RacerX Posted December 31, 2001 Share Posted December 31, 2001 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie-GNZ Posted January 2, 2002 Share Posted January 2, 2002 2 years ago a team from CT ran a pair of Lexus GS400s in the Speedvision Cup. They did very well but chose the wrong car, too big and heavy and the brakes suffered. What type of tranny you run is your decision or one forced by the engine (like the Buick Turbo) or type of racing (drag racing a big HP turbo). Never had the GNZ on a road race track but since the car originally was being built for that, I expect by the end of the year it should be ready to give it a try. Need to upgrade the front suspension and brakes to match the new IRS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted January 2, 2002 Share Posted January 2, 2002 You won't find an auto trans in ANY of the competitive cars running the improved touring series in SCCA or PRO SOLO. Scottie, I have just the parts for your front end! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randy 77zt Posted January 2, 2002 Share Posted January 2, 2002 problem with auto trans is no engine braking.if you had real big bucks you could get a x-trac or quaffe sequential trans-that is what you can shift clutch-less.these are the trans in the wrc rally cars.trans are built like a motorcycle trans-it shifts with dog rings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZROSSA Posted January 2, 2002 Share Posted January 2, 2002 Brakes are for braking. Not transmisions. I always found that, for me, the manual trans ment i could be in the gear i wanted to be in when i wanted to be in it. You would also get no driveline jerk if you matched the revs so the car was more stable during the gear change. Auto cars are getting beter but not there yet. The new bmw m3 may be an exeption, but i dont think its been released to the public yet. Douglas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAZU Posted January 2, 2002 Share Posted January 2, 2002 Team Lexus They got lighter IS300. It won a race in 2001 Grand-Am series. The car had auto in some race. But they used manual trans (Getrag 6) occasionally. Auto trans would work well on some high speed course. Regards, Kazu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kc6wfs Posted January 3, 2002 Share Posted January 3, 2002 How about a 700R4 and keep it locked up through out the race? With mine I can lock it up in 1st and shift 1st-4th any speed and down shift from 4th to 1st with it locked up. This way you would get the braking from the motor. Would there be any over heating from the trans? Grumpyvett what do you think? Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted January 3, 2002 Share Posted January 3, 2002 Here in SoCal and in Arizone there's a Pro Truck series where the basic Winston West chassis design runs a 355" crate motor and a three speed automatic. These trucks run road racing tracks lots of times and they are very fast (somewhere between ITS/ITA and GT2). Something has been done to the transmissions so that downshifts are slow and smooth and upshifts are very hard and fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biohzrd Posted January 7, 2002 Share Posted January 7, 2002 i've seen people use both with good success. i think in the end it really all depends on learning your individual tranny. i have a 700r4 with a nice convertor and a manual lock up and it does great. my friend builds tranny's and is making me a manual valve body for it. he made one for a friend and it felt almost exacly like a manual tranny "with no clutch". just because you run an auto does not mean you will lose in road racing. it ultimatly comes down to alot of other issues such as suspension,brakes,tires, ect.... i personally like the automatic for the reason of that lovely thing we call traffic jams. i don't do alot of road racing so for me it doesn't justify me switching to the manual. but thats why they make more than one flavor of ice cream. each person likes something different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
260DET Posted January 7, 2002 Share Posted January 7, 2002 quote: Originally posted by ZROSSA: Brakes are for braking. Not transmisions. ........................................... Douglas You do get engine braking with a manual as soon as you lift your foot, as we know. Using the gearbox to slow down is different from changing gears down as the car slows under braking. If you don't do that you end up having to change gears at the time when you should be doing other things, like accelerating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZROSSA Posted January 7, 2002 Share Posted January 7, 2002 I should have put quote marks around it. It was from a Jackie Stewart book I read years ago. He felt that when racing there was no additional deceleration to be had from the transmission with modern brakes. I tend to agree. Cheers Douglas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted January 9, 2002 Share Posted January 9, 2002 Having just completed yet another Skip Barber racing school I can emphatically state that the transmission is used only for acceleration in road racing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikelly Posted January 9, 2002 Share Posted January 9, 2002 I completely agree with John here.. You want to unsettle a car and chance ruining the trans AND damaging other driveline parts, then continue to use the trans to help you brake... The FIRST thing a good driving school will teach you is to NOT use the trans to brake the car. It behooves any of us who aspire to be better "FAST" drivers to learn how to drive the car using all of the components the way they were intended. Can you use the trans to assist in braking? Yes. Should you? NO. Mike Kelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gprix1 Posted January 9, 2002 Share Posted January 9, 2002 There are some situations (such as some tightening radius turns) where very minimal engine braking is useful but that is not in braking zones. I agree that 95% of the time it will do more harm than good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.