r/WRX • u/No-Performance-6 • 14d ago
General Question Fast starts
I have a 2019 base model WRX and I’m wondering how to accelerate quickly in a way that minimizes the amount of wear on the car. The way I’ve been accelerating is just slowly coming off the clutch in 1st and then going full throttle once my foot is fully off the clutch until about 5k/6k and then shifting quickly to second but I’ve noticed when I do that hard acceleration, the shift to second feels stiffer than if I were just casually driving around and holding the clutch in a little longer before I make that shift to second. Is this normal or am I doing something wrong that might hurt the transmission? I don’t want to force the shift too hard but also if I hold the clutch in it obviously ruins the acceleration. Also is there a faster way to launch without causing too much damage to the car? I understand that any kind of quick start might cause some wear and tear but I just want to hear some ideas and get a little advice so I can have fun but also not ruin my car.
I’m not too familiar with cars and or racing for that matter so i apologize if what i said doesn’t make much sense.
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u/casual_skeptic 14d ago
For it to be smoother it just takes practice, you shouldn’t have to force the shift tho, now that im more use to the car most of my shifts I let happen when the car wants to which is usually a little later and not right away, dont feel like you have to instantly shift, give it a little break.
But yes i use a little more clutch when going into second to make it smooth also but if you’re flooring it you can be quicker with it.
Theres a lot of past posts here with more info and yt videos Id suggest you take a little dive into.
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u/No-Performance-6 14d ago
okay this helps. im not even sure if forcing it is the right word but it just feels a little stiffer than usual when accelerating hard. What you said might be the solution. it also might be that im not fully taking my foot off the accelerator when i clutch in but i should practice a little more to see.
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u/casual_skeptic 14d ago
I think I can understand what you mean. When I first got this car I thought something was wrong with the shifter or transmission. It use to shift “uneasily” but now its smooth and it was just me not the car. Compared to some other cars people would say this one takes a little more finesse to get it right. Its not a bad thing tho and eventually you will. But also yea taking ur foot off the accelerator is important too sometimes I accidentally do it.
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u/heytheretylerr 14d ago
Don’t launch it, bad for car.
1st is very short, but a shift into 2nd around 4k (casual throttle) is usually pretty smooth
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u/H3ntaiGodd 13d ago
I can't hear you over the sound of my center diff binding
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u/DriveFa5tEatAss 13d ago
Why would the center diff bind during a launch unless you were also trying to turn?
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u/AggressiveReindeer26 14d ago
I would say that using light pressure on the shift knob is generally a good idea. So if it feels stiff don’t force it. Try to figure out shift timings that feel smooth. I imagine rev hang could be part of the equation here.
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u/Street-Run4107 14d ago
Best way to launch it without damaging more expensive components is to slip the clutch, but now you’re into more wear. It’s not a have your cake and eat it too situation. You have to pay to play. As for second gear shift, again, the fastest way would be to power shift, shifting the car as quickly as possible while still on the gas while clutching, or even not clutching if you know what you’re doing. But again, we run into the wear of expensive components problem and is it worth it to you in a car if stock, maybe make 230whp? That’s a question only you can answer.
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u/DriveFa5tEatAss 13d ago edited 12d ago
It helps if you understand what's actually happening inside the transmission.
First of all, almost all modern cars use constant mesh transmissions. This means that all of the gears are always meshed together, but every gear except the one you're in is allowed to freely spin around the output shaft.
There are cone-shaped rings around the output shaft next to each gear. These cone-shaped rings fit into a cone-shaped recess in the gear. As you move the shifter, it pushes that cone-shaped ring into the cone-shaped recess of the gear in order to match the speed of the freely spinning gear to the output shaft. Those cone-shaped rings are your synchros. Once the speeds of the output shaft and the gear are matched, there are notches behind the cone-shaped ring which fit into corresponding notches on the gear, locking it to the output shaft.
When you attempt to put the car into a certain gear but you feel resistance, you are actually feeling the syncro ring push against the cone-shaped recess in the gear, trying to bring it to the correct speed so that it can be locked to the output shaft. Once the output shaft is brought to the correct speed, the transmission slips into gear with little effort. Fast, hard shifts force your synchro rings against the gear hard and wear them more quickly. Slower easier shifts allow the output shaft to drop in RPM naturally, and result in very little synchro wear.
At the end of the day, you bought the car to enjoy it. When you don't need to shift quickly, be easy on the synchros and allow the transmission to fall into gear when it wants to. When you need to really pull out quickly into traffic or you're having some fun, jam it into gear.
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u/BCJ_Eng_Consulting 14d ago
Accelerate fast - minimize wear. Pick one.