How to properly drive aggressively?

[JoonPrime]

This may seem like a retarded question, i posted on reddit (to my own humiliation) and man i got trolled lol.

-Young with his first ever bought car, 2015 brz and its beautiful
-No, i will not autox or track any time soon
im simply asking how do i properly shift gears when driving rough when i get to that stage of confidence in my life??
ive driven automatic cars all my life, and hardly ever aggressively(work van, pickup truck and a kia optima HYBRID lol) cant really drive fast in those !

My concerns are, how should i shift, what is a good way to ease into driving quicker? i know getting in the car with other driver is always an excellent idea but for practice? is it plausible to go to a autox, suck ass and just get pointers or is that uncommon and ill get scoffed at :P

when ive tried the few times to aggressively shift at high rpms, i always feel the car lurch forward as if i got slammed. and each time i panic, stop what im doing, and just drive carefully again ....

am i suppopsed to let go of the clutch very quickly but not throw it?? have i watched too many fast and furious movies?

thanks to anyone who can answer this noob who would love to get into the racing scene a bit more later on down the years!

[projekkt]

Step on the gas pedal?

Harder?

Not quite sure what you're trying to get at.

[chrisl]

What do you mean when you say "throw" the clutch? If you're lurching really badly when gearshifting, you're definitely doing something wrong (even on the racetrack, I wouldn't describe any of my shifts as a "lurch").

[jvincent]

I'll take the bait. I will start by saying if you want to drive really fast, the track is the best and only place you should do this. Don't be a ****head on the streets.

im simply asking how do i properly shift gears when driving rough

Driving fast != driving rough. If you watch any track video of the guys who are going fast, they are very smooth.

when ive tried the few times to aggressively shift at high rpms, i always feel the car lurch forward as if i got slammed

To get the best performance out of this car you need to shift at higher RPMs. You are getting lurching because when you engage the clutch you have not matched the RPMs for the gear you are in and/or you have dropped the clutch instead of letting it in smoothly (but quickly!).

You answered your own question earlier. If you want to learn, get somewhere with experienced drivers and take lessons. If you aren't a total ****head (sense a trend) they will be more than willing to help.

[7thgear]

to be aggressive you must first be patient


you must know the outcome of all your inputs




I'm not sure what you want exactly, but I can only say this, go out and drive the car as much as you can and take autocross/track schools once you're comfortable upshifting and downshifting.

[gramicci101]

If you want to drive faster you have to drive smoother. Forcing the transmission to do something it doesn't want to do or is incapable of doing will only result in things breaking.

[Teseo]

Start with video games something like Gran Turismo.

[Racecomp Engineering]

Most of what you need to do can be practiced at normal safe speeds. You just do it faster when driving quickly. If you can shift smoothly at normal speeds, just do that but a little faster. With most things driving related, smooth is fast. "Slamming" gears fast and furious style isn't a good way to go. Watch some track in-car videos posted on here by CSG instead of crappy movies.

I highly suggest going to an auto-x and asking for an instructor. It's cheap and low risk as opposed to a track day (which it doesn't sound like you're quite ready for). Check your local forum. Keep the ego at home and listen to your instructor. Don't try to "win." Just go learn.

- Andy

[CSG Mike]

"aggressive" and street do not mix. Learn to drive in a safe environment.

[Dave-ROR]

Key to driving fast? Look ahead, drive smooth and know the limits of you and your car. There's a bunch more but those are some basics.


Start autocrossing. Lots of experienced guys will be glad to jump in your passenger seat and help you learn. I've taken 30 seconds off people's autocross times in a 70-80 second course in 8 runs and I suck at teaching.

[glamcem]

Are you trying to be a faster driver or just trying to shift faster?
shifting properly and faster is just one element of being a faster driver and you can learn a lot more by attending a HPDS (High Performance Driving School) in your area..

you can always practice your shifting in a parking lot or a place where there is no traffic but for other factors (being smoother, faster in general) your best bet is to attend some HPDE/HPDS with an instructor so that you can also avoid the common mistakes before they become to habits.. it's sometimes better to be a beginner than a novice with bad habits, since you have to relearn the things correctly and it's hard to forget habits ..

I personally had to deal with this in the past (had to forget things)..

Good luck

[gramicci101]

My opinion only, but you shouldn't upshift faster than the RPM can drop by the requisite amount. If there's an 800 RPM difference between second and third at a given speed, you should be letting the clutch out right about when the engine has dropped by 800 RPM. Releasing the clutch before or after that point puts unnecessary drag on the engine and drivetrain and does not result in a smooth shift.

If you find yourself consistently shifting faster than the RPM can fall, get a lightweight flywheel or something that will accelerate the drop in RPM.

If you find yourself consistently shifting slower than the RPM can fall, you need to work on your technique and pick up the pace. Don't force it into gear though; gentle pressure will get the syncros to do their thing and you'll be good to go.

[DarkSunrise]

Originally Posted by JoonPrime

im simply asking how do i properly shift gears when driving rough when i get to that stage of confidence in my life??

First, get the clutch engagement point down cold. Go to an empty parking lot and practice bringing the clutch out quickly to where it just starts to engage in 1st gear. Then do it again. And again. Until you've got it down. Knowing the clutch engagement point will be the key to everything that follows.

Next get the basics of shifting down in normal driving. Whenever you shift and regardless of what gear you select, your clutch foot should always quickly bring the clutch out to that engagement point, then engage while you feed throttle. Keep practicing until smooth and quick in normal driving.

Once you are comfortable with that, experiment with higher RPMs and in different gears and make sure you're comfortable shifting in all scenarios. The process of bringing the clutch out to the engagement point, then feeding throttle should always remain. You just do it a bit faster when you drive aggressively. Repeat until smooth and quick.

Pay attention to the tachometer when you shift, and learn to rev-match everything. Upshifts should rev-match almost by default. Downshifts will take a quick blip of the throttle.

Forget heel-toe until you've got all of this down.

Generally speaking, the speed at which you let out the clutch (once you reach the engagement point) is directly proportional to how quickly you're feeding throttle. In normal driving in 1st gear, you're gently feeding throttle so you should be gently coming off the clutch past the engagement point.

When shifting/driving flat out, you will be matting the throttle, so you should be coming off the clutch rather quickly past the engagement point.

[chkltcow]

Originally Posted by gramicci101

My opinion only, but you shouldn't upshift faster than the RPM can drop by the requisite amount. If there's an 800 RPM difference between second and third at a given speed, you should be letting the clutch out right about when the engine has dropped by 800 RPM. Releasing the clutch before or after that point puts unnecessary drag on the engine and drivetrain and does not result in a smooth shift.

It doesn't help that our flywheel is approximately 90% of the entire car's weight.

Back on topic... yes go to an AutoX. Granted you'll only shift once, but you'll learn a ton about driving and car control in a safe environment. Even if you don't drive, go to one and see if you can ride along.