Because of the shorter shifts, some are concerned that they may miss a shift, over-rev the engine and cause damage.
While this occurs on occasion, without short shift kits installed, there are methods which can prevent it.
Since missed shifts are purely driver error, let's address the driver!
The following pictures and notes are meant as a tip for people interested in preventing missed gears when driving in a spirited fashion.
I claim no responsibility to it's accuracy nor effectiveness as it is meant to serve as an opinion which works.
Now that we have that settled, on with our lesson.
1
Starting in 1st gear....
2
Going to 2nd, pull straight back
3
Going into 3rd from 2nd, backhand the shifter knob and push away from you...
4
Pulling into 4th from 3rd, the shifter knob is still being backhanded...
5
Going into 5th from 4th is similar to going into 3rd from 2nd, Still backhanding it, pushing away from you.
6
Downshifting from 5th to 4th, you continue to BACKHAND the shifter knob. Don't hold it like you're going from 1st to 2nd (picture 2) as this is how people get into trouble.
7
Push straight forward to move from 4th to 3rd.
8
Going into 2nd from 3rd.
Note that going into 2nd from 1st or 3rd gear has a specific hand position, different from going into 4th gear from 3rd or 5th.
This is the key to this technique as your hand/brain will associate 2nd and 4th gear with different hand positions.
Good luck with this new technique.
After a few days of driving, you'll see this is a very natural manner of shifting.
As it may be awkward at first, you'll see that it has its merits when you start to drive faster.
The motions in the pictures above work for any shifter, but if your shifter has excessive notchiness or requires high effort, this technique may not be as easy to emulate.
Thanks to Rob Levinson
