FDanB@aol.com
Date: 02/24/03-08:15:49 PM Z
Katharine said in her message...
>Is it really a bad thing to shift
>while you're turning, for example, or was that a joke? All I know is
>that I've driven 225,000 miles on the original clutch, so I guess I
>can't have hurt it too much by shifting while turning, if it's true that
>that's a bad practice, but I still would kind of like to know whether
>that was a piece of useful information or if they just said it as a joke
>and assumed everyone would know it was a joke.
In a previous (and more lucrative) career I was an import auto mechanic
(the cars were imported, not I) so I can speak to that gear shifting
question. It's hard to think of a wear-related reason that would make
shifting-while-turning good or bad. And as you said, with 225,000 on the
original clutch, you obviously don't camp with the abusive types. There
is a minor safety issue in that your traction is compromised by any force
other than the centrifugal (or centripetal, depending on your school of
physics) that is trying to keep your vehicle going in a straight line
instead of around the corner. If you made a abrupt gear change (on a
slippery surface for instance), that could be the proverbial last straw
and send you slipping to the outside of the curve. As you can imagine,
neither accelerating nor decelerating is best, at least in non racing
conditions.
I remember once in my teen years when I was hotdogging in a VW bug. I was
accelerating around a turn and power-shifted (that's when you keep the
throttle floored as you quickly slam the clutch and gearshift) at the
apex of the turn. The rear end of the bug promptly broke loose
(traction-wise) and I very neatly slid backwards into a residential
driveway. Fortunately, the whole thing looked like an neatly executed
trick rather than a stupidly dangerous maneuver but it sure left a
lasting reminder of the power of physics over testosterone.
Note: I am not suggesting that any woman, man, child or alien invader on
this list would ever need such advice but...there it is just in case.
Hope this helps with the shifting question.
Dan
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