Switching to manual tips/ advice

So I think I am finally going to make the switch to manual.  I have practiced with it a  few times and I am serious about sticking with it.  Does any one have any tips or advice to help me out with this.

Just mostly what you said.  Stick with it.  Commit and you will eventually wonder how you raced automatic.  But as far as driving, you really need to know the track and practice makes perfect.  Generally by race time I know exactly what gear I need to be in for what corner.  So I come into the corner, Hit the brakes and start down shifting to the correct gear.  Then just coast through the apex and power out. 

Use engine braking to help slow you down and keep you at speed in the corner.  Generally I hold the high side of the gear through the apex.  Like 5-6k rms.  That way when I power out I have max torque and hp on tap.

Some of this stuff is pretty advanced and hard to type. Hit me up online and we can work on it.

My number 1 piece of advice is DON'T GIVE UP!  It's easy to get frustrated with manual and end up giving up.  Don't do it!  Honestly just get used to driving with manual first and then worry about better lines, etc. after that.  The main thing is to just get used to the button pressing.  Once you are comfortable with that then the rest works itself out as you get more familiar with different lines/gears you can use for corners.

Yeah right now the hardest thing is knowing when to down shift into the corners.

Yeah, biggest thing that I noticed a difference with switching to manual is how you can take corners. Really play around with different gears for the corner. I generally like to be in the highest RPM range I can be in. When I hotlap I will intentionally try going a gear too low and a gear too high through a corner (unless it's ridiculous) to see if it's faster. I took a good .3's off one of my already refined lap times that way.

While lap times aren't a huge deal, if you can gain 0.5-1.0 seconds each lap... that kind of thing will make a difference.

For downshifting - It varies, but I generally do all my shifting at once. Only real consistent exception is a long, gradual corner.

As someone who just started using manual, just experiment what you think works best around corners and don't get discouraged by your initial performance.  It is a bit difficult to get used since we've just been used to the car shifting on its own.  Once you get used to it, you'll be amazed by how quickly you can go around a track.  I know I still make many mistakes using manual, but you'll learn from your mistakes. Just last practice I managed to beat Husker and finish 5 seconds behind Interceptor and Apex (which is pretty big for me) lol.

It hasn't been to bad lap times are faster but I just need to practice more

What I remember from when I played with manual in my season, upgrading the transmission to one where you can adjust the gears is almost always a good thing.  With automatic I don't always do it (so I have room for other upgrades) but with the extra control of a manual it's nice to be able to set your gears for even more power, speed, and control.

My advice, don't spend points on the clutch.  getting the race clutch can make your car extra twitchy during gear changes.  It can also make your car easier to over rev your engine when down shifting which will cause engine damage during a race.

Personally, I fully upgrade the Gearbox and Clutch, if the points allow.

Lickwid Apex wrote:My advice, don't spend points on the clutch.  getting the race clutch can make your car extra twitchy during gear changes.  It can also make your car easier to over rev your engine when down shifting which will cause engine damage during a race.

I actually find the twitchiness to be one of the best parts, downshifting and trail braking into a corner can take off some serious lap time.

I see your point though, for someone still adjusting that might make things significantly more difficult if done wrong.

So I got in a good amount of practice yesterday and I am not having to bad of a time with it. I am running faster times for sure just most of them were dirty. I got some time in on a good amount of the tracks the were picked I am going to try to be on early and race more of the tracks picked. I am going to Spark it up and be a noob and race my Chevy spark.

I am making the switch to manual as well, it's definately going to take some getting used to but I can definately see how it's beneficial. See you on the track.

Yeah, I saw the benefit of it when I would see Interceptor, Apex, and Atrum finishing miles ahead of me. lol

Xpert2010 wrote:Yeah, I saw the benefit of it when I would see Interceptor, Apex, and Atrum finishing miles ahead of me. lol

Lol, to be fair that's just a piece of the puzzle. Next stop, no assists!

Let me learn how to drive manual before I start turning assists off.

Other than brake line and normal steering, I'm practically assist free.  There's no way I'd live without that brake line though, that's there for keeps. lol

Brake line doesn't matter. It doesn't slow you down. The only difference is you learn to use landmarks on the track instead of the yellow/red line for braking.

I planed to switch to clutch tonight but got in some lobby play instead will work on it before tomorrow night