racing

[eyedoll325is]

i dont have experience in this subject but i would like to know how do u guys drive your BMWs when u want to smoke someone ..
i would like feedback from ppl who have manual transmision mainly
the thing is that i have only been driving 8 months in a manual car(my 325is), and when i try to push it sometimes i get a good start others i dont..

I have had automatic cars all my life and it is just a matter of pushing the accel and feel how the car just jumps or changes gears byitself to get a better push

i think a manual can get a better start than an auto but OMG it takes practice to know how and when to press the accelerator or clutch.

How far should i go on the RPMs? when is the best time when i should switch gears?

 

[bahnstormer]

heheh
when u start from 0mph, standstill and u launch u don't want to bog the engine down, at teh same time u don't want to spin the tires too much. it all depends on the power of your car, the surface traction and the tires u're running. what year is your caR?

when u're racing in a straight line try to shift a few hundred rpm's above your peak torque in 1 & 2 gears then shift at redline in 3rd 4th etc

around a track u want the rpms always high so take her to redline and keep her there using heel-toe when u brake.

for ex when i launch from dead stop with 91 535i 17" 255 rear tires i drop clutch from 3k rpm and feather the throttle. i've tried slipping it from 5k rpm but its not as fast

 

[eyedoll325is]

;

my car is a 95, and i believe it is stock, it has no traction control button either, the tires i am using are brand yokohama 16'' (like new), Note, when i spin the tires i dont get a scream out of them, they have good handling , i do get it when i force the rpms

ill post a picture later

 

[frolf]

i drop the clutch at about 2750, some where close. cause of my shitty clutch anythign about three grands just slips, and because of tires and weight anything below 2400-2500 bogs. second gear i lose the rears for about one revolution of the tires. then its solid every gear after that. my peak hp is at 5300, i shift at about 5850, sometimes higher, depends on the incline/decline of the road, or where my next turn is coming.

brake late, hit the apex just beyond what i want to think it is, cause naturally i try to hit the apex of a turn too early, so instinctively i now search a little deeper. listen to the tires, feel the tires. ease on then poor on the throttle out of the turn. be sure to get a good feel at the kind of sound and kind of vibration your car emits at shift points, taking your eyes off the road breaks your concentration.

 

[318intelligance]

maybe try the whole "speed shifting" deal. I learned how to drive stick in a modified dodge Neon. Quite different than the BMW. I know that its probably the same principal with speed shifting though...just don't take your foot off the air pedal, hit the clutch fast, shift, release. never take your right foot off the accelerator. its not gonna be good for the car though, but if you want to smoke someone, it helps.

Another thing though, is if your car is stock, you might wanna look into some mods to make it faster. That will always help with the smoking of others.

ebay is a good place to look for mods. (cool air intakes, headers, turbos, etc.)

but back to your shifting thing, practice is the only real way you're gonna get good at it. Advice helps yea, but nothing is better than practicing from every red light. Use your imagination, pretend you're racing one of those kids with the loud civics that do 0- 60 in 3 days.