Double Clutching

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J_Mac
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Thu Mar 08, 2007 3:13 am

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bottlecapE30
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Thu Mar 08, 2007 3:53 am

I don't feel it is nessary with synchros. but it does help keep tracktion when down shifting
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Turbo-Brown
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Thu Mar 08, 2007 8:12 am

It really isn't necessary if you're any good at rev matching.

Next time you get a hire car, have a go at changing gear without using the clutch at all. You'll see that the gears slip in really easily if you've got the revs matched to the road speed and gear you're wanting to select.

I was under the impression that double-declutching (it's only called double clutching in the Fast and Furious!) was really only for use when going down the gears as that's when the engine end of the gearbox needs speeding up to bring things into line.

In the GT6 as was, you needed to double-declutch into 1st at anything above jogging pace or it just wouldn't go! Used to love 1st in that car, would take you all the way to 50mph :D
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Brian28
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Thu Mar 08, 2007 8:30 am

I heel and toe (rather than double clutching), helps stop the back end stepping out when you let the clutch out. Probably other stuff about saving wear and tear as well but I don't do it because of that. I only do it on the road for practice so its an instinctive habit when racing, I'm not sure it makes any difference on the road, sounds good tho :D . When you read about it in race books its because a lot of them (single seaters) don't have syncro so they go for the full double declutching monty. We tried a load of eperimenting on a track/practice day last season, it definitely works better at stopping the back going sideways on the entry to a corner. The only place I don't do it (deliberately) is the corner at the bottom of the hill at Lydden where its a left hander up the hill, if you change down normally the arse comes out to get the car around the corner better. Just my experiences and what works for me, I'm not claiming to have any detailed technical knowledge on the subject.

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Jof
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Thu Mar 08, 2007 11:51 am

Heel and toe is something that it seems I should be doing more - only problem been our german cousins obviously didnt think about thoose of us with size 12s. Any tiips.
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Thu Mar 08, 2007 11:56 am

I just do it to be a tart and to blip it on the downchange a little, but when hessing into a corner, a quick blip to match the revs stops the back from locking up when letting the clutch out.

Used to get this quite a bit on the E46 compact I had
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Thu Mar 08, 2007 12:42 pm

The only car i had to double declutch was my first few Morris Minors and MG midget all with 1380's,no syncro on first so you had to double declutch coming onto round abouts etc.

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Thu Mar 08, 2007 1:43 pm

Heel and toeing in the E30 with size 12 shoes is more side-of-foot-and-toeing.

Give it a go with the engine off, put your foot on the brake as you normally would, then roll it sideways a little bit so that the side of your foot presses the accelerator pedal down.

Helps if your throttle response is good too :D
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J_Mac
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Thu Mar 08, 2007 3:39 pm

I think i can kind of do it, can come down the gear smooth as, no way am i trying to ram it in gear without the cluch tho, sounds better then it is i think
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Fri Mar 09, 2007 6:34 pm

i prefer to grany shift :mad:
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Mon Mar 19, 2007 6:01 pm

i've learned to to use the side of my foot for rev matching in an E30 with practice it works. Well i feel comfortable doing this on my trips to the ring.

It's fun to practice this art on the road to, to keep you sharp!
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Mon Mar 19, 2007 6:06 pm

Turbo-Brown wrote:It really isn't necessary if you're any good at rev matching.

Next time you get a hire car, have a go at changing gear without using the clutch at all. :D
:lol: :lol: so your the one that keeps getting the cars just before me :cry:
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Mon Mar 19, 2007 6:14 pm

dazleeds wrote:
Turbo-Brown wrote:It really isn't necessary if you're any good at rev matching.

Next time you get a hire car, have a go at changing gear without using the clutch at all. :D
:lol: :lol: so your the one that keeps getting the cars just before me :cry:
It's not *that* bad for the 'box if done carefully - I had to drive 70 miles without a clutch pedal the other week.....
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Mon Mar 19, 2007 6:16 pm

Chris-W wrote:It's not *that* bad for the 'box if done carefully - I had to drive 70 miles without a clutch pedal the other week.....
Isn't it ok to go up gears but not going down?

My dad told me that it was and switch engine off at traffic lights?
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dazleeds
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Mon Mar 19, 2007 6:17 pm

Chris-W wrote:
dazleeds wrote:
Turbo-Brown wrote:It really isn't necessary if you're any good at rev matching.

Next time you get a hire car, have a go at changing gear without using the clutch at all. :D
:lol: :lol: so your the one that keeps getting the cars just before me :cry:
It's not *that* bad for the 'box if done carefully - I had to drive 70 miles without a clutch pedal the other week.....
yeh but who the hell does it carefully in a hirecar :drive: :lol:

70mile with no pedal is good mate or you takin piss ? it was an auto winkeye
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Chris-W
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Mon Mar 19, 2007 6:20 pm

No, really Daz. Thought I'd blown a slave, replaced it and it blew again - turned out the fork had sheared off the actuating arm. There was *no* other option but to drive it as I had been stranded at the in-laws' for three days by this point....
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Mon Mar 19, 2007 6:39 pm

maxfield wrote:
Chris-W wrote:It's not *that* bad for the 'box if done carefully - I had to drive 70 miles without a clutch pedal the other week.....
Isn't it ok to go up gears but not going down?

My dad told me that it was and switch engine off at traffic lights?
It's ok to go up or down the gears as long as the engine revs are matched to gear speed as stated.

When you drive with no clutch and you come to trafic lights / junctions etc. you need to switch off the engine or it will stall anyway.
Then when you need to pull away put the car in first or second (depending on the car really) give it a small amount of throttle and turn the ignition key. The car will soon start up in gear and drive away. Not to good for the starter motor but this method has saved me a lot of hassle and waiting for recovery at the side of the road a few times! :D
Jeremy Clarkson wrote:...but it drives the front wheels. Theee wrooong wheels!
da4x4turbo wrote:I raced a vivaro on the motorway once in a 318is.... and lost!!!
Chris-W
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Mon Mar 19, 2007 6:41 pm

As above - you can go up or down if you are sympathetic to the box. On the above mentioned journey I was lucky enough not to have to stop once :)
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DRIFTBOY
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Mon Mar 19, 2007 6:44 pm

Chris-W wrote: On the above mentioned journey I was lucky enough not to have to stop once :)
The last time it happened to me was in an unfamiliar town centre on a saturday afternoon! :cry: :roll:
Jeremy Clarkson wrote:...but it drives the front wheels. Theee wrooong wheels!
da4x4turbo wrote:I raced a vivaro on the motorway once in a 318is.... and lost!!!
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Thu Mar 29, 2007 9:55 pm

I was sharing a garage with a certain BTCC driver last weekend and he was telling me that he was double de clutching as he had broken a gear, not many do, I never have but it is certainly better mechanically and got him to the end and in 2nd place
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iguana
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Mon Apr 02, 2007 8:30 pm

Surely no one tracks & doesnt heel & toe?

If you dont match engine revs as you change down on rwd esp light rear end rwd, then you are risking locked rears & just what happens to mr caterham man at Spa here.

http://www.rogerford.org.uk/video/SpaCrash.wmv
Taffy
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Sun Apr 08, 2007 1:33 pm

Alot of people don't, especially those with sequential boxes,
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M3GTR
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Wed Apr 11, 2007 2:55 pm

Nope... I don't all the time but then again I'm gaining some practice at doing it in my company car instead so might start to try it on-circuit! You really can tell when you need to do it though...especially in the wet!
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