Tecmotion Coupe Ride Along

[Matthew]

I've been going through my 2009 video and realized that I had not posted any of the in car video that I shot at Mega Ford Weekend this year. If you've ever wondered what it is like to ride in a 9 second stick shift car, take a look at this:

http://www.tecmotion.ca/images/mfw_q...ealong_web.wmv

-Matthew

[TheAnnihilator]

Awesome video. Just have a couple of questions about the tranny/shifting. You say stick shift, do you have a clutch? looks like 4 gears correct? and how does the shifting work?

[ronburgundy]

lenco tranny, plantary gearsets like an auto. all he's doing is moving clutches and /or bands just like your auto.

[Arbour88]

Very cool Matthew!

Great video! It felt like I was riding in the back seat with you.

John

[kaisoboy]

Very cool Matt. felt like i was riding along with yah.

[shakes]

man that was an awesome vid... thanks for posting

[TheAnnihilator]

Originally Posted by ronburgundy

lenco tranny, plantary gearsets like an auto. all he's doing is moving clutches and /or bands just like your auto.

Thank you, just went to site and read up on how it works. Very neat design.

[Sonic40]

Great video. Like ridin' in the rear seat. Thanks for posting.

[MaDCaP]

Great vid, good for those who haven't been to a track before. That's a nice launch, 1-2 looks like fun!

my daughter loved it, she was following as I explained the steps in the run, and a big WOW! Fast! That looks like fun...can we do it in the blue car? hehe

[Darren5.0L]

That's a great video Matthew! has it made it's way to youtube yet?

[Matthew]

Originally Posted by TheAnnihilator

Awesome video. Just have a couple of questions about the tranny/shifting. You say stick shift, do you have a clutch? looks like 4 gears correct? and how does the shifting work?

I've been busy all day and it looks like you found your answer on your own. Briefly though, the car uses a slipper style clutch - a McLeod Soft-Lok - and a Lenco ST1200 four speed. The Lenco is essentially a stack of two speed powerglides, with three cases for four gears. You use the clutch to launch the car, then you just keep your right foot planted and shift each case without the clutch. There is a seperate shifter for each case, and you start out with all three cases in underdrive, then at each shift you put a case into direct drive. When you have pulled all the shifters, the entire transmission is in direct, which is fourth gear. This combination offers very fast shifting similar to an automatic, but without the losses associated with a torque converter.

The shift pressure on each case can be adjusted individually, so if you find that you are always blowing the tires off on the 1-2 shift but the rest are OK, you can soften just that shift. The Soft-Lok clutch has adjustable base pressure and adjustable centrifugal pressure advance, so you can dial in the amount of clutch slippage out of the hole that you want and the total pressure. Softening the clutch softens each shift on the transmission too because the clutch slips a little bit at each shift. The whole system allows you to make adjustments that keep you on the edge of traction without breaking loose (theoretically anyway!).

A couple of key advantages that the Lenco has over other racey clutchless standard transmissions (like the Liberty Equalizer for example) is that you can pedal the car without having it come out of gear, and you can downshift. This makes the transmission very streetable, and allows you to avoid situations where you try to drive through a bad spot without lifting. If you ever wondered why NHRA Pro-Stock drivers abort the run whenever they have to get out of the throttle, it's because the Liberty Equalizers they use come out of gear and can't be pedalled.

The comparative downside of the Lenco is that it is pretty heavy, and has quite a bit more parasitic loss than an Equalizer or even a faceplated TKO.

The car is a riot to drive, and a heck of a lot more fun than an automatic in my opinion! I'm glad you guys are enjoying the video. I think the in-car perspective adds a dimension that you just don't get from an outside view. If you are interested, there are lots more videos of the car at www.tecmotion.ca/race.htm

-Matthew

[Sweet '83]

Nice video Matthew! It was fun going along for the ride in your coupe..

When you were upshifting and downshifting, it was like you were saying "Take that bitch" with your hands...lol

I know when Im driving mine that's what going through my mind when Im shifting

[Mark]

Thanks for sharing that. That's awesome!

[347BLKCAT]

Really glad we finally made it out to Mission to watch all the action, especially good to see you in action. That in-car-vid is a blast! Congratulations again on your wins at Mission Matthew.

[JPAC]

Ah wow! That thing looks like a blast to drive. Nice work!!!