Re: Gearing, again

[Dick Rasmussen <rasmussend@mindspring.com>]

At 08:37 PM 7/20/2003 -0500, Charlie Mathews wrote:
>That is great information Mark, thanks.  But to add to the database, I am 
>on the same gears since I bought my car in '91.  No problems yet, and we 
>all know that I am not easy on the gears.   As far as optimal gears, I 
>think it depends on the course.  I have a top speed of 94 mph in the 
>car.  I've only used that gear once.  On most courses I am geared fine, 
>however there is usually one course per year that I wish I had a shorter third.
>
>I like to refer to the words of Dick Rasmussen.  Dick was watching me and 
>Peter Raymond race at the Little Rock Pro in '92, and I asked him what 
>difference he saw between me and Peter (Peter had short gears). His answer 
>was that Peter has doing a lot more shifting than me.  Our times were 
>nearly identical.
>
>Anyway good luck with your search.
>
>Charlie Mathews

Charlie,

Thanks for the quote.

I will add that for me the major disadvantage of my preferred 66 mph second 
gear has been on courses where significant corner exits could use the extra 
thrust of a shorter second but cannot handle a down shift to my 46 mph 
first gear. For real slow corners I just go to first! Fortunately most 
Forbes Field courses don't have that problem. By the time the rear tires 
can handle full throttle it would be time to shift from a short second with 
the way my car is set up.

Keep in mind that I went to a tall (66 mph) second for two reasons: 1) I 
don't shift well enough to take advantage of the extra gear. 2) I used to 
run into courses where I would run out of fourth gear (not SCCA courses). I 
have a 78 mph third gear that I rev limited in a couple places in Peru a 
few years ago . . . just before the braking point and a just over 100 mph 
4th that I've never rev limited but have only used at a few events in many 
years.


Dick Rasmussen
CM 85
85 Van Diemen FF
(I may get to drive it again sometime in the next five years) 

///  unsubscribe/change address requests to majordomo@autox.team.net  or try
///  http://www.team.net/mailman/listinfo
///  Archives at http://www.team.net/archive/autox-cm