How to drive the Stinger fast...

[jthrelf]

Silly thread title but I'm somewhat serious. I've driven a 6-speed my entire life. With my WRX I knew the transmission very well and because of that could drive it quickly around curvy roads when I wanted to get on it.

With the automatic the Stinger is obviously easier to drive fast in a straight line, but I'm having trouble (still getting used to?) with the auto and paddle shifters. My main observation is that they don't downshift quickly enough. With a manual you can easily drop 2-3 gears when needed, rev match and you're at the perfect RPM range.

Downshifting with the paddles if I press quickly 3 times to downshift 3 gears, it might only shift 2 gears - like I clicked the buttons too quickly for the computer to recognize the 3 clicks. And it's not how long it takes to shift, I get it's not a dual clutch. It's that clicks don't always equal gear drops.

So coming into a curve, what's the best method to downshift multiple gears? Click with a certain amount of 'pause' before each click?

I suppose the other option is to just leave it in D+sport mode and not paddle shift but then you lose out on engine braking.

I was buying an auto regardless of the stinger only offering that because of family/practical needs but man I kinda miss a manual . It's a nice break for daily driving but just having trouble with driving as well as it could be for spirited sections.

 

[turboAWD]

I find the Stinger responds better than my '05 Legacy GT wagon (5EAT + valve body) in terms of responding to the paddles. I find it a significant improvement. However, I agree, dropping 3+ gears at a time is harder - although I rarely wanted to drop 3+ gears in my prior 5-speed manuals (Corrado VR6, GTI 16v, etc) - usually it meant I had run 5th down to almost stall speed to need 2nd that badly.

What I find helps is planning. BEFORE you get to the curve, shift down a gear or two, so you're already around 4k-5k rpm.

Do you have the GT2 with e-shifter, or the GT/GT1 manual shifter? With my GT1 manual, it will stay in manual as long as I want it to, so I just keep it revving a bit higher when I want to drive aggressively, and it's rarely a problem dropping down 1 or 2. I never let it get to needing to drop 3 gears to get to the right rev range.

 

[jthrelf]

I have a GT so manual, cable shifter. That does make sense what you've said so far.

One inherent difference is that there's 8 gears vs. 5 or 6 - so the range of each gear is a reduced. I find this creates the need for dropping 3 gears, for example. But dropping 1 a bit before, riding out the higher revs, then dropping another 1 or 2 just before the curve is a good technique to limit this issue.

 

[EClapp3]

Its not that you are clicking the paddle to fast for the computer to recognize the input, Its that you are trying to downshift too far and the computer is smarter than you.... It wont downshift and hurt itself.

 

[jthrelf]

Its not that you are clicking the paddle to fast for the computer to recognize the input, Its that you are trying to downshift too far and the computer is smarter than you.... It wont downshift and hurt itself.

I see what you mean and good point, but I don't think I've pushed it past any upper rev limit going into the desired gear/# of downshifts. Maybe I have though.... Never did it with a manual though and as we know that's a mechanical synchronization btwn vehicle speed and engine speed..... Never blew an engine before haha.

 

[MerlintheMad]

I agree with what's been suggested so far. I often move the revs into the 3K plus range when entering twisty bits, then pulling once or twice on the left paddle should not be a problem. You don't want to drive higher than 5K RPM through curves anyway: what would be the point?

 

[jthrelf]

I agree with what's been suggested so far. I often move the revs into the 3K plus range when entering twisty bits, then pulling once or twice on the left paddle should not be a problem. You don't want to drive higher than 5K RPM through curves anyway: what would be the point?

I drove a civic si for many years, you had to be up in the rev range haha. The stinger has just a bit more torque though