We had one in NE PA at the Wyoming Valley Mall (in the Sears side) that was so tight that I could drive the entire course in first gear in my Charger 2.2 (with 3.90:1 gearing) without breaking 5200 rpm at any piint on the course.
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Nov. 21, 2008 1:38 p.m. Moparman New Reader
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Nov. 21, 2008 1:51 p.m. pigeon Reader
Moparman wrote:
We had one in NE PA at the Wyoming Valley Mall (in the Sears side) that was so tight that I could drive the entire course in first gear in my Charger 2.2 (with 3.90:1 gearing) without breaking 5200 rpm at any piint on the course.
Scary that I drove through there on 11/15 so many times during law school visits home that I know exactly there that is, and I've never lived within 200 miles of there...
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Nov. 21, 2008 2:09 p.m. GameboyRMH SuperDork
All the autocrosses I've ever done are primarily first gear...The fastest I typically get up to is 80kph (2nd gear redline), some of the really powerful cars might touch 90-100...high speeds scare lawyers, organizers, track owners and in some cases parents.
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Nov. 21, 2008 2:59 p.m. Jensenman UltimaDork
Are you running much shorter than stock tires? Reason I ask, that can change the ratio gaps and thus the RPM the box is turning at a given speed.
For instance, the RX7 box in my car has a BIG jump from 1st to 2nd, compounded by the 3:909 gear and real short tires. It's tough to get over 10-15 MPH in 1st, no kidding I usually shift up to 2nd 20 feet past the start lights because by that time the engine is turning stupid RPM. So it's extremely rare that I ever get the chance to downshift and even rarer that it does me any good. In just about every instance it has cost me time and I go back to leaving it in 2nd.
I have never perfected the double clutch method, naw that has nothing to do with me being just basically lazy.
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Nov. 21, 2008 6:38 p.m. Moparman New Reader
I can run up to almost 30 mph in first in my Neon.
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Dec. 8, 2008 7:48 p.m. jamesp New Reader
37 mph in my 05 Neon (3.55 trans) at the 6750 rev limiter. Somewhere around 36 mph in my 98 (3.93) at 7100 rev limit.
I think you should evaluate why you're downshifting into 1st, and what it's doing. For me, even an underpowered Neon with a Quaife had more than enough torque to spin race tires at nearly any rpm. Accelerating out of a corner following a 1st gear downshift usually resulted in so much wheelspin that I was faster just keeping it in 2nd (verified during instruction at an EVO school).
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Dec. 8, 2008 8:27 p.m. benzbaron New Reader
On my bike I just stay on the throttle when I shift and it prevent the engine from lugging the transmission. I tried it on the pickup and it seemed to help. I'm gonna practice more double clutch shifting compared to staying on the throttle shifting and see which is smoother. I can't do heal toe b/c my pickups pedals won't allow it and I don't want an inch block on one of my pedals around town.
