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Old 05-27-2009, 01:46 PM   #8 (permalink)
imag
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This thread is confusing. For those who might find it useful, I'm going to clarify things.

First off, the following represents double clutching:

1. Put the clutch in
2. Take the gearshift out of the higher gear
3. Let the clutch out
4. Blip the throttle to get the engine and idler gear up to the right RPM for the lower gear
5. Put the clutch in
6. Move the gearshift into the lower gear
7. Let the clutch out

The purpose of double clutching is to match the engine and the idler gear speeds to the lower gear. Heel toe technique is just a way to perform the throttle blip in step 4 while braking at the same time. There are three ways to heel toe:

1. With your toe on the brake, kick your heel over to the gas pedal to perform the throttle blip
2. With the left half your foot on the brake, use the right half to blip the throttle
3. With your heel on the brake, blip the throttle with your toe (unusual technique because you're trying to perform fine braking control with your heel, but it's only one that works for me)

Which technique you use depends upon you and the pedal position in your car. I find Subarus are oriented toward heel/toe technique #1, which is one of the reasons I didn't get a Subaru. I recognize that heel/toe technique is a rally standard, but my feet just don't twist that way. Some cars with tight footwells (like a lotus seven) almost require anyone with large feet or shoes on to use technique #2.

There's also some confusion about SRM.

As ModShack noted, SRM is *not* the same as a full heel toe double clutch. It does match the *engine* RPM, which means that a properly executed downshift will not jerk your car. However, if you are just

1. putting the clutch in
2. shifting to a lower gear,
3. letting the clutch out

You are not accelerating the idler gear in your transmission, which is one of the original reasons for the double clutch. The purpose was to match gear speeds, which was necessary before syncromesh gearboxes existed. With modern syncros, one can argue that a full double-clutch is irrelevant. I still like the feel of the idler just slipping into the new gear because I got the revs right.

Technically, you could use SRM to blip the throttle during a double clutch, but it seems somewhat confusing to do so.

When I'm feeling lazy, I have just been turning SRM on, and either double-clutching or not, depending upon the downshift. When I'm on twisties, I prefer SRM off (after all, the reason I'm driving is for the fun of it, and a good part of the fun is shifting).

Okay - hope that was helpful. As you were...

Last edited by imag; 05-27-2009 at 01:51 PM.
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