You sure can change down to 1st on a Sprite by double clutching.
I've had to do it with the racecar at Morwell Hilclimb. The only problem
is the shudder that runs up your spine when, while you were learning to
perfect the technique, you didn't quite get it right and you got that gear
crunching sound...
BTW, double clutching does reduce the load on the synchros.
There was a good article by phil ethier a couple of years ago that did
a good job of explaining what is going on. If it isn't in the archives, then
i can drag it out. The subject was probably "left foot braking and double
clutching". You might try the archives of the british-car list and the mgs
list
since it was probably on one of those, not the spridgets list.
Mike
Mike
-----Original Message-----
From: andy webster <trunkie@hotmail.com>
To: Ronsoave@aol.com <Ronsoave@aol.com>; spridgets@autox.team.net
<spridgets@autox.team.net>
Date: Saturday, 1 May 1999 0:11
Subject: Re: synchro
>Apparently, according to my old Dad, during the war (ahh..the war) truckers
>had to drive synchro, i.e no clutch. coz if you wore your clutch out you
>couldn't get another. Had to disengage gear and match engine speed to next
>gear and knock it in.
>You can't sychro a sprite 1st gear can you? i.e double clutch and select
1st
>while moving?
>andy
>
>>From: Ronsoave@aol.com
>>Reply-To: Ronsoave@aol.com
>>To: ulix@u.washington.edu, RobertDuquette@Sympatico.ca
>>CC: spridgets@autox.team.net
>>Subject: Re: synchro "zip"
>>Date: Fri, 30 Apr 1999 09:12:41 EDT
>>
>>In a message dated 99-04-29 22:44:02 EDT, ulix@u.washington.edu writes:
>>
>> > OK, it's a half-yup. On up-shifting it helps, but on down-shifting,
the
>> > longer you wait, the worse it gets.
>> > While waiting, the engine rpm drops, but it was too slow for the
>> > down-shift in the first place.
>>
>>My understanding (or lack thereof): On the downshift, blip the throttle on
>>your pause through neutral with the clutch up to spin the innards of the
>>gearbox up to the speed of the input shaft. The synchros use friction
>>rings
>>and sliders to engage the spinning gears and bring them to a synchronized
>>speed as you shift, and your pause in neutral / throttle blip is doing
that
>>for you. I spent a year with no third and 4th synchros on my old MGB, and
>>it
>>gets to be second nature quickly (not to mention Sprite first gear for
>>those
>>of us who don't have Splite 5-speeds).
>
>
>
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