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In Reply to: On the positive side... posted by Victor Khomenko on June 10, 2006 at 20:00:42:
Alot of my anxiety arises from guaging that swap from clutch release to gas pedal depression. I think i'm pretty good, pretty symetrical so to speak and learning to take the car out of gear when coming up to a stop in traffic seems to be a smart habit to form.My greatest fear and problem is just making sure i'm in the right gear.I am thinking of getting a short shift kit installed and a weighted , stainless steel shift knob to tighten up the shift throw dynamics.A few times i've mis-shifted and stalled or downshifted like from 3rd to second when i was aiming for 4th.Its just that i am so conscious of other drivers impatience and the fear i'll stall at a light or launch it and look like a fool or destroy the clutch/tranny that can trip me up and distract from the focus on the right way of getting it done,once i'm going i can shift pretty smoothly and i am improving swiftly.I just today fixed the 50 MPH shimmy it had since i got it a few weeks ago so Monday, after getting some new belts installed,an auxilary water pump replaced, coolant flush and refill, foglamp installed and the State Safety Inspection Sticker i'll take it to Bavarian Autosport over in Portsmouth which will allow me to give it its first real good drive of about 100 miles round trip.Thanks for the support.
Follow Ups:
The gearbox you have in that car is perhaps the best unit on the planet, it shifts marvelously well, you just need to get used to it a bit, and soon it will become second nature. With the 6 sp you can play with gears, skip some - it is lots of fun. You can accelerate in the first to 5000 and then go into third or sometimes even the 4th, depending upon the conditions. Go from the 2nd into 4th... I would wait a bit with the short throw kit, after you master this one. But as I said, on this car everything is placed nearly perfectly - the pedals, the shifter, the steering... so you can truly enjoy driving. I only wish they made the clutch bigger and stiffer.You also need to figure out whether your car has the dreaded CDV (Clutch Delay Valve) and if so get rid of it as soon as you can. You can google to find out more about it.
Well that explains alot.I found this on Zeckhausen Racing's web site;"During normal,sedate driving, the shift from first into second gear is often jerky,leading passengers to question your skill. As the driver, you can see your passengers' heads bobbing back and forth during every shift!Yes,in their minds, they are laughing at you." They modify these Valves and sell replacements with the active valve parts removed.Thanks again,Victor.
I don't recall if your year has that valve, but it is easy to spot by just looking under the car. You can easily modify a valve yourself, I have done it. Or let the Zimmerman's do it, it is not expensive. The result is a better action of the clutch, but still not quite at the level that would be commensurate with the true potential of that car. I truly wish they put the M3 clutch in it.Whatever it takes to make the Merkava even meaner... :-)
Early word is this model didn't have one so i can't blame it for my jerky shifting.I finally got to drive it with 99% of the needed work done. Man its fast,i was coming around a long curving on-ramp in 4th and the car just kept accelerating beyond what i was used to. That suprised me but i found 5th and 6th no problem and Lord ,i was impressed.Obviously its no Enzo but it really has a strong,clean and very stable power to it for what it is.Engine mounts are next and then its 100%.
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