How do you guys avoid pissing people behind you off when shifting?

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Re: How do you guys avoid pissing people behind you off when shifting?

Post by Rope-Pusher »

LesPaulMan wrote:Mmmm. It seems like a lot of you are saying that I should try and get a head start on everyone by being more alert than everyone else. TBH, I have been doing this. I always fear people running the light T-Boning me though.
So, what do you do while you're waiting for the light to turn green for you? Pay attention to the traffic on the cross-street. You can keep track of who is slowing down for their light and who is going to run thru it.
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Re: How do you guys avoid pissing people behind you off when shifting?

Post by Teamwork »

LesPaulMan wrote:Mmmm. It seems like a lot of you are saying that I should try and get a head start on everyone by being more alert than everyone else. TBH, I have been doing this. I always fear people running the light T-Boning me though.
I think you're taking the term "head start" too literal. By no means should you actually jump the light- just be ready as soon as it turns green (like be in the engagement point, working your way forward as soon as the first shade of green hits your eyes). You can save quite a bit of time (which is probably precious seconds). Think about it this way.. if you're prepared to 1st gear launch before the light turns green it'll take out a lot of anxiety in the matter because you won't feel rushed. If you get caught off guard by a "sudden" green light you may rush and make a mistake or feel like you're too slow out of the gate. The more you do it and get accustomed to it then you can have a "sudden" green light hit and be pretty quick about it.
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Re: How do you guys avoid pissing people behind you off when shifting?

Post by Rope-Pusher »

Teamwork wrote:
LesPaulMan wrote:Mmmm. It seems like a lot of you are saying that I should try and get a head start on everyone by being more alert than everyone else. TBH, I have been doing this. I always fear people running the light T-Boning me though.
I think you're taking the term "head start" too literal. By no means should you actually jump the light- just be ready as soon as it turns green (like be in the engagement point, working your way forward as soon as the first shade of green hits your eyes). You can save quite a bit of time (which is probably precious seconds). Think about it this way.. if you're prepared to 1st gear launch before the light turns green it'll take out a lot of anxiety in the matter because you won't feel rushed. If you get caught off guard by a "sudden" green light you may rush and make a mistake or feel like you're too slow out of the gate. The more you do it and get accustomed to it then you can have a "sudden" green light hit and be pretty quick about it.
I think you're taking the term "T-Boning" too literal.
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Re: How do you guys avoid pissing people behind you off when shifting?

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^That looks delicious.
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+1. Smoothness when necessary. Balls to the wall violence (or at least some mild jerking) when necessary. When neither is necessary it's entirely up to your mood.
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Re: How do you guys avoid pissing people behind you off when shifting?

Post by watkins »

I had to really think hard about what I do at a light. I still don't know. I just launch and go. I think its one of those things that when you get used to the car you figure out exactly what footwork needs to happen and you become faster. Like a few others have mentioned, its not uncommon for me to be first off the light and well away from the rest of traffic before they even notice the light has changed. That said, I am an assertive driver and have little to no patience for slowing down or wasted time.
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Re: How do you guys avoid pissing people behind you off when shifting?

Post by MH86 »

This issue bothered me up until recently. At least with my car, I find that I get the quickest, smoothest 1-2 shift by shifting late (at almost 20 mph). As for smoothness, that will come in time. It took me until recently (about 3 months) to complete my 1-2 shift without slowing down or inducing whiplash.

Try not to overthink it (even though I used to do just that); in time, your footwork will let you pull off smooth shifts that leave you way ahead of other drivers. Before you know it, you'll be amazed at your progress.
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Re: How do you guys avoid pissing people behind you off when shifting?

Post by Teamwork »

First hand story relevant to this topic that I actually caught last night. I was a passenger in my gf's car and I noticed a Ford Fiesta ST on a main road next to us with a ton of lights. The 1st gear launches to my senses were fine and smooth but whenever she would shift from 1st to 2nd if some jack ass was following fairly closely (not like maliciously tail gating but keeping pace) the guy behind her would tap the brakes because I saw that the gap between that gear slowed (or maybe didn't increase) the speed. It was like clock work in the succession of lights we hit... I wonder if people do that behind me too now. It was weird experiencing it from an outside perspective though- is it because we're not gaining any speed in those split seconds of changing the low gears or is it because the car actually bogs down in that time?
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Re: How do you guys avoid pissing people behind you off when shifting?

Post by tankinbeans »

I'm always so far ahead it doesn't even matter, unless it's a hill. I'm usually in at least 3rd before most nards come off the light.
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Re: How do you guys avoid pissing people behind you off when shifting?

Post by Rope-Pusher »

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Re: How do you guys avoid pissing people behind you off when shifting?

Post by theholycow »

Teamwork wrote:I wonder if people do that behind me too now. It was weird experiencing it from an outside perspective though- is it because we're not gaining any speed in those split seconds of changing the low gears or is it because the car actually bogs down in that time?
Sounds like someone is shifting very slowly, not accelerating harder to compensate, and being followed by a major douchenozzle.

Coasting between gears generally does not involve any deceleration. The mere interruption of acceleration is enough to cause people without a concept of personal space to be taken by surprise and need to brake, and also it is followed by resumed acceleration at a lower rate (because taller gear). Depending on the driver and car, there may be a moment of engine braking as the clutch is engaged in the next gear.
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Re: How do you guys avoid pissing people behind you off when shifting?

Post by potownrob »

many/most automatics also have a gap in acceleration on shifts. my 1-2 shift can be very annoying. some gold drivers claim it shifts into 3rd instead of 2nd, but i don't think this is the case. i don't pay attention to see if i'm getting the finger from behind me.
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Re: How do you guys avoid pissing people behind you off when shifting?

Post by watkins »

watkins wrote:I had to really think hard about what I do at a light. I still don't know. I just launch and go. I think its one of those things that when you get used to the car you figure out exactly what footwork needs to happen and you become faster. Like a few others have mentioned, its not uncommon for me to be first off the light and well away from the rest of traffic before they even notice the light has changed. That said, I am an assertive driver and have little to no patience for slowing down or wasted time.
So I started paying attention. I realized that I don't wait during shifts. I absorb a bit of the rev difference with the clutch, and the rest ends up as shift shock. I don't care enough to be perfect. Its a waste of my time for no actual gain.
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Re: How do you guys avoid pissing people behind you off when shifting?

Post by Rope-Pusher »

........and I wondered: "Why is that car driving in the wrong direction?" . Then it hit me.
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