Hi. I was wondering if this might be the right place to post, but I'm going to ask anyways. My Iroc has a WC-T5 in it, and while i've learned to drive on it and now have no problems in everyday driving (yes, even on the hills and crappy roads in Pittsburgh), but when i really push it just cruising with my dad, I lose alot of time shifting, and a little sprint i should have won now becomes even (i know because while in gear i make time, but when i shift he gains ground). So do any of you have any tips for performance driving a WCT5? I don't want to try anything and damage the tranny because the clutch wasn't all the way down yet or something stupid like that. Maybe i'm just too cautious but I'm sure there are some tips out there to help shorten the time i'm shifting. Thanks ~LMSkyliner

short shifter? or go auto and give the t5 to me

No thanks on the Auto. Half the reason i bought this car was the hardtop/manual combo in an Iroc.

Production manual transmissions give a fun factor on the street but suck on the dragstrip.

You can try powershifting without the clutch but you'll probably break the transmission.

Sooo.. would say the new TKO600 i'll need next summer be a better performer? Will i be able to shift that quicker and without worrying i'll break somthing?

PowerShift:

As you get within 500 to 300 rpms before redline you push the clutch in while keeping your foot on the gas. You must QUICKLY pull your shifter into the next gear and let off the clutch fast! This keeps the rpms from dropping to much in the shift so when you let off the clutch you'll be slightly higher keeping you further and better in the power band. This will add any where from .4 to .1 in the 1/4 mile on average.

The downside is of course if you screw up the shift and keep the foot on the gas you can over rev the engine.

the tko's are a little notchty shifting, though ive never driven a t5 to know how they shift.

I can shift the tremec real fast, for a manual, but using the clutch. Im told they cant be powershifted? never tried.

Well that sounds better than the T5. I'll need a TKO600 either way because my final engine should be around 510 FT LBS and i want it to be nice and safe.

Hurst shifter and a short-stick... best upgrade I ever made to my '97 Z28. Its a T56, but would be a great upgrade for a T5, as they use the same shifters.

So a Shorty shifter made for the T56 will bolt right on my T5? I thought i had to have a Pro 5.0 shifter base for the t56 shorty shifters.

Step 1: short throw shifter. Just get one for the T-5. I have the proform one and noticed a huge difference in the throw.

Step 2: Practice, practice, practice. Everything will be a little bit different. Keep working on it, try a few different things and see what works best for YOU.

The best place to see what works best (E.T. wise) is at the track.

Good luck. have fun.

a t-5 and a t-56 do not use the same shifter base the handle that bolts to the shifter base is interchangeable but not the base

Powershifting oldschool:
1) Rev up,
2) Dont lift
3) Jam it into next gear without using clutch.

Im pretty sure you cant do this with new transmissions, because they have syncros, so....... theres a new way

Powershifting now: (Say 3-4 shift)
1)Rev up
2)Dont lift
3)Pull the lever down as hard as you can.
4) As your pulling the lever down, it will go from "in 3rd gear, close to neutral"
5) You just tap the clutch pedal at the very top of its travel,
5a)At the SAME TIME< your shifter will cross over the neural, and get close to neutral in 4th gear, by which time the clutch pedal is let out.
6) Finish slamming into 4th.

Step 5-6 take a split second, its where the magic happens.

During the entire time, your foot is pinned to the gas, and you should notice the slightest fluctuation in RPM DOWNWARDS ONLY!. If you rev up before it hooks into 4th, u need practice. The RPM should only drop, thats when youre good at it.

Since you dont want to break the tranny, try this at night, on a quiet street, with no pedestrians. Go slow, maybe 20mph or something. And try shifting without lifting. You dont have to redline, try it around 2000 or 2500 rpm.

The hardest part is to get used to NOT taking your foot off the gas.

TKO's and Tremec's have a built in "stopper". When youre shifting this aggressively, youre not being nice to the tranny internals. The pro 5.0 shifter has stops built it. You just adjust them to where the gear is selected, and the stoppers take the extra force, instead of your tranny internals.

I thought the T5 and T56 did use the same base - I might be wrong though. I never had a urst for the T5, it blew up too soon after I got the car lol.

I thought I've seen shifters for sale for "82-02 Camaro/Firebird"?

Anyway, it doesn't matter, the effect of the shifter is the same, and Hurst makes an awesome piece. The throw on my T56 is half as long as stock, and its much more solid as well. Much easier to shift hard and fast than before.

I highly recommend a Hurst shifter (the base and the shaft/stick, they are sometimes sold separately). The base is the important part, the stock stick may be able to be bolted on, like the one for my T56 was.

i think the base of a t-56 is more rectangular than the t-5, i had a pro 5.0 on my t-5 then i blew it up and got a t-56 and the pro 5.0 would not fit the t-56

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHGaYVL9LWo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwqLU...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhEsQ...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STyKLlkAiLQ

Install one of these transmissions

http://www.jericoperformance.com/2.html

You do not need a clutch to shift gear, but using a clutch = mechanical sympathy for your gearbox.

There are ways to shift clutchlessly, but you should only do it in emergency situations, like when your clutch hydro gives out and you need to return to the pit/home.

In order to shift clutchless, you have to understand revmatching. The clutch disconnects the engine from the gearbox input shaft. The wheels/driveshaft and engine turn at different speeds. The clutch slips and allows both sides to mesh together.

Gearboxes have synchros, but they're meant to smooth out minor speed differences between the input shaft disconnected from the engine, and the driveshaft. The synchros cannot handle synchronizing task of meshing a rotating engine to a rotating output shaft/driveshaft/diff/axles/wheels. That's just too much mass for a tiny synchro to handle. Compare the size of a synchro to a clutch plate.

To shift out of gear, you technically do not need to do anything. Depending on the gearbox design, you should be able to slip the shifter out of gear. Sometimes lifting the throttle will help ease the load and allow the shifter to move out of gear more easily.

Shifting into gear is a completely different story. You have to match engine speed perfectly to wheel/axle/diff/driveshaft/output shaft speed. The synchros can handle minor speed differences, but major speed differences = toast.

Rev and hold the engine to the perfect RPM where it would be had the car been in gear. Then the shifter should slide into gear. The trick is that the vehicle will probably be losing speed. So you're chasing a moving target.


It's doable but a) not very fast, and b) abusive to your gearbox. That's why I say it's reserved for emergencies.


Your second option is to go to a dogbox or sequential box.

I think you would need earplugs to drive these

Never try powershifting without the clutch on a sreet trans, disaster will prevail.

I agree. The speed difference between the engine turning the flywheel and input shaft vs. the wheels/axles/diff/driveshaft/output shaft would be too great.

The rotating mass is also too much for the synchro to handle. Some cars have double or even triple synchros for low gears, but still not enough.


That's not doable on a regular production gearbox due to helical cut gears for noise reduction. If you had straight cut dog gears, then it would be okay.

but not if he manages to take out the transmission and grinds down those syncro teeth no? ive heard of people doing it but never done it myself

Don't worry Don. I think disaster is already prevailing. There's some majorly eerie noises and feelings coming up through the shifter. I'm looking into a local guy with another WCT5 laying around for cheap I might have to pick up just so i have a transmission. I can't afford my TKO yet.