So, I’ve been messing around with this thing called “short shifting” in my car lately. It’s kinda cool, but also a bit tricky. Basically, you shift gears earlier than you normally would, before the engine hits its max power. I first heard about it from some racing videos I was watching online. The drivers were doing it to get a jump on acceleration, and I thought, “Hey, why not give it a try?”
The first time I tried it, it felt super weird. I’m used to letting the engine rev up pretty high before shifting, so doing it earlier felt like I was cutting the engine off too soon. I got in my car, started driving down the road, and instead of letting the RPMs climb like I usually do, I shifted up a gear much earlier. It felt sluggish, to be honest. The car didn’t jump forward like it normally does when I shift at higher RPMs.
But I kept at it. I tried it a few more times on my way to work. I started to notice that while I wasn’t getting that initial burst of speed, the car seemed to handle the lower RPMs better than I expected. It wasn’t exactly a race car, but it was smooth. I practiced it more and more on empty roads, trying to get a feel for the right time to shift.
Then I decided to try it on my local track. There’s this one uphill corner that I always struggle with. I usually take it in third gear, but the car always feels like it’s about to stall. This time, I tried short shifting right before the corner. I went into the turn earlier than usual and shifted gears. To my surprise, it worked! The car maintained its speed through the corner without any chugging. It was pretty awesome!
- First attempt: Felt sluggish, like I was holding the car back.
- Driving to work: Smoother than expected, no sudden bursts of speed but it wasn’t struggling either.
- On the track: Handled that tricky uphill corner like a champ! No stalling, just smooth sailing.
My thoughts after giving it a go:
It’s not as easy as it looks in those racing videos. It definitely takes some practice to get the timing right. And yeah, it does require a bit more effort to push the shifter. It’s not a huge deal, but you feel it. But when you do it right, it can make a difference, especially in certain situations like that uphill corner. I’m not saying I’m going to short shift all the time, but it’s a cool technique to have in my back pocket. It makes driving a bit more engaging, you know? Like you’re actually doing something instead of just mindlessly shifting gears. I’m going to keep practicing it, and see if I can get even better at it. Maybe I’ll even take it to the race track for a real test one day!