Rev matching.

There are some tips I remember from way back, but wondered if there are any more.

1) Keep your foot away from the clutch unless you're actually using it - no need to hover and put any additional weight at all when not in use
2) Keep your hand off the shifter unless you're actually using it (we had lots of discussions of that on ppbb as I recall)

? Any other obvious ones? I don't want to take anything for granted or make any assumptions. Absolutely LOVING being back in a Boxster and this one (987.2) is a little different than those I had driven before.

Thanks in advance!

...keeping your hand off the shift lever (which does little harm i can think of), but the fact that if its on the shifter, its NOT on the wheel!

Engage the clutch as quickly as possible. if its not slipping, its not wearing.

Match revs if you can.

And keep them up.

Drive it easy until the motor warms up.

And of course, turn off the radio. Its drowning out the music :-)

Grant

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

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grant

Drive it easy until the motor warms up.

And of course, turn off the radio. Its drowning out the music :-)

Grant

Good point about driving it easy until the motor is warmed up.

Ah yes. The stereo system. I now have about 6,500 miles on my 981 and about 50 miles on the secondary stereo (in the dash).

When you say "Match revs when you can", what do you mean? I generally keep it between 2000-3000 -

explain! Thanks!

1999 Arctic Sivler/black/black (sold)
2008s Silver/black/black - so predictable
2011 Outback
8/24/2011 first Grandson

Rev matching means performing the shift when the engine rpms match the transmission input shaft rpms as closely as possible. This ha several bnefits:

1. smoother - sometimees imperceptible shifts
2. low wear on synchronizers and clutch
3. least unbalance to the car

a slight contradiction to Bobtesa's clarification: rev matching can be performed on both upshifts and downshifts.

On normal up-shifts, its really just timing...the delay between gears lets the engine rpms fall to the speed required for the next higher gear. Shift too soon, they won;t have fallen enough. Shift too slowly, and they fall to idle (or below the rpms required).

When when you next release the clutch the synchros force the gears to align (wear) and when you release the clutch, you get a lurch - either the rear wheels slowing down or speeding up the motor. Remember, when you release the clutch they are physically connected.

On downshifts its admittedly more important- but also more difficult. Now you are shiftng from, say 3rd at 3000 rpms to 2nd at 4500 rpms for the same speed (just and example). if you release the clutch, the motor rpms FALL making it worse. So you have to blip the throttle to get the rpms aligned.

Since we are often downshifting because we plan to - are are - slowing down, it gets even more complicated. Now you have to blip the throttle with your right foot, push the clutch with your left, and cpontinue applying the brakes with your OTHER right foot. Hense the term "heal and toe" downshifting - in which you use the Toe to brake and the heal to blip the throttle. In general you simply blip - dont even bother matching exactly, just catch the match as the revs fall.

Necessary? no.

Better on your gearbox? You bet.

Smoother? Much.

Darn near required on a track? I think so. Until all the PDKs put me in a museum.

FUn? Rewarding? Yes.

Try it, you'll never go back. I heal and toe on local roads at 30 mph.

Grant

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

Grant, I agree that double-clutching (done right) is better for the gearbox. But in normal driving it doesn't require the heel-and-toeing you describe

You brake, blip, and shift. Or you blip, shift, then brake. depends on how fast you're going and whether you have the comfortable RRPM headroom to do so.

Of course, once you get the hang if it its easier to just H&T everything. Driveways, K-turns, etc. :-)

Grant

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

You might enjoy the sport of learning, or you might find it a distraction. Either way, enjoy the car for many years.

You have much to be thankful for today... see, it comes with side benefits.

Grant
(who's car needs to get off blocks by time to leave for dinner!)

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

And that is the point - it is all for FUN.

Meredith, your original question had to do with things to remember about the car. Equalizing rmps (easy for upshifting, a bit more challenging for downshifting) is one of those points. The point of doing it is less wear on the clutch, and it is also a joy (remember: fun), when done correctly. You can do it with or w/o heel-toeing. As I understand it, the heal-toe method while doable on the street, gets it's real advantage on the track. The advantage being that you don't have to lift your right food off of the brake to "blip the throttle". In this manner you can enter turns later. That said, the method that the vast majority of us use with one foot (alternately) on the brake and gas to slow down and to equalize rmps is just as good for the clutch, which addresses your initial question. (fwiw, I did about 6 DE events w/o healing-toeing. Could I have been faster? Maybe. Did it detract from the fun factor? For me, not a bit. So, if you ever want to try DE -- very fun -- don't think that healing-toe is a prerequisite.)

Happy Thanksgiving to all

I've done DE And Barber Motorsports, Road Atlanta, autocross... just never did the heel/toe thing

I don't generally double-clutch, but do try to bring up the revs when downshifting for a corner, or when I want compression-braking to control speed on a steep downgrade. Approaching a red light, stop sign, etc., I rarely use anything but the brakes to slow the car.

Grant - I've been paying a lot of attention to this - thank you. It has helped a lot. I'm a hell of a lot better at shifting than I used to be, and I don't know why. Maybe it was your advice - but I get it. I never really used to downshift. If I was approaching a light, I would just approach and put it into neutral, but I'm finding that down shifting is a lot of fun. As for upshifting, I agree and totally go for smooth for the most part (unless I'm feeling crazy - then I just go for the sound).

What a fun week it has been!

The thing is, to me half of the fun is the journey. Having to "work" a bit in these cars is part of the package. And the thing is, they reward you so much for it - great feedback, and sooooo smooth on those rare occasions when i get it all right.

Keep grinnin'

Grant

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

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grant
The thing is, to me half of the fun is the journey. Having to "work" a bit in these cars is part of the package. And the thing is, they reward you so much for it - great feedback, and sooooo smooth on those rare occasions when i get it all right.

Keep grinnin'

Grant

I go along with what you're saying, Grant. Except for me, the part between A & B is MOST of the fun 90% of the time when I'm driving the Boxswter. Often, I'm a bit disappointed when I arrive at the destination - even if it's a bit of longer drive like BRBS (about 800 mi.). Although, at BRBS, there's more fun waiting at the destination, which helps to dull the disappointment of the drive being over.

..and yes, there's the Permagrin. Who wants a cure anyway?

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Meredith in Atlanta
Grant - I've been paying a lot of attention to this - thank you. It has helped a lot. I'm a hell of a lot better at shifting than I used to be, and I don't know why. Maybe it was your advice - but I get it. I never really used to downshift. If I was approaching a light, I would just approach and put it into neutral, but I'm finding that down shifting is a lot of fun. As for upshifting, I agree and totally go for smooth for the most part (unless I'm feeling crazy - then I just go for the sound).

What a fun week it has been!

Mer, I think that what you're enjoying, is what many people really miss out on - that involvement of being one with the car, the Zen of driving. Sounds like you've bought yourself a bundle of fun.

As far as downshifting when coming to a light or stop sign, I think it can actually save some gas when you blip and downshift. I'll pull up either in 4th or 3rd, leaving it in gear until the engine drops to about 1,000 RPM and put into neutral just before stopping. By keeping it in gear, the momentum of the car, keeps the engine turning over so the fuel supply is shut off. That saves gas and brakes and has the fun of rev matching. To me it's like having your cake and eating it too.

Add to that, what Grant says - there's just something satisfying when you execute a perfect up/downshift. It's like when you get into the twisties, with you and the car dancing through the curves in unison to the music of the Symphony in Flat Six with the open sky above your head. There's something magical about it.

Enjoy.

STOMP ON IT ONCE IN A WHILE!

After the car is warm, and after you have a couple thousand miles on the car, of course. I mean, you have to verify that the rev limiter is functioning properly.

This car's used, so I do stomp on it! We have a tunnel right nearby (The Krog Tunnel, for anyone in Atlanta), and I love to get it real loud there. It's so funny because my husband used to have a Porsche, but he's super conservative when it comes to gas, so I have to laugh when he looks at me funny. The absolutely BEST thing about this car is the sound and the feel of the shift!

I've thought about posting about gas mileage, but never have, so here goes. A few things in no particular order:

I record my gas intake and mileage in a little book with each fill-up, and I also reset my trip odometer with each fill up. I do this because a drop in mileage can indicate an engine problem. I do the same with my daily driver, but only with the trip odometer. I have monitored mileage for this reason in every car I have owned since my father told me to -- in the 60's. Maybe that isn't important now because if there is anything wrong with engine function, the car will let me know by lighting up my dash like a Christmas tree. No matter, I still do it.

With my 2008S, I get around 20-21 miles/gallon. It is almost all rural and highway driving, my daily driver is for urban driving. The car is rated at 22 city, 27 highway.

The point of this is that I could get better mileage, but occasionally I choose to have fun. Not by any means do I run the car hard on the road all the time. I recall from DE events that with track time, mpg gets down to the low teens. There is no need to run at 4-7k rpms on pubic roads when just "going some where'". But at many places where I am familiar with the twists in the roads, hitting hills, or entering traffic out of a clover leaf, I take advantage of the extra power at higher rpms. Because it is fun. But, also it can be better for the car (up hills), and safer (being able to accelerate into traffic speed). It do this enough to scrub off probably 2-4 miles per gallon. I also usually "cost" in 5th or 6th to a stop light or sign. I see no reason to downshift to a stop. But, I almost always downshift from whatever gear to 2nd when making a 90 degree turn, and I'll do this sometimes from 40-50 mph which requires a decent blip to match rpms. All of these things use extra gas. But, I didn't buy the car, nor do I drive it, to get good mileage.

p.s. I also have some tunnels to go through occasionally. I find the car sounds best in tunnels while achieving the lowest mpg.

Whew! Advice rescinded.

Enjoy.

Yup. Most of the time, just relax your foot on the dead pedal. Just move it (you left foot ) to the clutch when you shift. It actually keeps your left foot more relaxed to.

NOTE: VERY IMPORTANT. Enjoy driving your Boxster. To h377 with how much your face hurts after a few hours of Permagrin.

Keep the top down and the revs up. Doesn't get much better than that.

I have not yet put the top down! Been too cold. Can't wait!

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

So agree! I turn down the radio to listen to the engine. Never did this before! There's something about the 2010 that turns me on.

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Meredith in Atlanta
So agree! I turn down the radio to listen to the engine. Never did this before! There's something about the 2010 that turns me on.

Does your hubby know?

You need a hammer now. Get a small one.

Peace
Bruce in Philly