Powershift
 

I'm now getting into the whole manual trans thing, I've raced autos, and driven sticks, but never raced a stick. What's the best way for me to race my car with a stick?

I've got the factory T-5, Motorsport chutch, (new) and the stock shifter, soon to be replaced with a Steeda Tri-Ax.

Powershift? How?

Thanks!

I've power shifted by clutching and shifting very quickly without getting off the gas. Kinda hard on the drive train though. Not sure it really provides much benefit vs shifting quickly.

I would upgrade your shifter before you even try power shifting. You don't want the shifter to hang up on you while you are punching the gas.

if you can do it right (shift fast) then there really isnt any need to power shift. but if you do just keep the pedal mashed to the floor and pound through the gears. i found that when im spraying my car power shifting gets me better results, though you do have to be sure you dont miss a gear if your spraying.

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Now we are talking here,I will try not to be to long winded on this but I will tell you in my opinion on the benefits of power shifting over granny shifting.

First off practice power shifting with the engine off,or at a lower rpm,don't start at wide open throttle if you have never done it before,start at like 4500 or lower and go from there.

Like the others have said get some quality back up equipment before you start power-shifting,this equipment includes good clutch,shifter like a Hurst,Tri-Ax,Pro 5.0 shifter,one with positive stops so you are not bending shift forks,you might want to take a look at your quadrant make sure it is in good shape.

I would only do it power-shifting when it is on the line,meaning only a race because powershifting is brutal,but it is also devastating to the competition,when done right,if you do it right your engine should only flare maybe 4-600rpm between shifts,and the other effect is with powershifting it stores energy in your flywheel when you release the clutch,unlike flat shifting where the engine loses rpm when shifting and can fall out of the powerband.

Best advice I can give is this do it only when it counts,be prepared for damage to the drivetrain if you blow a shift,and get ready to run some great times when you do it correctly,powershifting over granny shifting has shown to have a 3-4 tenths improvement,just think of granny shifting a 13.30 or powershifting a 12.90 and that alone will be enough to help with your decision.

Good luck and start saving money (LOL)

I dont powershift its to hard on the driveline and I dont have the time or the money to be replacing trans and clutchs every other month if your racing for money or in a event then maybe that .05-.1 is going to be worth it but to me street racing or time runs at the track are not worth blowing up a 1000$ trans every month. I pefer to shift fast and I have gotton real good at it where I see maybe a .05 of a diff in times when powershifting

Hmmm...

Good arguments for and against powershifting. I guess at this point, I need to really develop a good, fast shifting technique. I have had 3 SHO's, so I have a good quick "granny" technique, but the shifts feel totally different to me.

I don't want to tear up the car, either. Right now, there are maybe two to three racers around me that are faster than me, ant I'm running 3.08's. I think maybe put in 4.10's and call it good for now?

I'd hate to powershift my car into submission when running next to this Saturn stationwagon that runs consistent 17's around town...

Thanks for your input, I'll take it under consideration!:D