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      10-16-2015, 11:25 AM   #1
doppler
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First time Autox'ing - Need advice on gear selection

Hey all,

I'm doing a BMW Owner appreciation event, which includes some autocross time. I imagine the course they set up will be pretty small / slow. I haven't done autocross in the m235i, so I'm unsure about gear selection. I'm happy to wing it and get a miserable time, but my buddy is coming and is really shaky on manual trans. I want to give him advice like "get it in 2nd and leave it", but I'm not sure.

Does leaving it in first create too much wheel spin? Is 2nd better?

Feel free to remind me of the idiocy of letting my friend learn stick on my car during a autocross event...
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      10-16-2015, 08:02 PM   #2
ralawren
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Well I think BMW will cover one clutch under warranty. However they may be able to tell if it was abused or not and decline the coverage.

2nd gear on a tight course with the M235i's torque is probably fine.

But there is no way I would allow a novice manual driver on an AutoX course with my car. Does BMW have any loaners with the 8sp? Or maybe have some maintenance done on your car and use the loaner!!!
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      10-16-2015, 10:38 PM   #3
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1st gear might be too short depending on the setup. 2nd would be ideal. Just make sure your buddy doesn't just drop the clutch at the start and you should be fine even if he's a novice. There's pretty much no shifting involved in autox. Just have go from N>1>2
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      10-17-2015, 08:45 AM   #4
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The engine's torque curve is basically flat from about 1300 rpm up to 4500 rpm. That means you don't have to downshift much. I never autocrossed the car, but I did run a bunch of laps at Palmer Motorsports 2.3 mile road course. I found I could stay in 3rd gear all around the track, until needing to shift into 4th on the front straight. Anywhere from about 40 mph to 100 mph was fine in 3rd gear.
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