The advanced version of our popular gear shift point optimisation calculator, this version includes the calculations you need for optimum gear ratio selection.
If you have freedom to change your transmission settings, how can you be sure you have selected the optimum gear ratios and final drive for the track you are racing at? How can you be certain they are the best ratios?
Circuits differ. Some have short straights and tight corners. Others have longer straights and more open corners. Does running the same settings at each track make sense? Or, if you changed your ratios, could you go faster?
What if you changed your racing cars aerodynamics? How might that affect your gear ratio choices? A high downforce, high drag setting will struggle with longer gearing. Equally you do not want to top out too early on the straight running a low downforce setting. What is the right compromise?
What you want is to know you've selected the best gear ratios and final drive for your racing car, given the track you are about to race on.
The basic version of this tool covers how to determine the best gear change RPM shift points. This advanced version takes things up another level.
With only a few additional inputs, you will be able to generate sets of optimised gear ratios that consider your unique racing car, the unique track and even some environmental factors (like air temperature!)
Choosing the best gear ratios for a track will, in practise, always be a compromise. However this professional grade engineering calculator will give you clear & objective recommendations based on the physics.
You can then refine the optimum to suit your practical needs. For example, ensuring gear changes are at sensible places around the track, or, evaluate the best set of real world gear cluster options available to you.
As with the basic tool you will still also get clear guidance on what the best gear change RPM should be in each gear for each the new gear ratio set you determine.
Better gearing is basically free lap time! The rest is then just down to your driver to make the most of it :)
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For a detailed walkthrough and to see this tool in action, watch the video at the top of this page (or at this link: https://youtu.be/p2KsW_1C-yA)
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Blog subscriber?
Try the same discount code as for the basic version :)
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You provide:
- Torque v RPM (from the rolling road)
- Gear ratios (up to 6)
- Final drive ratio
- Tyre size & Friction mu estimate
- Your racing cars: Frontal Area, Cd & Weight
- The track data: Height (if known), Air Temp (if known) and Velocity Profile (if known)
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You get:
- The detailed "How-to" video guide to quickly get you up to speed (see top.)
- Suggested optimum gear ratios (6 speeds) and final drive ratio for YOUR unique racing car at ANY track of your choosing.
- Know your racing cars true potential top speed and how it is effected when you reduce your racing cars aerodynamic drag.
- Quantify the impact of increasing tyre friction on your ratio selection.
- The precise gear shift RPM and speed for the fastest acceleration, optimised for every gear (no more guess work)
- A professional grade race engineering tool you can use to evaluate the effects of different gearing.
- Ability to maximise your tuning investments in Engine and Rolling Road.
- An advantage over any competitor who doesn't know their optimum gear shift points.
- Free lap-time!
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Fine print
* The tool is an Excel 2016 (onwards) macro-enabled workbook.
* You will need to "enable macros" when you open the file.