Just learning to drive stick and was wondering if people can tell me the proper way to make a 90 degree turn? Let's say I'm approaching the turn at around 45mph in 4th and I need to make a right hand turn coming up. I know I should slow down to around 20mph and should be in 2nd gear when I'm making the turn... so what's the proper way to do this? Do you slow down and get into 2nd before you enter the turn, during the turn, or after you exit the turn? Right now, what I'm doing is I'll start slowing down in fourth... then I'll hold the clutch in, shift to second and hold the clutch down while braking as I enter the turn... then, as I finish the turn, I'll let the clutch up and accelerate. However, Im not sure if it's a good idea to be holding the clutch down throughout the turn. Any advice? TIA!!

You should only be doing one thing at a time (turning/brakeing/accelerating). Brake and downshift before the turn. Take the turn and begin accelerating as you exit the turn.<p>Regards,<br>Rodney<p>'99 A4 1.8tqms

When approaching a turn you should have some idea about how fast you can safely negotiate that turn. Lots of factors come into play on this one like pedestrians, other traffic, right of way rules...etc. I'll assume you know all this.<p>Select the gear you want to be in before the turn by reducing your speed and engaging that gear fully. Do not ride the clutch - shift the car into neutral if you do not want (know how) to downshift when breaking. You should be able to enter the turn under neutral to low power and accelerate throught he turn in the one gear which you've already selected prior to the turn. The clutch should be fully disengaged through the turn. Depending on your driving style 2nd gear will almost always do that for you in most city driving situations. Don't downshift to first unless you've had to come to a complete stop (or slowed to under 10 mi/hr). <p>Now let's see how many other driving styles there are.... (but I think all will agree that riding that clutch is aways a bad idea).<br>

That may be ok for conservative driving but if you want to know how to do it properly that's wrong. If you want 2cnd gear, get hard on the brakes, push in the clutch, blip the throttle to get the rpms up, put the car in second, and turn. You should be in gear in the corner, not in nuetral. If you can learn to heel and toe downshift that would be even better. Ball of your foot on the brake like usual, turn your heel out towards the gas pedal so you can blip the throttle while braking.

Here's how I do it. (After 17 years of practice)<br>I'm cruising in 4th,<br>Brake firmly as I approach the turn<br>Engage clutch while I'm still braking<br>Shift to second<br>Release clutch when my car is slowed to right turn in speed<br>Take foot off brake (before you turn)<br>Then I initiate the turn and give gas when the car is at the apex of the turn.<p>You always want to brake in a straight line and get your shifting done before you initiate your turn. Otherwise you will unsettle the car. <p>I don't usually downshift from 4th to 3rd and then 3rd to 2nd on city street driving (I do this at the track after a long, really fast straight). IMO, it's a waste of time if you are at low speeds. Just make sure you slowed the car down enough with braking so you can do a smooth transition to the lower gear. Otherwise it will send your rpms revving too high and jerk the car forward...not good for the engine. <br>Have fun!<br>-Cathleen <p>

If you slow it down you'll see that I said that he/she should already be in the gear in which the turn will be negotiated. <p>But thanks for the "crash" course in stick driving for the novice, Mr. Villeneuve.

One at a time is a good for starters, but many real world situations will have you downshifting and braking at the same time.<p>Now turning and braking(especially during inclement weather) should be avoided. That usually implies that you are going to fast for a turn.<p>Turning and downshifting, like above, implies that you're decreasing your speed too late.<p>My million dollar opinion,<p>Tech_KO<br>Silver 99.5 1.8T QSM, 1000 miles

Unless you do hel-&-toe downshift (later), recommend to brake early down to speed appropriate for curve, then do downshift before entering by lifting off brake, declutch, shift, blip gas to bring engien speed up, engage clutch. NOTE my commend abotu braking EARLY. Other optioon is to shift while braking and let out clutch slowly, letting driveshaft/clutch engagemetn bring engine spee up to appropriate value - hard on clutch.<p>Now, heel-&-toe donshift: practive on strightaway at nominal speed. Start baking with instep of foot, declutch, and practive blipping the top of the gas pedal (this works beter on A4 than more traditional heel-&-toe method). When you can blip gas decently and compfortably, then dtry a downshift by braking, then declutch, downshift to lwoer gear, blip gas while braking, engage clutch. if you do this proper, will nt event feel car lurch.<p>For info, "traditional" heel-&-toe is to brake with toe, blip gas with heel. Can't be done with A4 pedal position, in my experience.<p>Good luck.

I would add one more thing here. In spirited driving (as in my old road race days) you must accomplish all this down shifting JUST prior to the curve as said above. I have not known many amareur drivers who can make a good shift after braking (in, say, the first third of the corner) and still keep a good line. Once into the curve don't accelerate until you pass the "Apex". Roughly, this is half way through the curve. Earlier than that pushes you farther out at the exit and can even push you off the road (not necessarily nose first). Bringing on the power much past the apex reduces your exit speed and looses the race.

So, when downshifting, blipping the gas means to just hit the gas and then let off it right away? So basically, to downshift, you would...<p>1) press clutch<br>2) shift into lower gear<br>3) press accelerator briefly and then let off<br>4) let up clutch<p>Is that correct?

I STILL have not had real success even with the instep/brake, toe/throttle method. I installed a MOMO pedal set and the throttle pedal has an extended edge. Even this has not helped. The throttle is just too low and far from the brake for the size of my foot. My foot is shorter (pretty = to a guys size 5), and when I try to tilt forward to blip, my foot wants to slip off the brake *or* the other problem if I put more of my heel on the brake, I end up "grabbing" the brakes because of the shorter angle my foot produces when I try to tilt to blip. <br>I practice left foot braking all the time and have this technique down very well now....but I am very frustrated with the heel/toe stuff.<br>On the 4000q we have, the brake/throttle pedal placement is perfect and it has an extended MOMO throttle pedal so I can put the left part of my toe on brake, tilt right edge of foot to blip the throttle. I can do this all day long, no problems.<br>Ahhhhh, if only I had the 4000q setup in my A4!<br>-C.

Essentially what you are trying to do is rev the engine to where the rpms should be when you complete the downshift - this lessens wear and tear on the drivetrain.<br>I've seen people downshift by just letting out the clutch at hearing a vroOOOOMmmmm sound. Very bad. <p>Example - you are driving at 2,000 rpm in 4th. You would like 3rd gear. Say from experience you know that at your road speed the engine would be turning 3,000 rpm in 3rd. So push in clutch, rev the engine up to 3,000, lift clutch, and drive on. You can do all these steps really quickly with experience to be "set up" for your drive out of the corner. <p>Mark

1) Think you mean "disengage clutch while braking"<br>2) I started doing the race track driver's ed events in a 911; the one thing I had FIRMLY driven into me was "be back ON the gas AS or BEFORE you turn into the corner". If I followed the gas-off till apex method, I'd be looking back at the corner entrance. I make sure I am slowed enugf to at least be ong gas to hold steady-speed.<br>Your technique works great in an autocross, where I want to induce oversteer to get thru turn faster. This is far different than street or track driving, however.

After posting my frustrations about the heel toe issue I was rather cranky about the fact that I really need to be able to do this well in my car, especially for track purposes.<br>So on the 1 hour 15 minute commute home, I was determined to get it to work. Duh, do I feel stupid now. It's so easy.<br>I've always been trying to do the following:<br>1) Left side ball of foot on brake, blip with right side ball of foot. Result = foot slips between pedals,<br>2) Toe on brake, heel on gas. Result = awkward and jerky<br>3) Heel on brake, toe on gas with foot angled about 2-3 o'clock position. Result = slipping and grabbing <p>The problem with #3 was that I was trying to have my heel be on the lower part of the brake and blip with my toe touching the lower side of the throttle pedal where the MOMO pedal lip extension is. This forced me to have to put my foot sideways and it was too difficult to modulate at that angle.<p>Instead, I put my heel further toward the top of the brake, adjusted my foot to a more comfortable 1:00 position and then tilt my foot forward and down hitting the throttle more to the top of the pedal. Hallelujah!!!!! It works!!!! I could easily and smoothly modulate the brake without any slipping and I could blip the throttle with more pressure without affecting the amount of brake input I was after.<br>I was like a freak on the way home! Blip, blip blip! Anyway, had to share my enthusiasm.<br>-Cathleen (much happier A4 driver today)<br>

Ever notice that when describing what you do, you don't always describe what you do? Ha, ha, ha. <br>The more I think about it, I really am giving it gas before the apex but not full-on until I'm at the apex. The whole process is so subconscious that I don't even really think about it from a detailed standpoint.<br>**Yes, I meant disengage.**<br>Oh BTW, Umm the time I went off the track at Mid-Ohio in a 180 spin, I was too heavy on the throttle going in to the apex during rain.....with a greasy track. Gotta learn how much is too much in the rain. I tune how much throttle I give it based on the type of corner (carousels to hairpins and everything in-between) and the track/road conditions. Especially in rain, these days!<br>-C.<br>P.S. - Tangent: It was torrential downpour on part of my drive home tonight. These S02 Pole Positions are fantastic in the rain vs. the SP8000s I had before. Way more grip and no hydroplaning. I was amazed since there was at least an inch or two of standing water on the roads.