iRacing 'Shift Aids' | I did some tests, so you don't have to!

[@davecamyt]

If you're interested, here's the iracing info about what car required what inputs to change gear 👍 support.iracing.com/support/solutions/articles/31000157032-transmission-gearbox-shifting-types-method

[@D0WTA]

Quick question from a new racer. Do you left foot brake or right foot brake when you are driving or does it differ depending on what type of race it is? I currently use the anti-stall clutch, I don't use the clutch pedal, I left foot brake and manually blip to shift down as needed. I am currently using the Logitec G920 with paddle shifter and 3 pedals. (I plan on getting a quick shift and H-shifter as well as an e-brake eventually but was curious about how you are doing it.) Thanks. Loving all the videos, been watching for the past couple of months and has been cutting my time down quite a bit.

[@davecamyt]

@@D0WTA if it's a seq I left foot brake. With a h pattern I swap between left and right 👍

[@davidius74]

I am also interested in this. Being only new to sim racing (just under 2 weeks) but have been driving in the real world for over 20 years in only automatics, doing manual gear shifts is a whole new experience. I have been using Auto blip but what would you think is the best advice for someone in a similar situation as mine. Should I stick to Auto blip for now until I get more familiar with each car and track or should I just dive right in and go to none or anti-stall and learn that way. Also, even though I have the 3 pedals, I don't use the clutch as when you are calibrating your pedals in game you can just click done after doing the throttle and brake and you will have auto clutch. My question relates more to the shifting side of things as I know I will never be able to use a clutch given my real world driving experience.

[@davecamyt]

@@davidius74 the earlier you practice, the sooner it'll become second nature 😁

[@MckenzieSimRacing]

The best illustration for me was on the final corner, on your lap. You were slower out the turn and delta started to drop... Until you changed gear and you started to increase. Amazing difference! great content Dave.

[@SebHUK]

I’m so grateful I’ve never caught Shift Aids

[@Roger_Diz]

Well you'd obviously have to endure shift hiv first...

[@juni_2452]

I see what you did there 😂

[@peadookie]

BAH-DUM-PSHHHT! 😂

[@christopherknowles]

With enough prep you can be undetectable.

[@2LAZY-2EDIT]

The Magic Johnson of racing.

[@TheOnyxian]

This could be considered an almost critical guide to this car for anyone that is interested in driving it and driving it quickly. Very nice vid Dave.

[@rarewhiteape]

We use anti-stall clutch in the NASCAR stuff for those killer starts on ovals too.

[@SebastianWoodard]

So that's why y'all mf's sweeping me. I use none and almost always get whooped on the start

[@tmthylthm]

@@SebastianWoodard I can guarantee that anti-stall isn't your issue. That's usually only helpful if you get turned and come to a stop. The only thing that would help on starts and restarts is traction control, which stock cars don't have. It's all about throttle control and maximizing the grip you have without spinning the tires. Also, you'll be much faster if you stab the clutch and don't lift when up-shifting instead of lifting and then shifting. I don't think anti-stall helps anything whatsoever on starts and restarts unless you're doing them from a complete stop. To each their own, I guess.

[@SebastianWoodard]

@@tmthylthm yeah, I haven't been running anything honestly. My restarts suck unless I'm the control car. Something I need to work on. It's not even wheelspin honestly. I just time em terribly. Thanks for the tips. It just sucks when you get turned and forget to kick the clutch and you're tryina start the engine and it's not wanting to start, especially if you're in the middle of the track at Martinsville or something

[@MRSPORTYTRUCKER]

Anti stall will just add clutch to stop the car from stalling so it isn't doing anything to gear changes so it won't affect acceleration. Auto blip is the same as auto clutch just it will blip the throttle on downshifts as well. But that's a crazy difference between auto shift and none, i really need to get a h-pattern shifter again

[@HipsterNgariman]

There are only very few cars where this is useful. GTO, Mustang, Pontiac, ...that's kinda it. The older SRF and MX5 if you ever race them. And even then you can do it perfectly fine with paddles, without a clutch. That's how I was racing the GTO for a while.

[@lkscastro]

@@HipsterNgariman the MX-5 is sequential clutch now, no need to clutch or even H pattern

[@baldmethhead6493]

@@lkscastro he said old aha

[@CaroFDoom]

@@HipsterNgariman the older SRF is unfortunately not even in the game anymore

[@rarewhiteape]

@@HipsterNgariman a lot of the NASCAR stuff uses H-pattern and really benefits from anti-stall clutch on starts and restarts after a pace car. The difference on road course NASCAR events is similar to what's seen in this video.

[@drizz786]

Hi, nice work lad, good to see a real car getting some stick. Tje auto blip is for down shifts and as gar as i know it used adog/ straight cut gearbox which you can down oe upshift with rev matching but for smoothness most heal toe & clutch on downshift, keeps the back a bit more settled. Thanks for your time and effort 👌

[@fernandomattos]

This impacts us sim racers with limited leg movement a good deal. As someone with cerebral palsy, just handling two pedals is already pretty difficult. I don’t think there’s a solution and I wouldn’t advocate for auto clutch to be quicker, as I realize it’d remove the enjoyment of others, but it’s just something we have to contend with. I’ll certainly start practicing without the auto blip, even if I can’t do the whole thing.

[@fathead7]

There is a mechanical solution and I'm working on it currently

[@nathanroussin803]

see if fanatec couldn’t hook you up, you’d have the clutch at your finger tips with their podium shifter thing

[@s0cks1985]

I really don't think auto-blip makes any difference as it's used on downshifts.

[@ertpecsertpecs]

Fernando have you tried a wheel that has clutches on it along with the shifters?

[@jimmyrb82]

@@s0cks1985 do you mean up-shifts?

[@GleNRG]

Another great video Dave. This is the reason I would love a drag strip in iRacing. 👍

[@PistonBrokeGaming]

drag strip would have to have grass verges though in iracing

[@baribari600]

You can tell from the sound of the gearbox that it doesn't need a clutch to upshift (its a dog box), which is probably why turning off auto clutch is faster. Interestingly some of the cars will benefit from a manual blip when downshifting into first (or second for the Vee) even if you are using auto-blip, because they will tend to slide otherwise. This is just more evidence that every car needs custom controls. Haha.

[@scar3sl]

Good video. Thats why i only drive cars with flappy pedals behind the steeringwheel. I am just too bad to use the clutch properly and i don't have an H Pattern shifter 🙂 You've said its not the most scientific test around, if you would want (in case you would do this for a different car or something else) you could have enabled your telemetry and just did the same, put it into motec and you'd be down to the ms without having to rely on the subjective parts of having to see when you start or reach 260. I know it was just to show the rough direction of where you're going but i thought i might share this anyways. Thanks for the video, have a great day Dave!

[@oliviersac1]

Ive been racing a full season with a league with the Audi 90. I can tell you that anyone using driving aids with the clutch will be slower. The delay between shifts is longer thats why. I think its cool in a way because it encourages peoples to drive the car with the clutch even if its harder. To facilitate the driving, you can downshift without any clutch if you rev match well and that will help you downshift from 6 to 1 more easily

[@ScottyHews]

Not sure if I can put a direct link,. But there's a section in iracing support that explains the gear box type for each car e.g. is it a blip etc just search for iracing Transmission/Gearbox/Shifting Types & Method (edit: ie in relation to your comment at the end regarding what type of gear box it is)

[@X1erra]

Sheez.. that's certainly one reason to buy a H-Shifter, that one you have feels so right!

[@davyfaeforth]

Sure they did use clutch In race cars ,although the rally car or specifically the pikes peak one had a clutch that worked with a button ontop of gear leaver

[@TheCloudCreation]

I use VRS to learn a lot tracks I've never been to and I've always complained that it feels like the coach lap is using the qualifying setups with less because I would always get gapped on the straights even if I had a better launch on exit. I always used auto-blip because for a long time I didn't even have a clutch pedal (brake and gas only). Going to use anti-stall/ no assist from now on because that is a MASSIVE difference.

[@callummooney3317]

I think that the way it’s set in iracing is fine. Using the assists should be a disadvantage in all fairness. Although it’s not a massive disadvantage as you showed in the race you can still be competitive but to get the most out of the cars it takes the skill of being able to run without the assists which I get not everyone can do that unfortunately so those that can are rewarded with the extra pace around the track 👍

[@jeradrainford9296]

Great video Dave, definitely something I've always been interested in but never found the moment to check it out. Huge delta.

[@ianhaycox]

Not sure it was mentioned, but with an h shifter in this car you can pre select the next gear, dip the clutch and keep the throttle pinned. I only race this car and have no assists and the clutch short calibrated. For up shifts I can move the shifter to the next gear then a quick press on the clutch at the right rpm and it shifts. Not sure if this is quicker than what Dave demoed. Works for me.

[@wayneshephard]

Great content Dave, really enjoyed this one

[@chrisstaples182]

It's seems logical that if you have an assist on, that you will incur some sort of performance penalty.

[@joost1183]

Some sort indeed, two/3 tenths a lap or so. Not a second

[@chrisstaples182]

@@joost1183 a second seems reasonable considering your are using an assist. Learn to drive properly and be much faster. Makes sense.

[@simon7109100]

@@chrisstaples182 most people use paddles to shift though, it’s kind if weird using a clutch with those

[@avgfinnishdude]

@@simon7109100 then don't drive a car with a manual

[@novicman8742]

@@avgfinnishdude thats like sating dont drive a car you like just because you dont have a shifter

[@mrmoyd3072]

I been thinking about this recently! Thanks for makin a video for me haha

[@simnutracing]

Dave has the ability to read out minds 😳

[@billbenedict4664]

Each choice down the list includes all the clutch aids from higher up. So Auto-shift includes auto-blip, auto-clutch and anti-stall. When you chose Auto-blip, I noticed you using the clutch pedal in your test, but you did not need to. You still had auto-clutch included with auto-blip. I don't know on that particular car if it works or not, but you may even have been able to avoid the clutch entirely when shifting once you were at anti-stall or 'none' settings and been even faster.

[@gdoumit]

So I'm curious how this affects other cars. For GT3 as an example, is there a difference from running just anti-stall vs no assists? Particularly over the course of a lap. The only assist I ever use is anti-stall, so I can't imagine that affects overall lap time much, if at all. Great video, Dave.

[@YayDanMan]

There won't be a performance difference because anti-stall exists for the sole purpose of protecting against stalls - which will only happen if you spin out or come to a stop

[@tuomoseppala]

Quite significant difference!

[@nicholasscherman3842]

Appreciate your application of the scientific method.

[@racekar80]

I thought auto blip is really used for downshifting, not upshifting. So you should repeat with downshifting to a stop? And antistall really is only for a start so you don’t stall it if you don’t have enough revs.

[@valentin7318]

Thank man, great video. Cheers

[@DoctorDNF]

Very informative video! Didn‘t think, the aids would make that much of a difference. Now it should not have any effects, but did you happen to try this in a car with paddle shifters aswell? Would be curious, if there is a difference, even though I doubt it. Cheers!

[@christmworkflow2886]

Good work Dave !

[@mute3744]

Dave now you got to do another Kamel GT race when it's active and win (maybe)

[@Delimon007]

I use anti stall only, it's actually helpful

[@swider80tv]

Great stuff. Can you compare,or even make a tutorial, standing start of the race with those assists and which one is fastest?

[@LJSR07]

Real good stuff. Thank you Dave. Excellent as always

[@rockybass9764]

Good stuff Dave. Thanx.

[@Rich_Jamison]

Scientific enough! Great comparison between settings. Confirms what most have said for a while now, no aids is quicker. Thanks Dave!

[@rcr286]

Nice work. What is the H-pattern shifter you have there? Is it the Quaife?

[@johnrowland2773]

I had a manual shift car for 2 years in college, and went through 3 clutches. 😂 I highly doubt me using a clutch pedal (I have the Fanatec V3 pedals) would be faster, since I had have 2 (crappy) years using a clutch 35 years ago as my only experience. More likely that I’d cause wrecks 🤷‍♂️

[@rafaeldts8980]

Great video. Does it make any difference using the H pattern shifter instead of the paddle shift on the wheel?

[@davecamyt]

No, it will work with paddles, but you'd have to map a button for the clutch if you didn't have one. Exactly the same results 👍

[@Chan-rg9ok]

Was thinking about doing a similar test the other day - maybe a potentially better way of measuring the effect would be to use active reset and the custom sector features in iRacing?

[@davecamyt]

Yep definitely more accurate. Active reset wasn't a thing when I made this 😁

[@H7dro]

Great video! Could have used pit limiter to fix the starting speed but looked accurate!

[@davecamyt]

I don't believe this car has a limiter 👍

[@AlexVangeenRacing]

This puts such a wall up to driving old cars as I don’t have an H pattern shifter and don’t want to buy one and doing this with a formula style wheel is just too complicated

[@bartonez123]

It's actually different for each car. There's one car in particular that I know of that's almost certainly quicker with auto blip on, though the majority are slower - but the amount of time loss is more variable than one might think.

[@siddharthsharma8940]

Which is the car which is faster with auto clutch?

[@christopherlees3684]

@@siddharthsharma8940 might be the SR8. Easier with auto blip otherwise you have to lift on the up and blip on down. Think the Cadillac is the same also

[@Simracingone]

excellent , thx you david

[@Voncid]

Thanks Dave!😎

[@privatesgooglekonto7638]

Wow, does this apply to every car? I mainly drive the vee and I have thought about testing these settings (to get those few houndreds I’m usually off by pole in qualifying) but never got around to doing it, thanks for your research

[@davecamyt]

Modern cars such as gt3s etc it doesn't matter, but it certainly will in the Vee 👍

[@dj_farriz]

Hey. which shifter do u use in the video? looks very nice! :)

[@TheSnaveeelPlaysGames]

That is incredible. I’m guessing this will translate to the two Lotus as well. I need a shifter! And a decent clutch 😅

[@oleboy4332]

I used to race in real life so I would never use any assistance. I need to keep it as real as possible! Great video as always Dave!

[@wild_lee_coyote]

I tried the Audi right before your video came out. Now I don’t have a shifter so I was relying on my paddles to shift with. And the the auto clutch was slow, but I just couldn’t get the manual clutch to work with the paddles. The timing was just wierd. Maybe it’s time to suck it up and get a shifter to race this car properly.

[@ertpecsertpecs]

Click the link in the pinned comment at the top, it will explain why you were having issues. You most likely weren't holding the paddle in long enough. Or were lifting the clutch too soon. Or both

[@chupposity]

Good info Dave. My best guess is the auto clutch disadvantage is about .5 to 1 second per lap depending on the combo - since anecdotally I believe the auto clutch disadvantage varies by car. I use the auto clutch and seem to be giving up more in the Mustang FR500S than I do in the NC MX-5 Cup, Solstice, and Jetta that we use in the league I'm in.

[@Etrius76]

I'm wondering how you shift so well. I have nearly a 50:50 chance to not have the gear in but "N". And I always press the Clutch completely 🤷‍♂️. Maybe someone has a tip for me

[@MegaCm123456]

On the vehicle dash is "ALTERNATOR" mis spelled or what does "ALTERNAOTR" mean?

[@JamieHamelSmith]

It was a typo in the real car that they scanned, so they preserved it.

[@TylerCMilligan]

I love the 90 gto. Just lifting and slamming it into the next gear

[@TylerCMilligan]

Dave. From what I understand the 90 had a dogbox-esque style trans where you could slam it in with straight cut gears. Definitely takes more finesse than can be implemented in iracing though.

[@geoffsaunders5102]

Hi Dave, good to see you racing one of the historic cars. Just wondered what shifter you were using?

[@robmoore2159]

Looks like it’s a BDH shifter, I’m sure Dave will do a review at some point. Looks really really nice.

[@christopherlees3684]

I was doing some practice last night. Just curious if you were lifting for the upshift. I was no lift shifting but not sure if it would last the whole race

[@a.x.w]

I don't get why auto blip interferes on upshifts. I'd expect rev matching on downshifts but nothing else. It's not like those cars need double clutching or anything crazy. Will you do another race in that series?

[@YayDanMan]

Auto Blip is Auto Clutch plus the blip assist, so the auto clutch on the upshift must be deliberately holding itself in longer than absolutely necessary

[@naronschildwall3263]

Hey Dave, can you please help me. There's something I'm not checking. I watched your vid. Here you are only testing the “sprint” from...to. Now we're driving a circuit, i.e. we're shifting up and down. I don't really understand the video right now. I think I've found that I'm faster with "Auto-Clutch" or "Auto-Stall Clutch" than with "Auto Blip"... now to the question. Can you confirm that too? In which system do you drive the GT classes??...that would interest me...😬

[@davecamyt]

Anti stall clutch gives you no assistance when changing gears so will be quicker. That's what I use 👍

[@naronschildwall3263]

@@davecamyt Damn, im right 👌🏼. Every people Surround me use Auto-blip and i wonder...why ???🤷🏻‍♂️. Thx für answering, pal ! Using Auto-Stall too... 😬

[@svshadyinvestment6647]

Great Vid Dave

[@lieslikelove]

Just realised I've been trying my heart out to get the same times as you but I'm using bloody auto clutch. 🤣🤣 Should easy be able to knock that extra second off my time now

[@davecamyt]

Yes make a huge difference. I was quite surprised 😳

[@lieslikelove]

Do you just set your drive the cars to match what gearbox they have in real life? Like if the car has paddles you use paddles. You just change the settings for each car?

[@davecamyt]

@@lieslikelove yes I try to keep things matched up where I can 👍

[@lieslikelove]

@@davecamyt Ive just been doing it today because my H pattern arrived. Took me a while to do all the cars

[@davecamyt]

My h more satisfying though 😁

[@YayDanMan]

Wish I had an H-shifter for the authenticity, driving cars like these from time to time using paddles just doesn't feel right! 😅

[@jonnyredding7864]

So without a clutch pedal I’m better off using my wheels auto clutch than iracing’s. Will give it a try

[@davecamyt]

You could map a button to the clutch 👍

[@jperk323]

This is very interesting. So I’ve been using auto clutch and blip on the GT3 cars. Should I not be? I thought since they’re using automated boxes in real life that’s what I should be using in the sim?

[@ertpecsertpecs]

It shouldn't matter with gt3 cars since they don't have a manual clutch and the factory electronics autoblips for you. So even if you had the assists on they shouldn't be doing anything

[@mcalbols]

Between this and having the gas over lay the break theres how the aliens get that extra 2 seconds

[@f0rdfalc0n46]

No such thing as aliens, just people who spend all their time playing the game and nothing else to do.

[@ryanotis]

What H-Pattern shifter do you use? The link in the description goes to the Fanatec shifter, but that doesn't look like a Fanatec.

[@davecamyt]

It's a BDH shifter which I currently have on test 👍

[@PlasmaLP39]

What Shifter are you using? It doesn't look like a Fanatec one. Thanks

[@davecamyt]

That's the BDH shifter I had on test then bought 👍

[@PlasmaLP39]

@@davecamyt Looks awesome thanks!

[@AlexFuturemark]

Thanks!

[@f0rdfalc0n46]

Did you accidentally have assists on Dave? We learnt in Mazda rookies all those years ago that assists slowed us down…..

[@UncleNewy1]

I need to practice my right foot braking with heel/toe more......I can do it, but when I get into a fight or I'm in traffic I struggle, because I can't multitask 🤣..........That's why I don't race online using no clutch assists. I just don't want to ruin someone else's race.

[@TwentyFourSlevin]

What shifter are you using? I don't see it listed in the hardware that you use.

[@FRANCOSTT]

Audi 90 GTO, the best car in iRacing !

[@zart70]

Would this have any bearing on cars with sequential gearboxes? In other words, what setting is optimal in the MX-5 or GT3/4 cars?

[@EddoWagt]

They don't use a clutch while shifting, so no wouldn't make a difference

[@cbrunnem6102]

makes no difference on cars with sequential shifters. the throttle doesn't blip on upshifts a d the clutch isn't used on shifts.

[@marklittle8805]

Shift yer own mate....the difference is stark

[@LouisCocquet]

Is there a driving assist that allow to don’t use heel toe ? And if yes does it make you faster is some way ?

[@davecamyt]

Auto blip and it's slower 👍

[@HH0ps]

So this doesn’t have any impact on my flappy paddle gearbox right?

[@davecamyt]

No you're ok, although auto blip could help but it won't be slower on the upshift if it's a modern sequential box 👍

[@xxWtChocolatexx]

So I use auto blip because I can't heal toe to rev match. I wonder if I use my clutch along with the auto blip would improve my times.

[@theRooster722]

It may depend upon the car your running. I've run the Solstice with all shift aids off, clutching and manual blipping and I can run just as fast using the paddles and auto clutch / auto blip

[@zanetti20]

So this would be the same with every car?

[@AyrtonRicardo]

Just got curious, does it make any difference in gt3/gt4 ? Holy cow, thats a hell of a difference and you still maintained a great fight last video, awesome!!!

[@siddharthsharma8940]

Gt3 gt4 cars don't use clutch for shifting in real life. Just click the paddle to shift. Their clutches are only for 1st gear starts and reversing

[@angryginger791]

It's just too bad that so few cars (in iRacing anyway) use H-patterns with a clutch anymore. I'd love to see more vintage cars come to iRacing, particularly Group C prototypes, but I'm not holding my breath. We nostalgic old gearheads are not the target demographic anymore.

[@LouisCocquet]

Group C are so sick i wish i could drive one on iracing aswell..

[@angryginger791]

@@LouisCocquet It would be such a sick series. Sauber C9, Mazda 787b, the Jag that I don't remember the model name... LOL! And they could also run vintage endurance events. I'd love to run LeMans, Daytona, and Nurburgring in those things.

[@asdf2593]

I was excited to try this myself but then remembered I play formula vee and only change gear twice per lap

[@davecamyt]

🤣

[@1xRacer]

Good video Dr Dave

[@linzkirk]

It this going to be the same for most cars, eg Mazda MX5, and all GT3 cars

[@FruitLoop2020]

What about formula cars? As they use auto clutch built in don’t they?

[@davecamyt]

It's all electronic in those 👍

[@bmwM3M5M6]

What about GT3 ? Maybe a stupid question but does it matter for GT3 ?

[@davecamyt]

No, it's all done by the cars computer so it has no effect 👍

[@bmwM3M5M6]

@@davecamyt Thx Dave ! Appreciate the quick response ! Waiting for your next video 😉🏁👍

[@whistlehead9876]

Interesting results, and I think it's pretty fair that it encourages you to use the clutch - especially since it only applies in manual cars anyway. I wonder how flat-shifting compares?

[@WayWorthRacing]

It makes sense, if you’re using driving aids there should be some kind of consequence

[@siddharthsharma8940]

+1. I'm sure iracing did this on purpose, or else no one would bother to drive the car as it's meant to

[@BetaRacer24]

This is why I think you should have to use whatever the real car had..

[@alongfall1]

Thanks for giving me yet another reason to not go iRacing. Auto blip should have absolutely zero affect on acceleration because it should only be active when downshifting (in place of heel and toe).

[@davecamyt]

At least it's an option for those that want it. Id rather be able to turn something off, than need it when I don't have it 👍

[@nickeby]

What impacts would this have for an LMP2 or GT3 car?

[@WorksopGimp]

Is heal and toe a thing still

[@Joakim_Johansson]

Damn whats that shifter? 😍😍

[@duncpap]

Awesome video

[@racerguy6979]

Why stock cars are soooo fun on road. H pattern and doin the work.

[@advocatesdevil7064]

what an awesome shifter. I bet it costs a lot lol

[@mcalbols]

Is this the same for sequential?

[@davecamyt]

All you need for seq is auto blip 👍

[@OLC62]

Who says a human can’t shift as fast as a computer 😂

[@FullFledged2010]

Auto blib is only used for downshifting. Shouldn't matter with upshifts 😉

[@niklasabrahamsen2730]

Take a new race now so we can se the difference in a race, that’s interesting for me

[@Brukn0ws]

I like how you're British but use KM/H.

[@RameXRacing]

just measure frames in video editor to get he time, not manual control by mouse :D some stopwatch :D

[@marcohoekstra]

It’s an indication not exact science 🙄

[@BiIboSwaggins]

I mean, technically we can still do that now.