-----Original Message----- From: Keith Widom [mailto:keith@foxtec.com] Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2001 12:09 PM To: 928 Subject: [928] A/T manual shifting Any A/T owners out there use your shifter manually through 1, 2 and D? Mostly for "twistie's"? Have you had any problems? Can the A/T handle it? I have found that I lose the controlled feeling while braking in D throught the turns...nose diving and no load on the rear wheels. Would love to drop it down a gear or so to maintain control through tight cornering. Comments? Keith Widom 82 weinrot A/T SOCAL 928 -----Original Message----- From: Jim Bailey [mailto:jim@928intl.com] Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2001 4:15 PM To: 928 Subject: [928] RE: A/T manual shifting Keith ..." ? I have found that I lose the controlled feeling while braking in D throught the turns...nose diving and no load on the rear wheels. Would love to drop ......".. I would recommend that you STOP braking through the corner and do all your braking in a straight line before the corner ......... Get thee to an autocross and check it out The P O C of LA does an excellent school including driving in a circle on the skidpad --- sounds really lame but constant cornering quickly shows what happens if you press on the brakes .... The front understeers or push on the gas pedal and the rear starts to oversteer . Then on to the short track at Willow . From: Adam Birnbaum [adamb777@worldnet.att.net] Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2001 8:22 PM To: 928 Subject: [928] RE: A/T manual shifting Hi Brendan, First, you should start getting comfortable braking with your left foot. You will also need to know the point entering the turn where you will be getting on the gas after the braking zone and work backward into the braking zone from there to determine when to start braking. Entering the braking zone prior to the turn, hit the brakes hard but try not to engage the ABS. If you find that you are letting off on the brakes in the zone because you are slowing too quickly, you're not accelerating deep enough into the zone and should hold the throttle on a little longer the next time around. Brake hard enough to get the weight to transfer to the front wheels, don't do the slow squeeze. I have found that for some inexplicable reason, that my '88 S4 is always turning 2500 rpms in third gear at the end of any braking zone (assuming I've shifted out of 2nd). As I'm braking the tach unwinds while car is decelarating. Just as the tach needle is sweeping down to 2500rpms I down shift to 2nd (the tranny is still in third though) and push the accelerator down about 70% with my left foot still braking. For just an instant I'm braking and throttling at the same time. The braking is slowing the car for the last couple feet in the braking zone, the throttling isn't affecting the car because the tranny is in the process of shifting and isn't driving the rear wheels. I let off the brake (I've already got the throttle down) just as the tranny completes the downshift, the engine now having matched rpm with the rear wheels. The trick here is to get a feel for your throttle position, so you can match engine rpm in second gear with rear wheel speed from third gear. I haven't been on the track for a few months, so I don't recall if I wind up at 3500 rpms in second gear or 4500 rpms in second gear, its one of the two. The shark now enters the turn with good power and is balanced. When done right, you don't notice the delay in shifting, as you are still braking with your left foot while the delay is occuring. In other words, you are making productive use of the delay time by finishing your braking and matching engine RPMS. It turns out to be kind of a faux heel/toe type shift. When done correctly, you shouldn't feel any engine braking, the car will should be neutrally balanced until you give it more gas. It may take some practice to get it right, but it sure is nice when it all works out. If you botch it a couple times I wouldn't be too concerned, the MB tranny really is bullet proof. -Adam Birnbaum '88 S4 A/T