D Car — July 2004
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About this issue
246 available scans from D Car — July 2004, in right-to-left reading order. Japanese OCR and English translation drafts are available throughout. Drafts have not received exhaustive image proofreading; unreadable source remains recorded in the archival data.
Page 108 — English draft translation
Only smooth acceleration brings out your car’s full performance. After clutch control, the next challenge is acceleration. Skill at upshifting is especially important. You may shift from first to second and accelerate almost without thinking, but a poor driver can make even that feel jerky. How about you? The key is engine speed: find the rpm that lets you accelerate smoothly with each shift.
You have to find the rpm where the engine pulls smoothly. Too low and it will knock and jerk; too high and the car will become overly sensitive to throttle, making it unstable. Revving high in traffic also wastes fuel. The gear you choose to hold that rpm matters too. The best gear and rpm vary with the car and road conditions, so you have to learn them by feel. If you have an aftermarket exhaust, its sound can help you learn the engine speed. Get out and practice.
Captions and page details
6/10/2004
PART.2
Downshift
change
Learn the rpm that matches perfectly and create your own rhythm.
10
7
TENZOR
6
4
3
2
Always know the car’s current state.
What gear? What rpm? What speed?
Do you know what gear you are in, your engine speed and how fast you are going? Do you know which gear and rpm give smooth acceleration when you press the throttle? That is actually the first step toward smooth shifting.
bp
Netz Toyota Tama
BRIDE
The ideal point varies with the engine.
SHIFT UP
A race car upshifts simply at the rpm where engine power peaks. But pulling a street car that far is dangerous. In everyday driving, shifting between 4,000 and 5,000 rpm is enough.
Use the sweet spot in the rev range for smooth acceleration.
Practice shifting quickly so the engine rpm does not fall too far between gears.
and smoothly.
108
Shift
DOWN
1. Lift off the accelerator and prepare to brake.
One day, you have to learn heel-and-toe!
Matching engine speed is the key to smooth downshifts. The technique manuals drivers dream of is heel-and-toe: rev-matching while braking. Master it and you can use it even at intersections.
As you approach a corner, intersection or sudden obstacle and need to slow quickly, lift off the accelerator and prepare for heel-and-toe.
2. Begin braking.
2
Press the brake with the toe of your right foot. As you brake smoothly, press the clutch with your left foot and move your left hand to the shift lever.
Keep your right foot on the brake while pressing the clutch with your left. Then, without releasing the brake, prepare to downshift.
3. Keep pressing the brake and press the clutch.
Right here
This is the key!
Keep braking.
Vroom!
blip the throttle!
Rev it!
With this footwork,
The girls
She will be impressed!
4
4. Keep braking and blip the throttle!
5. With the brake and clutch still pressed,
Brake…
Netz Toyota Tama
With the brake and clutch still pressed, blip the accelerator with your right foot. This right-foot action is where the name “heel-and-toe” comes from. Raising engine speed helps the lower gear engage smoothly.