Quick kill on the way home from Work (E46 325i v 240SX)

Today on the way home from work, Im pulling onto the highway, and a kid (I cant really say kid, Im only 19 meself) in a 240sx (late model) shoots past me at about 80. I click the stick over to sport, then upshift into fourth to catch up. I look over, and he looks back at me and gives me 'the nod'.

I hold downshift to third, and I honk, and he honks back. I look out infront of us, and the highway is pretty empty. I honk again, and we both punch it. I pull ahead early, and at about 6500 rpm, I click into fourth, and pull ahead by a length. Hes holding with me pretty well, and at 6,000, I upshift again into fifth, and pull ahead by about half a length. By now, I'm doing maybe 110, 115, and he flashes his headlights at me, and I pull off. I slow down so that were side by side, and we give each other the thumbs up. I woulda stayed with him longer for another run, but I had to exit.

Hope I see him again tommorow.

sounds like fun. i must comment; I have never heard about a race starting the way you mentioned. trading honks? thats new to me. good job, you have the upper hand.

That steptronic is fun stuff. I guess the honk thing is kinda local, its always the way Ive started on the highway. I challenge, he accepts, I say go, kinda thing. It was a good race, and I'm hoping to get another one so I can really open my car up.

Good kill. Got any pics of your?

i have yet to drive a steptronic or paddle shift car... i think it looks kinda cool. i'll bet the shifts are faster too without the clutch.

I love shift-tronic, the principle of it is a great idea. No more having to learn your clutch, just tap and go!

In reference to your question eclipsefan98 i don't know if it's much faster, it's been a while since i drove one...it's quick, but it's not instant, just like regular manual shifting. You still have to alow time for the clutch to engage, the new gear to be put in, and all that jazz.

Basically, give you the automatic for lazy, tired mornings/evening, and the performance for playing or the driving you'd expect if you like the stick-shift feel.

It also gives you more consistant runs because there's less room for driver error as the clutch pedal isn't there.

With the 325, the steptronic is the greatest weapon it has. Dont have any pics yet, but as soon as I get my exhaust installed, I'll get some up. The car is a little quicker with the Steptronic, and I believe it gives you a better launch.

I know that in mags, any sort of clutchless semi-automatic tranny (or CVT for that matter) runs consistantly a little slower than their manual counterpart. This is largly due to the fact that most mags have guys that can do amazingly quick shifts in their employ, but stick is still the ultimate. Well, ok, paddle shifters with a clutch (F1 cars) and sequential shifters are the best, but for the normal guy making under $300k a year, you get my drift. Steptronics may well be more fun though. :D

Nice kill. Was he modded?

Dont think so. Didn't sound like he was.

the three honks is a pretty good way to start. i put my car into 3rd on the highway and wait till the other guy punches it and then run them down

My opinions on the different types of trannys:
Auto - Great for drag racing, especially with a turbocharged car. Let you stall and launch very consistently, so you can tune your stall speed so you're on the brink of losing traction on every run.. although outdoor conditions can hurt this concept. A well built auto can shift faster than a clutched manual, but HP loss through an auto is much greater.
Clutched Manual - by far the most fun. If you're good, you can keep up with a well built auto, maybe even get a bit of an edge. Auto wins in consistency though.
Tiptronic/steptronic/whatever... Basically an auto with a novel way of controlling shifts. Pretty much the same thing as an auto with a manual valve body, I think they're not quite as fun as the manual valve bodied normal auto. They're nice for a daily driver that has some power, so if you feel like driving, you have more control without the fuss of a clutch or stiffness of an auto shifter.
CVT - Right now, they're nothing special. They havent been able to cope with nearly enough power to mean anything to race car drivers. By far the most boring type of transmission. Not only can you not control shifts, there are no shifts at all! How very dull. However, once the design advances to the point where it can handle as much power as modern manuals and autos, they're going to be something to be feared. They'll keep your engine making peak HP through the entire run, AND no down time on shifts! Once that time comes, watch out. There are going to be some records broken. I imagine they will incredible for Indy/F1/Nascar as well, as you will be able to engine brake through the curves, and power out of the turns right at peak power. "Torque curve" will become meaningless. If you make 50hp at 7000rpm, 2000hp at 7500, and 50hp at 8000, who cares? You'll never stray from 7500. Engine builders will strive for peak efficiency, not efficiency across the powerband. Racing will change as we know it!
Clutchless manual - Currently the standard in high power drag racing. They do have a clutch to launch but after that they just slam through the gears clutchlessly. Provides the fastest shifts and minimal power loss.