Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Transmission / Shifter question

[Mike (themightytoe]

Hey Lash,

When I instructed I taught my students to hold the wheel with both hands,
had several that would grab the shifter all the time (it is a kind of
comfort thing, like Al Bundy watching TV).  It is  the same as not looking
ahead or forgetting to relax and breath, a rookie mistake.  I drove a
variety of cars (my own:  M3, 348, Z06 Vette, Spec Miata, Boxster, and many
others: Viper, 355, Every flavor of Porsche and BMW except the really rare
ones) and the occasional Golf and integra, while all drive differently and
have their own quirks, none of them really required less than both hands on
the wheel...

I think from a car control perspective if you start to slide one way or
another you can correct a slide and hold one with a lot more control using
both hands than with one.    

Yes it is Mike Fleischer, I took a break from the Flist for a while.  I sold
348 back in 2001 and bought a new Z06 Corvette, that too is gone now.  Moved
to Chicago about 2 years ago also.

It's all good though, my son (4) recognizes all the cool cars (Ferrari's and
BMW's).
I have the 3rd garage bay nearly cleaned out though and in another year,
maybe two will pick up another toy car, currently I am on the fence over
either a 348 Spider, a Lotus Elise, or a 996 Turbo, all three have different
appeal as a non-daily driven toy car: Garage queen that should hold its
value (provided it doesn't break), Somewhat Cheap Track Toy, and wicked
do-it-all with back seats for the kiddies, respectively.  I miss hitting the
racetrack though and I will get to Road America one of these summers.
Driving the back county roads in Wisconsin is fun also though.  

Congrats on the 365!  Hopefully it will suppress your street racing
tendencies :).  

All the best,

Mike    



-----Original Message-----
From: LS [mailto:lashdeep [at] yahoo.com] 
Sent: Sunday, February 24, 2008 9:52 AM
To: Mike
Cc: The FerrariList
Subject: Re: [Ferrari] Transmission / Shifter question

Mike, I've heard this time and time again from instructors. I think
hand/foot placement is a personal choice. One of the best drivers on the
track I've seen only drives with one hand and two feet.

I think it largely depends on the car and the personal preference of the
driver. You wouldn't use the same driving technique in a 365 GTB/4 as you
would in a Formula Ford.

What I found is that instructors are great at teaching what works for them
in the cars they have driven. I've found it very valuable to learn from
drivers that have considerable training and experience in *your* exact car.

A very talented and skilled SCCA racer gave me tips based on his
considerable experience in Acura Integras. The guy was good. The problem
was, I was in a Mustang and honestly, he didn't know how to drive it. 

A factory Trans Am driver got in and showed me what was what. 

BTW-is this Mike Fliescher? How's that 348 doing?

LS



----- Original Message ----
From: Mike <themightytoe [at] gmail.com>
To: LS <lashdeep [at] yahoo.com>
Cc: The FerrariList <ferrari [at] ferrarilist.com>
Sent: Saturday, February 23, 2008 11:51:57 PM
Subject: Re: [Ferrari] Transmission / Shifter question


I can't say it is bad for a transmission but anyone who has had any decent
training on a racetrack knows hands go at 9 and 3 or 10 and 2.  They only
leave to shift or to cover your head right before hitting a barrier.  And in
a driving school to signal someone to pass you (I always tried to avoid
doing that one).

Mike



-----Original Message-----
From: Hans E. Hansen [mailto:FList [at] hanshansen.org] 
Sent: Saturday, February 23, 2008 7:00 PM
To: Mike Fleischer
Cc: The FerrariList
Subject: Re: [Ferrari] Transmission / Shifter question

Definitely concur with Jeff.  I've seen many, many trannies with
shift forks wore almost thin as cardboard from doing this.  Also
can be caused by something badly wrong in the shift linkage
(depends on the car......).  The syncro and the fork are made
of somewhat similar materials (usually....  ) and even with grease
in between, similar metals will tend to wear fast when rubbed together.
That's why metal-to-metal bearings (crank bearings, bronze bushings,
etc.) are always dissimilar metals.  The forks were never meant to
have continuous pressure on them.

Hans.

On 2/23/08, Jeff Greenfield <coyote [at] acme-ltd.com> wrote:
> I've rebuilt more than a few manual transmissions in my life.
>
> I don't think resting your hand on the shifter will cause any synchro
> wear. However, IT WILL cause excessive wear to the shift forks and
> this IMHO is a bad thing. I suppose worn shift forks could accelerate
> synchro wear.
>
> So, like resting your foot on the clutch pedal when not actually
> shifting is a bad thing, so is resting your hand on the shifter.
>
> All that said, it is kind of hard (on a 308/328 anyway) to rest your
> hand on the shifter (at least comfortably) in such a way to actually
> put pressure on it to cause this sort of wear.
>
> Does this clear things up any?
>
> Jeff
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
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