...because they can shift down to 1st?

If your course is run mostly in 2nd gear with a manual - especially if you're driving a torqueless car - wouldn't it be advantageous to be able to shift down to 1st and have more torque at the wheels? drive.gif shift.gif

 

Depending on your competition class, a better solution might be a better transmission or getting more torque into the engine. laugh.gif Unless you are talking about a fraction-of-a-second win/loss margin between otherwise-equal cars and drivers, the question seems largely moot. It would surprise me if you can't improve driving skills and/or engine and suspension setups enough to make up for it, and that includes professional drivers.

I switched to a manual transmission so I could have MORE control over my car.

I'm not a big racer and don't drive an accent though . . . can you not shift to first in your car when you rev-match?

 

What happens in an auto when you're going along at 55mph at full throttle in second, then let off the gas? It shifts up to it's top gear. Do you want it to do that as you're entering the next element at the end of a straight section? I know I don't.

If you're messing with the shifter you might as well have a manual. Flappy paddle shifters, you could make a case for those. There have been a few instances when I would have preferred them, but only very few.

Something has to have gone very wrong for me to shift down to 1st. At that point in time it doesn't matter what transmission I have, it's not gonna be a fast run. I also don't think I drop far enough below 30 to make it a good idea to switch to 1st even if I could do it instantly. Mostly, it would be nice to be able to pop it up into 3rd with a little less drama. No matter how much experience I have shifting, under the stress of approaching a tight element at 60mph I have trouble reliably getting the car back into 2nd from 3rd while entering the turn. I've missed the shift a couple of times, and found it in 4th once as I tried to accelerate out of a sweeper.

I usually ride the limiter in 2nd now unless I'm sitting on the limiter for several seconds.

 

Ugh, 187SKS you had to remind me. There's an intersection setup on my daily commute, with a light on both sides of an underpass. Take off from the first light, 1st gear. . . let off the gas for 4 seconds for the stupid Austin-Can't-Set-Up-Coordinated-Lights-To-Save-Their-LIFE red light on the other side of the underpass, and then hit the gas again to take off. By this time, the TCU has decided 3rd gear is the place to be. sad.gif

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