Optimum shifts

[Mihnea Cotet]

At 18:49 20/04/2002 +0200, gerard wrote:
> > Wrong. Take a look at *any* race driver. They *always* go all the way
> > to redline before shifting.
>
>I might be wrong here, but one has to consider the fact that race cars
>usually have all the torque and power way up in the rev range and
>they're usually quite close together and the cars run some close ratio
>boxes. I'm sure they don't think of where to shift exactly all the time,
>they just gun it until it's dead as the cars have been built with all
>the power and torque way up there.
>
>That would be my first thought on something like this.
>
>I hope you all managed to get the cartest program from the URL I put on
>the list.

I didn't get it, Gerard :(((

As for shifts, an engine builder that I know of taught me that revving an
engine past its peak power RPM only makes you lose time...because past the
peak power RPM power goes down so you don't get anything frm revving an
engine till the redline. From his experience, they put two MWBs with the
same engine and drivetrain and suspension on a race track, one revving till
the redline and the other only till the peak power RPM...  guess which was
the one 1.5 secs faster on the Spa-Francorchamps race track?? The one whose
driver shifted at the peak power RPM... now you all know why it's useless
to rev till redline.

Just my 0.02 Euros,


Mihnea