Back in my miata days, a good heel and toe downshift was a must, not to
spare the tranny, but to keep from upsetting the drive(rear) wheels upon
corner entry. Especially on 3-2's at 40+ mph. Can you say opposite
lock-shuffle steer-and wish I had power steering in my R pkg :)
I can get away with much rougher downshifts in the CRX and Talon, as the
driveline shock does not upset the car's balance as much. Also with no
power booster it's tricky to blip the throttle correctly with 200lbs of
pressure on the brake.
Never could master shifting at the apex, always felt like I needed to be in
gear and on the throttle(at least a little) the minute braking was done -
no coasting allowed in cars with less than 150hp.
There are drivers out there that can left foot brake, and clutchless
downshift to first, matching revs all the way.
Good luck - practice makes perfect - whatever you choose to do, just learn
to execute it quickly and by second nature, then you can focus on the course!
Stan Whitney
DP/EP CRX
GS Talon
5spd auto explorer (that's the answer!)
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