How to Decide On Your Very First Race Car (Part 1)
Once you've read our article on how to become an auto racer, it is a good idea to get background knowledge about the different types of cars you wish to drive. This article will discuss the difference between manual and automatic transmissions, petrol, diesel,
and other fuel engines, as well as front, rear, all, and four wheel drive cars.
So first up is deciding what type of racing you will be doing. For instance, drag racing relies mostly on efficient shifting, for which a high quality semi-automatic or manual gearbox is best, whereas autocross and rally are best with manual transmissions,
although racing in these is possible with an automatic vehicle. Drifting can be done with both manual and automatic transmissions but manuals are prefered.
So the most common question asked by novices is: what is the difference between automatic and manual transmission? First of all, both types have their advantages and disadvantages. Automatic transmissions are best for daily drivers. They require little to
no effort in driving, since the transmission changes gears by itself. All you have to do is press the gas or brake and steer. Almost all automatic vehicles also come with power steering, so it is very easy to drive and steer.
On the other hand, manual transmissions are a bit more difficult. They do not change gears by themselves, and require input from the driver to operate them correctly. The easiest way to check if a car is manual or automatic (auto) is to check the pedals
and gear shifter. A manual has three pedals. The one to the far right is the gas or accelerator. This controls the output of the engine. If you press hard, the engine will work harder and vice-versa. The center pedal is the brake, which, when pressed, applies
the brakes to the car to bring it to a stop. There are also different types of brakes as well, which will be discussed later. The pedal to the far left is the clutch. The clutch transfers the power of the engine to the wheels. An auto also has a clutch, but
it is automatic.
An auto has a different gear shifter than a manual. Instead of the gears listed, an auto shifter usually has six settings. On the top is “P.” The P stands for park. When you put the car in park, a little rod grips the gears, which keeps the car from rolling
if it is on a slope. It requires the car to move a bit to get the rod to lock into the parking mechanism, which is why your car rolls a bit when you put it in park and release the brakes.
Most people, when they put their car in park, also apply the parking brake. This is
not required, since the car’s gear is locked anyways and cannot roll. However, the parking brake can be used to keep the car from rolling back and forth a couple of inches that it does when park is applied.
Under P is “R.” R simply refers to reverse, which is one gear that will move your car backwards. Under R is “N” which stands for neutral. Neutral allows your car to roll freely and any inputs from the gas will not affect your speed, since the engine is now
separate from the wheels. Neutral is usually used when one stops at a light, which allows for quick shifting back into gear.
Under N is “D.” D stands for drive, which, simply, applies all forward gears when they are necessary. The car will start out in first gear and will keep it there as long as it is required. Now, in an auto, if you floor the gas pedal, the car will take the
first gear as far as it can before applying the second gear and then third and so on. If you press the pedal gently, the car will accelerate slowly and put the car into the next gear as soon as it is safe for the engine to do so. This means that your car will
not shift directly from first to fourth gear if you are driving slowly, since it is not good for the engine.
The next article will discuss the remaining information in this section, including the remaining automatic gears, manual transmission, petrol, diesel, hydrogen, and ethanol engines, as well as front, rear, four, and all wheel drive cars.
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