What Is Power Shifting? (And Why It's A Bad Idea) 

The whiteboard is back!!! And bigger and greater than ever as many have requested! I’ve been moving offices so it was taking a bit of a break, and I still have some lighting tweaks to make, but overall I’m stoked about the full-background whiteboard. What do y’all think?! Hope everyone’s having a wonderful day!

Dude we all know it’s a Hyundai... no need to tape the logo!

This is a great technique if you're a 1970s F1 driver who gets a new trans after every race

So many shifts... I think I'm watching fast & furious lol

My way of looking at it is, power shifting results shock loading some point in your drive train. Shock loading = things breaking

2:36 - Thank god you censored the Honda logo on your S2000! It will really stop people from being able to identify your S2000!... I mean.... Uhh....... your CAR.

People who do power shifting are on the other end from those who do heel and toe.

Did this in my old C5 corvette with TC/SC off - put it sideways in going to 2nd gear. It was a great intro to power shifting and I learned not to do it again.

If you cram the shifter hard enough nothing matters! My R32 has a tune option for NLS. Cool idea, but not something I have, or need. LOL Also I forgot my Last Pass password.

50% comments = you covered the Honda logo on the steering wheel. Cool, nice new way to generate interest on your video!

My friend power shifted his Mustang all the time and now he complains that the clutch is out and he won't pay the money to fix it because it's his dad's car so it has just sat there in his yard for a year and a half. XD

Love the old white board you explain everything so easily to understand nic11 Jason

You covered the steering wheel logo, but not "S2000" on the floor mats.

I really wish there were a few more shots of shifting from 1st to 2nd. I still didn´t quite catch it :D :D :D

"Granny shifting, not double clutching like you should"...😀😀

This video explains why I was so hard on my manual transmission vehicles. I was not very 'coordinated' when it came to shifting...sometimes I would over rev the engine and sometimes under rev the engine thereby causing more wear and tear on my clutch and having to replace it WAAAAY too soon.

Back when I drag raced my Evo IX, I powershifted all the time. But I had a no lift to shift patch added to the factory ecu. Once you touched the clutch pedal, the upper switch would activate and the rpm would drop a designated amount(operator set - normally about 1500 rpm). Then it would go into antilag creating boost. If your timing on shifting was good, you dropped the clutch at the same time as the antilag and you get close to full boost. The advantage of it was that it allowed a slow down of the drivetrain which help synchro of trans reducing the impact force.

How to blow your clutch in 5 easy steps.

I was thinking of going full LastPass, nice to see someone like you backs it as well. Also, awesome vid as usual!

I'm 39, been driving stick since I was in my late teens, and didn't know people did this.

I'm fairly certain it was originally used in F1 (first by Gilles Villneuve I believe) so it makes sense that it would be brutal for the clutch/transmission. The Ferrari had brutal turbo lag at the beginning of 80s in F1 so the reasons for why they would powershift also makes sense.

This is why I have a WOT Box. I no lift shift all of the time when racing. At WOT, once I hit the clutch it cuts ignition for 150ms to unload the engine while I shift and I don't have to lose boost between gears. It actually goes into gear easier than shifting normally. Now, if I ever misshift I'm pretty boned..

This sheds some light on what irreparable damage most likely incurred to my first 5spd transmission. There was lots of experimenting and learning done with that car. RIP mighty Saturn.

You are awesome man, I remember watching your videos in my teens, learned so much from your videos since, reliable information genuine passion to teach, keep it up 👍🏻👌🏼

Why did you cover honda logo in steering wheel?

my driving instructor told me off for doing this on one of my lessons (I've never driven an automatic). I've been driving for years now though and I only ever keep my foot on the throttle when downshifting and all of my shifts are rev matched to reduce mechanical wear as much as possible and it also gives an incredibly smooth driving experience. I've also noticed that there's a bit of throttle loiter so I generally lift off for a split second before engaging the clutch so the intake manifold pressure has time to drop and the revs will instantly start to drop when you press the clutch instead of having to wait that extra time while having the clutch is pressed in. If you do it correctly you feel no engine breaking because the clutch target is when the engine is just passing into the neutral power point (I like to think of my engines power production as "Negative, Neutral, Positive") and as I re-engage the clutch I press the throttle so the engine re-engages rev matched to the gear and back at a neutral power point. I find this technique is extremely smooth and you can barely feel the change in gears.

Love the video. Keep it up. I know you talked just a little bit about factory vehicles with no lift ship at the end but I would love to see a whole video on just that topic. The way Porsche does it with their new 911 is super interesting but there’s just not enough content about it out there.

Unlike other car youtubers, i swear to god you deserve a gold metal for all you videos. Thank you.👍

Jason, what you talked about today on the transmission and synchronizers reminds me, would you talk about floating gears (shifting w/o clutch, matching engine speed)? I know it mainly used in big trucks as an alternative to double clutching, but have had to do it personally when slave cylinder on my (diesel, lower RPM) truck went out

Why did You cover that MOMO logo on the steering wheel with gray tape?

I found this very helpful to learning manual transmissions, as a car enthusiast who has owned two 300+hp automatic vehicles in their 5 years of driving while barely grasping the real world (when you’re actually DRIVING one) experience/knowledge of how manual cars throttle works (vs being explained the concept or using video games). Needs an addition to title “and manual trans engineering explained” lol. As always, solid video! 👍🏼👍🏼

I'm curious to know what happens when you downshift without depressing the accelerator, both in a manual and automatic transmission. If you shift down in an automatic while maintaining the same road speed, is that hard on the transmission, both with or without the accelerator pressed?

i have a 1.0 2000 VW Polo with 50hp and power shifting is kind of essential for any kind of acceleration lol, im not worried about gearbox or clutch as both are rated for more than double what im putting through it.

Jason, can you do an episode on clutchless shifting, and how it works internally (within the transmission)? Thanks!

I loved everything about this video. Great detail, lots of immediately useful info.

Great presentation and explanation!! Subbed!

I've seen you use this road a few times, are you from Boise? Great video, thanks!

Cobb acessports allow you to set an rpm at which the engine bounces at when power shifting. This way you can rev up to 7200 rpm and setting the rpm to 6700 rpm it’ll drop and bounce at 6700 and when you shift the rpm drops to 65-6600 rpm. This makes a big difference in boost in turbocharged engines especially for cars with large turbos. When I do not power shift the boost drops 10-15 psi and with a large turbo takes a bit for it to spool back up. Na cars probably should not be power shifting but in turbocharged cars with large turbos it is almost vital to do so.

Aftermarket fuel management systems, such as the Holley Dominator system, allow you to connect one of their inputs to a clutch switch, and allow you to program it so that you can hold the gas to the floor, and when you depress the clutch, it cuts off fuel until you release the clutch pedal. This is intended to obtain faster shifts, but it also has the added benefits that there is less risk of damage from over-rev, and it allows the engine revs to come down for the next gear. Edit - I wrote this before I got to the part of the video where you talked about this LOL

Hey Jason, quick question. In a DSG or a newer AT car, what does the ECU do when shifting that we can hear the "Prrrrr" sound coming from the exhaust? It's more noticeable when you are under heavy acceleration.

Small correction, the key used in the encryption is 256 bits long, not 256 digits. 2^256 vs 10^256, that's a big difference lol

I'm impressed he didn't pull out transmission and clutch . . .

Great tutorial! Can I floor my 6 spd auto-stick (manual mode of automatic) and up-shift quickly so as not to run into excessive revs as a way to safely and effectively utilize the DSC (Driver Shift Control) to maximize acceleration? Or is that a bad thing to do too? I also hear if you make it up to 4th in DSC, then come to a stop letting it automatically downshift (as it does) that upon driving forward again you will not have to upshift again as it will automatically shift from 1st thru to 4th. You will need to resume upshifting manually again to change to 5th and 6th. Wondering also if there is a chart somewhere that gives recommended RPM's for each passage of gear when you're in auto-stick mode? I drive a 2015 Buick Verano base. Thanks!

Maan, my knowledge and enthusiasm for cars have sky rocketed

Fun fact: The Chevy Cobalt SS came from the factory with no-lift shift. Probably one of the cheapest cars to ever have it stock.

Yooo liking that whiteboard tho 👀

Do you do other topics other than cars? I ask this seriously as the name of this channel is engineering explained which is way more than just cars. None the less, you do a good job explaining these topics.

Love your channel. Can you do a video on clutchless shifting?

But Jason, why did you tape over the Honda badge on the steering wheel of your S2000?

I don't power shift, but maybe I should stop fast shifting and stressing out my synchro. Thanks for pointing that out :D

Great content as always dude! Can you do a video about floating gears in a car?

He has a very strong friendly trusting relationship with his Car, when he start getting excited and really deep into explaining stuff, his Car knows he will do emotionally gestures and kindly does the steering for him.

This is the kind of video that makes me to regret a lot of mistakes I've done while learning how to correctly drive. Thank you!

why honda badge on steering wheel gumtaped?

You had a good opportunity to mention dogbox transmissions in this video, it's kind of on topic when talking about clutchless shifting

"I didn't know what that meant at first, so I went down a long rabbit hole and learned about encryption." Jason, this is why I like you. It's that kind of mind that we need more of in this world. Be curious about EVERYTHING! And take advantage of our entire history's worth of knowledge right at your finger tips and often free of charge.

This all depends on how your engine and your transmission ratios align. My toy will idle at 25mph in 5th. To get smooth shifts during light acceleration I have to half throttle every shift. It's all about rev matching.

Hey Jason, I'd love to see a video on modern manual transmissions/clutches. Mainly around delay valves/rev hang and what can be done to combat it ? I love your channel and an explanation from you on getting around this problem with modern manuals would help a ton! Cheers

One of your older videos, but great info! Thank you so much.......nice s2000!😊

Is it a problem if I use this technic of powershifting, but when I DOWNSHIFT ? To keep the foot on the gas pedal when I pass from 3rd to 2nd gear to match the engine with the proper gear ?

Lol @ the duct tape over the honda emblem on the steering wheel

great explanation... in the ~20 years I drove a manual as a daily driver, I never could make myself powershift... always took foot off the gas for a brief moment while I shifted. Now after seeing your video I'm glad I did!

Dang, it is so weird for me to watch a video and recognize the landscape haha. "I know where that is!" Awesome video!

Based on this video, am I right to assume that clutch less shifting, while rev matching should create no more wear on your synchro rings than normal shifting?

could you make a video about sequential gearboxes?

Could you explain a 'dogbox' transmission?

Hahaha I love this video... Now your my first reference to any "racecar" driver I see doing this. Now you just need to do this for CVT transmissions and why people should leave the manual shifting lever alone, it's not a formula racing gearbox after all :) Keep up the good work. Also a side note I hope people realize is the biggest flaw of this besides extra drivetrain wear is linkage and shifter assembly wear. (Yeah I know most are fortunate to have hydraulic slave and cable linkages but still this applies somewhat)

1:42 You taped up the logo on steering wheel, but I can see the floor mat with "S2000"

Isn’t the power shifting without a clutch going to just break the selector fork apart? Especially if you’re dealing with high torque engines like Dodge 440 or Chevy LS?

I tried this last night just to see how it was. Bad smell for about a mile. Won't do it again without a no lift kit or tune

Local Boise fella here. Thanks for the quality content!! I see you around town all the time and just saw you jay walking across Broadway. “Engineering Explained!!”

When I would power shift my Mean Mont, my foot never ever push on the clutch. I may have let off the gas a little sometimes. But if I missed the shift, then I had to press the clutch in

Why is there tape on your steering wheel though?

2 Million subscribers coming up!!!

Worth noting that while in a small displacement engine or an engine with a very lightweight rotating mass it doesn't give much of a boost in acceleration, but in a large displacement engine with a heavier rotating mass can result in a a slight wheelstand even when going into 3rd or 4th gear. It still is hell on your transmission, but a pro tip, if your transmission has spur gears it's easier to do without the clutch and the trans will tolerate it a lot better

lastpass workd well. i have been using it for years now :P can approve

Starts at 1:30

S2000 on floor mat. Censored Honda logo on steering wheel 😂

Why do you cover the steering wheel Honda symbol?

If possible I would like to see a video on "floating through the gears". How it's done, why it's done, and why it may be good or bad.

Wow, this is the first time I heard that someone actually does this. I thought it was one of the things they beat out of you in driving school.

*laughs in automatic*

Can you please do a video on the effects of grinding gears and how it works in a manual transmission? Thanks

Thank you for a great video! Further reasons why pretending to drive F&F on the street is still a stupid idea... 😂 I’ll continue to use my clutch properly, as has been explained on here, for all those lovely mechanical reasons. And my Tremec will last considerably longer for it. Still plenty of fun to bury the throttle on an LS3, no clutch abuse needed. 😁 Digging the full backdrop whiteboard! More room for dry-erase vehicular nerddom. 👍

You haven't drag raced!

I just run antilag on my subaru, maintains boost and doesn't destroy my "glass" 5 speed gearbox

Great job dude.

This is my favorite video of yours recently...yay for Whiteboard and S2000!

I've taken network security at the college level. Most of the password managers out there are just garbage, cryptographically speaking. I use LastPass as my own password manager. It even has good export and backup features. You picked the right product to promote :-)

I don't see any reason why you would do this, if you're that desperate to keep your turbo on boost us an antilag system, great video as always

Great explanation! Just curious though why is the Honda Logo on the steering wheel taped off? Its your S2000 right?

Why did you cover up the "H" on your wheel? I'm assuming the featured vehicle was the 2000. Just curious.

You could maybe leave your foot on the gas when you’re downshifting. Let’s say you’re in 6th at 30mph. You need power and want it quickly. I do it only downshifting to overtake cars not when up shifting tbh.

Video starts at 1:21

Can you please do a video on the wear while using the “Manual” shifting on an automatic transmission. Like normal non performance cars and also on ones that are made to do that like the corvettes that have the paddle shifters

Good information. Thanks.

6:09 *laughs in civic*

Ok so bottom line is: clutch kicking is bad Ye, so is putting stress on any other part of the car which happens alot in motorsport. Ye it's not good to powershift your way to work in your commuter just like it's not good to pull sick 10 feet jumps or even reving the engine over 2.5k But on a drag strip when you're trying to shave off split seconds, wear and tear is the least concerning aspect.

Hi. Great video, thanks. Can you also make a video why shifting without a clutch is bad. I mean with lifting, when you not forcing but slightly pushing into gear and wait when speed matched.

Excellent job. Thanks.