I know I can shave quite a bit off my slip powershifting but currently it is an unnatural act for me..

I subconciously want to lift the pedal or it throws my rhythm off..
Robert showed me this little power shift drill while he was driving my car to the line.. and I think I can use that to practice..

My big question... If my rev limiter is set for 6500 do I power shift significantly before that? Because need to complete the shift before the engine bangs the rev limiter.. correct?

I mean if I powershifted at 6500.... All I would hear is Bah,bah,bah,bah,,,,,

So I am thinking 6000 rpm powershift would buy me that split second to shift and not hit the limiter?

 

You are somewhat correct in your assumption to shift below the rev limiter as the RPMs will "flare" somewhat during the shift. You shouldn't be shifting near the rev limiter in the first place if you have the setup right. But to powershift....

It's easy.. pick your normal shift point and use it. Keep your right foot planted firmly on the floor and when it's time to shift, stab the clutch pedal and pull/push the shifter as hard as you can. Drive it like you're trying to break it, because you are... Stay off the rev limiter if you can, and practice practice practice! Preloading the shifter (by slightly pulling or pushing in the direction it needs to go) makes powershifting easier.

If you're not comfortable doing this, leave well enough alone. The path to low ETs are littered with broken parts (and dreams).

 

There's no trick to learning powershifting except to practice. You can sit in your car with the engine off and practice if you wish. I used to sit in my garage and practice quite often. Close your eyes and visualize the run as you're banging through the gears. Sounds odd but it works.

If you're a good speed-shifter, you're not going to shave as much off your e.t. as you think by powershifing. Don't expect miracles. Also, I would advise against powershifting on street tires or on poorly prepped tracks especially the one-two shift. I nearly spun out my Viper twice shifting one-two too quickly. You can spin out or get bad wheel hop.

 

I wouldn't travel down the powershifting road until you're sure you've perfected your technique.
By that I mean that you've got your launch, shift points & shifting speed down cold where there simply is no more time to be gained in these areas.
Then, & only then, would I recommend powershifting.
For one, it's hard on the driveline/parts, especially if not done fast enough or properly.It also requires a lot of practice, & isn't for the faint of heart.
As above, you would just put your right foot on the floor & forget about it, then shift & clutch in/out as FAST as you possibly can. if done right, the rpm's should only surge up 200-300 rpm's.
I would reserve doing this only for when weather/track prep could yield a new best, but as I said earlier, only after you've maxed out the "driver mod"!!

Ron

 

I hope that you don't have a stock clutch... I wouldn't try to power-shift with a stock clutch..



I power-shifted my '68 with the Tremec 5-speed and the old 383 BUT I did have a Competition Hays clutch and pressure plate setup (Borg&Beck style).. I wouldn't even have dared to try to power shift with the stock clutch..

 

I powershifted the heck out of my stock clutch for over 60k miles. (And mine's a '99...before the good factory upgrades.) In fact, it never gave me any trouble that a good "turkey basting" couldn't cure (until after I installed the heads & cam). It still doesn't slip, but Roger will be installing my new Textralia, along with late model OEM hydraulics, next week

Moral of the story...stock C5 clutches ain't so bad. And the later model versions are actually pretty darn good

 

Hmmm.. did you power shift with Drag Radials, Slicks or street tires?? That makes a huge difference.. If you run street tires, there is no major problem.. The problems with the stock clutch start if you apply traction... (sticky tires). Spinning the tires will absorb most of the shock. If you have a Vette capable of 11's with sticky tires... a stock clutch won't last long.. You'd have to get VERY lucky for it to last...

 

Have the rev limiter turned off hold you foot to the floor and move your left foot and right hand as fast as you can. You should be able to do this at least once before something breaks.

 

Was prolly the stock clutch that saved the driveline.. Mine slipped so bad it would have had less shock at 6000rpms then at 2000...

Seriously.. I have a hardened shaft and a Cartek Clutch.. I am only pushing 345hp to the wheels.. I sure HOPE that aint gonna break anything..

 

Well I had my car driven by a professional and he almost broke into the 11's... (12.02) He said he powershifted 1st...

My best so far was 12.29.. So I can only assume that I need to Powershift to see 11.9X..

Here is what my car did with a Powershifter behind the wheel...

http://web.mac.com/meditateiveone/iW...Chuckster.html

 

Take the easy way out. Hire a professional.
Just as an FYI we signed Nelso Hoyos of Driven2Win and former Sport Compact World Champion. He will offer drag strip driving school IN YOUR CAR if you wish At drasticly reduced rates. Can't get much more pro than that. If you want a real fast car you can use one of his 06 Cobalts or one of his Dragsters. Neson and Frank Hawley are the ONLY 2 DRIVING SCHOOLS in the COUNTRY approved by NHRA to issue competition licenses.
http://www.driven2win.net/
Feel free to call him if you want, let him know your one of us.
I expect him to be on track with us April 7th.

 

Been through more sets of tires than I care to count

Before the major mods, it ran 12.3's with just a Vararam and drag radials. I beat the crap out of it for years like that, powershifting it as often as possible; only required an occasional "turkey basting" to keep the clutch fluid fresh. Did heads and cam a few months back, but the hydraulics started getting really bad after that. But, it still isn't slipping noticably. Keep in mind this is an early ('99) clutch with over 60k "spirited" miles on it The later C5 clutches are even better. There's a local guy with a heads & cam Z06 pushing 440rwhp through a stock clutch running low 11's and cutting 1.5 short times.

 

That's Robert (Retrotech). He's the pilot of Chuck's record run at the strip. In fact he drove 3 people's cars that day and got car records on his 2nd run in the car! Hundreds of runs and 30k miles on the stock clutch. They took out to replace it and it was so good they put it back in.

I'm not a pro by a darn long shot but Robert is my neighbor and has showed me a lot. I actually learned to powershift riding in his car just once. I realized what he was doing then I just did it, it came pretty naturally. I do it on the street at low revs sometimes driving to work to stay in practice. When doing that I just keep my foot on the gas but not accelerating (hold revs constant) to remember how it feels. I heel and toe most shifts too, business passengers think I'm crazy because they don't know what I'm doing and I just do both second nature now.

I scan my runs with HP Tuners so I can see exactly how long (at all) I"m off the gas and shifting. I would say powershifting gives me about .1, maybe .15. Not a lot but at my level (11 second car only if I really drive it) every little bit counts.

I also am a huge fan of the stock clutch. I've seen more problems with non-stock clutches than I have stock at my power level. Both my C5 H/C and my C5 LS2. It seems to not mind 5k launches at all. I may eat those words later but I love it so far. Nice and easy pedal for my daily drive and launches like a bear. I think the quick release launch and diligence with the fluid go a long way to keeping it alive.

 

http://www.corvetteforum.net/c4/mrmojo2/shiftvid1.wmv

 

I didn't powershift 1-2 due to too much tire spin, hurting ET.
One thing I didn't agree with your driver doing was the dry-hops before staging.
Seemed like a good launch/pass though.
Ron

 

That was the 2nd time he had ever sat in that car and was learning the clutch take up point on Chucks Cartek clutch I think.

But your point is good, I see a lot of guys doing dry hops but I was taught not to. Why should you do/not do them? I don't have a good answer.

 

Dry hops can break parts real fast.. Those were very little.. plus with my hardened shaft It was fine..

I have seen guys "Check" the traction before they stage... seems like a good idea...

 

Wheel hop with a hardened shaft can still damage or brake a lot of other components… Its better to just get off the throttle when it happens. Better to be safe then broken.

 

Great Advice.. I did not know that..... Thanks.

 

What I do, & by NO MEANS am I a know-it-all, is I'll drive around the parking lot a bit to learn the clutch & I'll even do a soft, simulated mini launch as well.

As for the dry hops, the theory is the tires are sticky & clean after the burnout, but if you dry hop, you're losing some of the stickiness (softened rubber) from the burnout.

Don't know if there's any research to back this up, but....

As above, breakage IS possible as well.

Ron