Hello
This is my first post here and I hope it will be usefull !
I will post my feedback about the new simulated gearbox in the X30 patch (I hope it is the right place for that).
I don't know well F1 history about gearbox compared to other people here but I'm mechanical engineer with a really good knowledge about different types of gearbox and how it works and react.
There's 2 big types of gearbox described below and it is not sequential gearbox and H-patter ones ! (in fact We can also consider gearbox with spur gears and helical gears that have a really different design and result, but it will not change anything on a sim)
- Synchro engagement gearbox (most of the time with helical gears but not necessarily)
With this sort of gearbox, any gearchange will need necessarily the help of the clutch (except with a perfect synchronism of the speed of the engine and the primary gearbox shaft with a low movement of the lever and a small engine speed, but completely unusable in race condition)
This sort of gearbox is used on every road car (except perhaps some rare "supercars") including recent "sequential" road car gearbox (for example Alfa-Romeo selespeed).
It is not used on motorcycle because the low engine inertia and vehicule inertia makes it useless.
- Dog engagement gearbox (most of the time with spur gears but not necessarily)
It is used on motorcycle and on race car. it can be in h-pattern or sequential.
With this type of gearbox, you can do a gearchange without the help of the clutch if the difference of speed beetween primary gearbox shaft and engine is not too important. If the difference of the speed is too important, sometimes the gear will not engage and if it engage, you will make damage to the gearbox and transmissions. Some drivers destruct quickly these components, other are more gentle...
According to that, it is easily to upshift than to downshift (because the engine will deacrease rpm easier than increasing).
Race gearbox need to put a throttle input to help downshifting and to lift a bit the throttle when upshifting. (the new BMW FB02 is well simulated for upshifting but I found the downshifting too easy, but perhaps the low inetia of the car helps. Scawen having tried this car, I think downshifting works like that on this car, but I'm sceptic ?)
On some "rare" race cars (WRC, F1, ...), the throttle is electronically controlled on downshifting permitting to engage the gear without clutch or a blow of throttle.
And on some more common race cars (generally cars with sequential gearbox), the ignition is cut when upshifting permitting also to engage it easily.
In conclusion :
- I think upshifting with sequential gearbox cars (sequential on race car is every time "dog engagement gearbox") is well simulated in LFS X30, not downshifting.
- Road cars must use synchro gearbox with use of clutch at every shifting.
- For the UF/XF GTR, I think the best is using a dog gearbox with H-pattern.
I hope it will be usefull and Scawen have time to read this long post, I'm avalaible for any question about that (or anything else about racecar design, I've a good knowledge about that)...
PS : excuse me for my English...