sti gearbox: downshifting to 1st
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 22
From: s.f. peninsula, ca
Car Info: 05 Legacy GT
sti gearbox: downshifting to 1st
I'm thinking about the sti for auto-x and am wondering about the gearbox...
How hard is it to downshift to 1st when moving, say, between 10-20 mph? Does the gearbox just let you do it? Or does it require special technique like a WRX's gearbox?
How hard is it to downshift to 1st when moving, say, between 10-20 mph? Does the gearbox just let you do it? Or does it require special technique like a WRX's gearbox?
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Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 25
From: St. Louis, MO
Car Info: TakataTimeAttack.com
I'll let you know in a couple days; I pick up my STi tonight. But if it is anything like my RS and the WRX I co-drive, you can downshift in to first with a little heel-and-toe. I have an AutoX this weekend but I won't be racing the STi just yet. I'll have my first AutoX with the STi on the last week of June.
James Elterman
92 Subaru Legacy Turbo
98 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS
04 Subaru Impreza WRX STi
James Elterman
92 Subaru Legacy Turbo
98 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS
04 Subaru Impreza WRX STi
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 240
From: PA
Car Info: 2004 WRX STi
You won't have any problems downshifting into 1st gear. It engages really smooth. I doubt you will have to anyhow cause of the ratio. You can pretty much pull out in 2nd gear very easily if you wanted to. I find myself pulling out from a stop sign in 2nd gear on a very slight roll.
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Never heel & toe into 1st. You should always double-clutch into 1st. Otherwise you will destroy your syncros. Even the STi's double-coned syncros.
I've been autocrossing my MR2 Spyder and WRX for a few years. I just picked up my STi last week.
Heel & toe is good enough for all gears except 1st. Heel & toe only matches engine speed with wheel speed. heel & toe does not match engine speed with gear speed, the syncros have to do that. Just because you can slide it into 1st doesn't mean you are not wearing down your syncos.
The only way to match engine speed with gear speed is to double clutch.
FYI
I've never needed 1st after shifting to 2nd in an autocross.
I've been autocrossing my MR2 Spyder and WRX for a few years. I just picked up my STi last week.
Heel & toe is good enough for all gears except 1st. Heel & toe only matches engine speed with wheel speed. heel & toe does not match engine speed with gear speed, the syncros have to do that. Just because you can slide it into 1st doesn't mean you are not wearing down your syncos.
The only way to match engine speed with gear speed is to double clutch.
FYI
I've never needed 1st after shifting to 2nd in an autocross.
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 22
From: s.f. peninsula, ca
Car Info: 05 Legacy GT
Thanks, all.
NjSTI, why is 1st different from other gears?
I generally don't go back to 1st in autocross, but occasionally, the Wrx drivers seem to use it. The added torque in the STI should help. Just in case, I'll work on my double clutching as well.
NjSTI, why is 1st different from other gears?
I generally don't go back to 1st in autocross, but occasionally, the Wrx drivers seem to use it. The added torque in the STI should help. Just in case, I'll work on my double clutching as well.
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yukonm,
It isn't so much that 1st is different from the other gears. It is just that the difference in gear ratios increases as the gears get lower.
You've probably already noticed that you need to blip harder for the 3-2 shift than the 5-4 shift. The lower the gear, the more the rpms climb on a downshift, and the harder the downshift is on the synchros (for any given rpm).
But I suppose a 2-1 shift at 2k rpm probably isn't any worse than 3-2 shift at 3k rpm
In all honesty I can remember one autox when I was tempted to grab 1st in the WRX. 1st is pretty tall for a car with so little power below 3k rpm.
But the STi fixes this in two ways. First, the 6-speed allowed them to make 1st & 2nd so much shorter than the WRX (won't even do 60 in 2nd). Second, this car makes so much power below 2k rpm you don't even need 1st or 2nd.
With the STi, I doubt I'll even be temped to down**** out of 2nd in even the tightest of courses.
It isn't so much that 1st is different from the other gears. It is just that the difference in gear ratios increases as the gears get lower.
You've probably already noticed that you need to blip harder for the 3-2 shift than the 5-4 shift. The lower the gear, the more the rpms climb on a downshift, and the harder the downshift is on the synchros (for any given rpm).
But I suppose a 2-1 shift at 2k rpm probably isn't any worse than 3-2 shift at 3k rpm
In all honesty I can remember one autox when I was tempted to grab 1st in the WRX. 1st is pretty tall for a car with so little power below 3k rpm.
But the STi fixes this in two ways. First, the 6-speed allowed them to make 1st & 2nd so much shorter than the WRX (won't even do 60 in 2nd). Second, this car makes so much power below 2k rpm you don't even need 1st or 2nd.
With the STi, I doubt I'll even be temped to down**** out of 2nd in even the tightest of courses.
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