Just using third gear on track
Discussion
For example if you had a LS engined track car that was geared to 130 mph in third could you just use that one gear and take advantage of the torque or would it damage the engine/gearbox leaving it in third all the time lap after lap?
Obviously you would have to keep it under 130 but the tracks I use I don't go over that anyway.
Obviously you would have to keep it under 130 but the tracks I use I don't go over that anyway.
If I remember rightly my first track driving experience was driving my old man's Caterham race car at Brands Indy. Going out for the first time he instructed me to just cruise it in fourth... the car would've been reasonably happy to have done so all day long, but I wasn't as I felt the car pushing on disconcertingly into Druids. The solution? 3rd only. By the end of the day though I was using 2nd / 3rd / 4th.
I do suspect that getting the car stopped into the slower corners would be more of a concern than whether or not you have optimal torque available on the way out every time. In a 500kg Caterham with sporty brake pads this isn't such a problem.
I do suspect that getting the car stopped into the slower corners would be more of a concern than whether or not you have optimal torque available on the way out every time. In a 500kg Caterham with sporty brake pads this isn't such a problem.
Edited by BritishRacinGrin on Friday 2nd January 09:21
Is the knee related difficulty going to be permanent or is it something which will improve with time / physio?
There's no reason why using one gear should be hugely damaging, greater wear perhaps but unlikely to be of any consequence and unlikely to be even noticable with inspection. Fundamentally I'd be more concerned about getting the thing stopped once it's built up a head of steam in 3rd, particularly in an emergency situation i.e. stuck throttle emergency clutch disengagement required.
ETA: perhaps it'd be prudent to limit your track time in manual cars until you can at least get the clutch down without too much difficulty and manage a couple of gear changes per lap.
There's no reason why using one gear should be hugely damaging, greater wear perhaps but unlikely to be of any consequence and unlikely to be even noticable with inspection. Fundamentally I'd be more concerned about getting the thing stopped once it's built up a head of steam in 3rd, particularly in an emergency situation i.e. stuck throttle emergency clutch disengagement required.
ETA: perhaps it'd be prudent to limit your track time in manual cars until you can at least get the clutch down without too much difficulty and manage a couple of gear changes per lap.
Edited by BritishRacinGrin on Friday 2nd January 09:34
Lotus E300S said:
Have had a left knee replacement op that makes it difficult to change gear, just looking to make things easy for myself, another option might be paddle shifts.
Surely paddle shifters would be better than just staying in one gear?The Ferrari and Nissan gtr they use at Silverstone all have paddles and they seem to get around pretty quickly.
BritishRacinGrin said:
Is the knee related difficulty going to be permanent or is it something which will improve with time / physio?
There's no reason why using one gear should be hugely damaging, greater wear perhaps but unlikely to be of any consequence and unlikely to be even noticable with inspection. Fundamentally I'd be more concerned about getting the thing stopped once it's built up a head of steam in 3rd, particularly in an emergency situation i.e. stuck throttle emergency clutch disengagement required.
ETA: perhaps it'd be prudent to limit your track time in manual cars until you can at least get the clutch down without too much difficulty and manage a couple of gear changes per lap.
Thanks for reply, full knee replacement including cap etc so will never be the same, remember reading about a Ls Tvr and the owner just kept it in third gear on track utilising the torque, my only concern with doing this would be if it would damage the engine.There's no reason why using one gear should be hugely damaging, greater wear perhaps but unlikely to be of any consequence and unlikely to be even noticable with inspection. Fundamentally I'd be more concerned about getting the thing stopped once it's built up a head of steam in 3rd, particularly in an emergency situation i.e. stuck throttle emergency clutch disengagement required.
ETA: perhaps it'd be prudent to limit your track time in manual cars until you can at least get the clutch down without too much difficulty and manage a couple of gear changes per lap.
Edited by BritishRacinGrin on Friday 2nd January 09:34
egor110 said:
Even doing a lotus experience thing at Silverstone they had me using 3rd and 4th with 5th down hanger lane straight.
If I stayed in 3rd it would of been loads slower, 3rd was what club was done in then up to 4th midway down New pit straight.
You must have really motoring by the time you passed the Hoover building then! If I stayed in 3rd it would of been loads slower, 3rd was what club was done in then up to 4th midway down New pit straight.
My TVR isn't an LS engined variant, but on track days I only use second gear on hairpin bends. Third gear on all other corners, as the huge torque (thanks to a torquey cam) pulls well from low revs, and the change down to second can lead to exiting in the opposite direction, followed by a recovery truck. I only use fourth on straights. A well ratio'd LS woud do almost everything in third.....as suggested by the OP
Until recently I used a Corvette Z06 with LS7 motor on trackdays. I've sold it now, but last track day was Brands GP where it needed only 3rd and 4th gear. On longer straights it would run out of revs in 3rd. Tighter hairpins (e.g. Donington Park) were highly entertaining (or potentially disastrous!!) in 2nd. Very fast tracks (e.g. Spa) still needed 5th.
I think you would get away with 3rd gear alone only on very short circuits, maybe Mallory Park or similar.
I think you would get away with 3rd gear alone only on very short circuits, maybe Mallory Park or similar.
itsallyellow said:
My race car is currently geared very high.
At Brands I change from 3rd to 4th just after the exit of clearways and then back to third after a small brake for paddock. Then it's 3rd for the rest of the lap. Obviously the high cornering speeds help.
Mike
Same, Brands Indy used to be four gear changes per lap in my old Caterham... 4th everywhere except Druids to Graham Hill and Clearways. At Brands I change from 3rd to 4th just after the exit of clearways and then back to third after a small brake for paddock. Then it's 3rd for the rest of the lap. Obviously the high cornering speeds help.
Mike
I've got a 1300kg LS3 track/road car. 3rd does about 100, 4th 135, 5th 165mph. I do run it in 4th for a lot of corners as 3rd can upset the rear, however 4th isn't enough for the longer straights. You certainly won't damage anything, but unless this is a temporary solution for a car you already own I don't see the point.
Spa as an example, 3rd is the lowest gear I use. End of Kemmel Straight is just shy of 160mph labouring in 5th all the way through Eau Rouge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVhWjYSCGPY
Spa as an example, 3rd is the lowest gear I use. End of Kemmel Straight is just shy of 160mph labouring in 5th all the way through Eau Rouge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVhWjYSCGPY
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