Hi, Thank you for the PM, and I apologise for taking a while to respond - I've been flat out with work, and away from the computer.
It's been quite a while since I've fired up LFS, and I have to confess I haven't come across the issue that's being discussed here driving the FO8, and I've never driven it as an FJR.
As such, my only real contribution to this discussion can be describing the shifting options in my RL car:
1) Accelerating, as the shift point is reached, rapidly lift throttle a small percentage (somewhere around 20%) at the same time, pull the shifter rearwards. Next gear is engaged and throttle is quickly returned to 100%.
2) Accelerating, preloading the shifter with a moderate rearwards force, the engine hits the rev limiter, and this allows the shifter movement to be completed. Throttle remains at 100% throughout.
3) Accelerating, press the clutch (even a small amount), (throttle position is determined by how kind you are to your engine - you could leave it flat - bouncing off limiter, or lift the throttle a little - similar to 1)), and pull the shifter rearwards. Allow the clutch out, and resume 100% throttle.
4) Install a shift cut system, which senses (either through force applied to shifter, or a switch against the shifting mechanism) when you pull the shifter and automatically cuts the ignition for a very brief moment (I have the recommended duration in documents somewhere), effectively having the same result as manually lifting the throttle in 1). This allows you to keep the throttle at 100%, and achieve repeatable, minimum duration shifts.
In each case, the requirement to achieve a successful shift is to unload the drive dogs (these lock the selected gear to the output shaft in the gearbox) to allow them to be moved to deselect the current gear, and engage the next gear. The mechanism for unloading the drive dogs is the key difference between each method.
In the case where you are manually unloading the dogs (by lifting the throttle) the amount is not usually too precise a thing - anything above about 15% should get the job done (obviously depending on the linkage etc), using more just means a slightly slower shift.
What is more important is the timing/sequencing of the movements. It's basically simultaneous, but if the shifter is pulled too early, it probably won't go anywhere, and if pulled too late you may get it out of gear (into a kind of false neutral) but struggle to get it into the next one (if you've already put your foot back down on the throttle).
I can't speak for a Formula BMW, but as I said, in the various cars that I have raced, this technique works.
There is essentially zero temperature implication for the clutch. The only thing that may be affected is wear/damage on the gear dogs, but these can be just as easily damaged when shifting using the alternative methods of: shifting with the clutch in, or lifting the throttle to unload the dogs, or using an electronic shift cut.
The only reason (for me) against using it all the time in real life is that running against the rev limiter is detrimental to the engine in the long term, and the least time spent doing it, the longer your engine will last.
I just tried the new patch last night, and was quite impressed with the changes. I particularly like the improved realism in shifting, and the FBM is a nice car to have some fun in.
I had a quick look through the Improvement Suggestions to see if this may have already been mentioned, but couldn't find it anywhere, so here goes:
I race (and have raced) a number of sequential gearbox racecars - a F3000, a Mondeo Super Tourer and a Ford Mustang. In each car the 'normal' shifting method is the same, and closely approximates how it works now with Patch Y. However, if you happen to be going for a fast lap or need to use it for whatever reason, there is an 'alternate' method:
As the engine approaches the rev limit, pre load the shifter in preparation for the next shift. As the engine reaches the rev limit, the reduction in engine power from the limiter is enough to allow the gearbox to shift into the next gear (effectively taking the place of either the slight lift of the throttle, or an electronic 'shift-cut'). This is quite an effective (but possibly less well known) method of shifting, and I will sometimes use it for a qualifying lap or similar.
I understand Scawen based most of the gearbox updates on his test session in a FBM - the method I've described above may not be approved by the team he was working with, or they just may not have mentioned it to him (we tend not to mention it to guests driving our cars as it has a greater potential for problems to arise).
I would imagine this could be a reasonably easy thing to implement, and would bring LFS another small increment forwards in the excellent realism it already has.
The wheel sold within 10 minutes of listing on eBay. The buyer chose to "Buy It Now" at £55 (plus £10 P&P). I mention it just to provide an idea of ballpark prices for anyone interested.
If there are any mods around, please feel free to lock or delete this thread as appropriate. Thank you.
If nobody from here is interested, I'll put the wheel on ebay.
If you're interested at this price (or want to make an offer), please let me know by tomorrow - I wanted to offer it up to the LFS guys first as is seems to be a (generally) good community.
As far as I'm aware, the kerbs DO constitute part of the track.
Every drivers briefing I've ever been to in the last ten years has indicated that driving on the kerbs is fine, driving on the far side of the kerbs is NOT.
I'm working on these renders for an article I'm writing for the website (and a couple of others) on the use of racing simulations as preparation for racing.