself to drive stick 3 months ago ---
**Author:** ![Variable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/cab0a1/32.png) [@Variable](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Variable)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2006, 1:28pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/speed-shifting/144462/20 "2006-09-29T13:28:52Z")
I am just bugging, realistically man. The majority of people that drive manual cars have no clue what rev match downshifting is. Its nothing to feel bad about. Aside from the fact it will make the car seem smoother. Your clutch will last a lot longer if this is done properly. Its a big part of why I would rather buy a car that I know has been raced by someone that knows what they are doing instead of a car that is “lady driven” [Next page](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/speed-shifting/144462.md?page=2)