Originally Posted by Got HP

I have heard some of the advanced DE drivers over-rev between gears going down the back straight at WGI during UP shifts. Here is how you shift a Porsche:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyM-egecTlw

Originally Posted by JCP911S

On the street, a slight pause in neutral will preserve your synchs.

On the track, light lift and clutch and shift as fast as possible, its a foot tap, and should take an eye-blink.

The key to quick accurate shifting is hand position on the shift ****. Do not grab it with a clenched fist like a hammer, this locks your wrist muscles and forces you to guide the shifter with the large and inaccurate upper arm and shoulder muscles.

Learn to shift with your wrist muscles using an open palm, positioned 180 degrees opposite from the quadrant where the desired gear is located.

Every shift should have a unique hand position and arm movement.

For example, for a 1-2 or 3-2 shift into 2nd gear, cup the **** in you palm at 2 o-clock with your fingers pointing toward your knees, and pull the lever down toward your hip.

For a 3-4 upshift, or 5-4 downshift, turn your hand with your fingers pointing to the passenger door, cup the **** in your palm at 10 o'clock, and shift down and away toward the right rear... this makes it anatomically impossible to do a 3-2 upshift, or 5-2 downshift. (AKA the "Money-shift").

Also so not use "short-shift" kits.... all they do is reduce your margin of error, and make the shift riskier.

The secret to track driving is making every decision as simple as possible.

Originally Posted by JayinToronto

Ok so my conclusion from this is that I should shift as fast as possible

Originally Posted by pontifex4

I thought that there was no room for improvement in my upshifting, until ProCoach looked at my data and called me on shifting too slowly!

Looking at video of the laps in question, he was totally right: no matter what I was doing with my hands and feet, I was still moving the shift lever as though I was out for a Sunday drive.

That was excruciatingly clear (to him) in the data, even though I figured that there was no way to improve in that area.

More to the point, though, as Kai says, you're likely to improve more quickly by focusing on downshifts and brake modulation.

For example, a lot of people who heel-toe comfortably still release the brake some to blip the throttle, thus stretching their brake zone and transferring load unnecessarily.

Originally Posted by JCP911S

On the street, a slight pause in neutral will preserve your synchs.

On the track, light lift and clutch and shift as fast as possible, its a foot tap, and should take an eye-blink.

The key to quick accurate shifting is hand position on the shift ****. Do not grab it with a clenched fist like a hammer, this locks your wrist muscles and forces you to guide the shifter with the large and inaccurate upper arm and shoulder muscles.

Learn to shift with your wrist muscles using an open palm, positioned 180 degrees opposite from the quadrant where the desired gear is located.

Every shift should have a unique hand position and arm movement.

For example, for a 1-2 or 3-2 shift into 2nd gear, cup the **** in you palm at 2 o-clock with your fingers pointing toward your knees, and pull the lever down toward your hip.

For a 3-4 upshift, or 5-4 downshift, turn your hand with your fingers pointing to the passenger door, cup the **** in your palm at 10 o'clock, and shift down and away toward the right rear... this makes it anatomically impossible to do a 3-2 upshift, or 5-2 downshift. (AKA the "Money-shift").

Also so not use "short-shift" kits.... all they do is reduce your margin of error, and make the shift riskier.

The secret to track driving is making every decision as simple as possible.

Originally Posted by JayinToronto

Ok so my conclusion from this is that I should shift as fast as possible and continue to focus on everything else as it's all more important that this.

Originally Posted by pontifex4

I think a better way to put it might be "as deliberately as possible" (not meaning slow, just intentionally).

My anecdote about Sunday drive shifting was more to point out that I was being really leisurely with my shifts, and losing a lot of speed because of it.

To echo the point about hand position on the gear shift, it's also important to put your feet in the same place on the pedals every time. Both are about feel.

This stuff all seems embarrassingly basic, but we all have bad habits. Until recently, I had a habit of flexing my hands and changing my grip on the wheel mid-corner. I had no idea.

A friend pointed it out, I stopped doing it, and suddenly, my corner exit oversteer problem was gone!