Sequential Gearbox

[slinky]

I am in no way an [i]advanced driver[/i] but like to pay attention to the correct advanced driving principles and following reading on here about the system, specificaly aproached to junctions/hazards, I've been applying my new found knowledge to driving on the road.

I have two cars, one a company vectra, the other a Smart 4-2 (with the sequential flappy paddle gearbox)...

As far as I understand it, the system dictates that you should brake towards a hazard maintaing the same gear, ie not overlapping braking and gear changes, this is easy to do in the vectra, but poses a problem in the Smart, the gearbox is slow at the best of times, so I always go down through the box on my approach to hazards/junctions.

What would the advanced drivers here recommend?

cheers,

slinky
[url]587racing.com|http://587racing.com[/url]

[Don]

With a sequential system you have absolutely no choice but to "go down the box" - so you;ll have to do it. Best practice is going to be something you'll need to work out to suit your 'box. Get the downchanges over with and both hands back on the wheel before you need to turn and apply lock.

I *really* want to try out some of these flappy paddle systems. I think "best practice" is something that needs working out with them.

[slinky]

Cheers Don,

More than welcome to have a play in the smart if you're ever over this way....

It takes some getting used to though! It sometimes feels as though the gearbox is in another time zone! But with the odd throttle blip and well timed change it can be quite fun!

slinky

[DoctorD]

I own both a Brabus Smart Roadster and an M3 CSL, both supposedly with sequential manual gearboxes but in practice a world apart. In both you can keep your hands on the wheel when changing down but in the Smart the situation is compounded by having an actuator controlled gearbox AND turbo lag. In practice it makes sense to change down to as low a gear as possible as you approach junctions (or a hazard) so that you can be ready to cross the junction (or drive around the hazard) without holding up cars behind or being left stranded half way through the maneuvour. The Smart will want to change down to 1st gear when you stop regardless of your intent and it may do that as you begin to move off, so the quicker you get down to the lowest gear the better. In the CSL however you can choose how the gearbox should respond as you come to a stop (from 11 settings) so the decision is more under your control.

>> Edited by DoctorD on Tuesday 4th October 11:52

[Pigeon]

Don said:

With a sequential system you have absolutely no choice but to "go down the box" - so you;ll have to do it. Best practice is going to be something you'll need to work out to suit your 'box. Get the downchanges over with and both hands back on the wheel before you need to turn and apply lock. I *really* want to try out some of these flappy paddle systems. I think "best practice" is something that needs working out with them.

You can block change on a motorbike. On the MZ if I declutch and let the revs fall right off during braking, at the end of the braking phase it is possible to click rapidly down through several gears, without any baulking - you only get that if you try to select too low a gear. I am told that more modern bikes have slicker boxes

"Motorcycle Roadcraft" says that you should be proficient at both block and sequential changing, but makes no recommendation to use one or the other; while it does mention the usefulness of engine braking to slow down in slippery conditions, it doesn't explicitly make the link to sequential changing. (Nor does it mention the limitations on use of engine braking with a two-stroke )

[DoctorD]

On the better sequential manual boxes such as in the M3 CSL you can also knock the gears down 2 or 3 at a time. It takes a fraction longer than just changing down one gear.

[slinky]

you can "double hit" the smart box, but I've not tried it on approach to a junction/hazard, might have to give that a shot this weekend and see what happens, I'm sure it'll be ok with a h&t style blip..

slinky

[slinky]

I can confirm that block changes in the smart do actually work..

I guess the fact that it isn't truely a sequential box really helps with this.

So, approaching round about in 4th, double tap on the left paddle and a quick blip of the accelerator and we are smoothly in 2nd and ready to go.. I honestly don't know why I didn't try this before, but it makes a HUGE difference to how smoothly the smart can be driven..

This has turned out to be possibly the most helpful thread I've ever had on PH!

slinky