Re: Driving lesson


[Follow Ups] [Post Followup] [Dodge Power Wagon Forum]


Posted by Arthur P. Bloom on Wednesday, August 13, 2003 at 10:57PM :

In Reply to: Driving lesson posted by Ang on Wednesday, August 13, 2003 at 10:08PM :

You don't say exactly what is going wrong when attempting to shift, but if it is the need to double-clutch, that is something that has been discussed here, and explained by experts. It is best mastered by actually watching someone do it. It becomes obvious, and easy, once you see it done.

The first part of that lesson is always to keep your speed up to the max in any gear, and not lug the engine. More damage is done to engines from under-revving than from over-revving, in my humble opinion. The increased momentum is critical to getting into the next gear, 'cause these old PW's slow down real quick, due to their weight and general disposition. Remember, they are work horses, not race horses.

If the problem is something like winding up in the wrong gear when shifting, (f'rinstance, you are in 1st, and wind up in 4th instead of 2nd, or all you get is grind, not gear) I can offer a little piece of advice that was taught to me by an old truck driver:

When moving the shift lever to a next higher gear, which we can assume is to the right of the current gear, place you hand on the knob such that the knob is sorta to the right of your hand, that is, you palm and fingers should be curled around on the left of the knob.

When shifting down, trying to find a gear to the left of the current gear, you should place your hand on the knob such that the palm and fingers are to the right of the knob.

It sounds a little silly, but the subtle change in the way the hand is placed actually helps guide the lever into the direction you need it to go.

Once you have mastered double clutching and getting the right gear the first time, then you can graduate to the next feat, guaranteed to impress your friends, confound your enemies and make beautiful women sit up and take notice: Shifting without the clutch at all !!!

It's all about engine speed and Zen: learning to be one with the machine. It also helps when pinned down behind enemy lines with no clutch, but that's a story for another night, children.

Arthur P., Bin dere, Dun dat, Bloom



Follow Ups:



Post a Followup

Name:
E-Mail:
Subject:
Message:
Optional Link
URL:
Title:
Optional Image Link
URL:


This board is powered by the Mr. Fong Device from Cyberarmy.com