By Bob Bondurant (5/5/2001)How about an automatic? Jim Hall's Chaparral had one. The Williams, Ferrari, and McLaren Formula One cars are so equipped. Maybe your BMW or Ferrari has one, too.
Most people put their automatic transmissions in drive and leave them there forever, except to back up. Don't limit your vehicle. Use the gears. That's why they are there. For accelerating, use each of the gears. Wind it out. Make the car work as it was intended.
I have a Jaguar XK-8 that has an excellent automatic transmission. I use second, third and fourth gears around town and the top gear, or drive, on the freeway. It always gives me good torque/acceleration when I need it!
As for downshifting, you can't heel-and-toe, but your braking procedure should still be the same. Use the ball of your foot and trail the brake into the first third of the corner, just as if you were driving a stick shift. When you've braked sufficiently for a downshift, move the lever to the gear you want and wait for the transmission to shift itself down, transferring the weight back to the rear of the car. This could help your braking, but remember to slow the car with the brakes, not with the engine, and when you accelerate, just ease on the gas.
Use lower gears
With an automatic in top gear (drive), the engine back pressure (slowing force) is minimal. You only use this back pressure in the lower gears. For example, coming down a steep grade you should use your engine, as it will help to reduce brake fade. In cornering, the lower gears of an automatic help the car's stability and responsiveness. Rather than using drive, use the appropriate lower gear along with the throttle, and the car will steer around a corner much easier and safer.
While many drivers are timid about using anything other than drive, doing so is not only safe, it's effective in making your car perform better. In fact, we're now seeing many manufacturers provide combination automatic transmissions that encourage drivers to use the upshift and downshift capabilities of their automatic transmissions.
And if you are a sports-car or manual-shift kind of person, don't despair. Even if you feel like you are forced to buy a car with an automatic transmission, either because of the hassles of using a manual in stop-and-go traffic or because your spouse prefers one, you can still be an active participant in your daily driving experience. Shifting your automatic in certain situations will help you put a little more fun back into it.
Bob Bondurant, racer and entrepreneur, owns and runs the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving in Phoenix, Ariz. For more information on classes and schedules, click over to www.bondurant.com or call (800) 842-RACE (7223).
