Is there any add-on for LFS that lets the driver have the red line indicator (the red light - indicator to shift up) on the center of the screen?

I say this because sometimes I fail the curves because I'm distrated looking for the lower left corner to know when to shift...

hehe...

No mod I know of, sorry

But you should learn how-to shift without even looking for the shift light.

Basically, learn the sound of the car when it reaches high RPM, and you should get used to it. Also, if you want to glance at your RPM guage when you are going to shift, just remember the RPM's the car typically shifts at. So if you want to shift in the XF GTi, it is usually around 7,500 RPM if I remember correctly.

Well, if you have a Logitech MOMO wheel, there is a little program by Kegetys that has an option to make the lights on your wheel flash when you need to shift up:
http://www.lfsforum.net/showthread.php?t=7806

Quote from Tweaker :

No mod I know of, sorry

But you should learn how-to shift without even looking for the shift light.

Basically, learn the sound of the car when it reaches high RPM, and you should get used to it. Also, if you want to glance at your RPM guage when you are going to shift, just remember the RPM's the car typically shifts at. So if you want to shift in the XF GTi, it is usually around 7,500 RPM if I remember correctly.

I say follow Tweaks advice, to me there are too many things happening visually for me to take time to watch light, for me it's easier to learn the RPM sound for when you want to shift, this will allow you to be able to concentrate more on brake, turning, and accel points. (it does take practice, but once learned it will make your times faster)

( I find it's faster to shift just before the RPM light so by the time it's on your over revving anyways...)

Good question, since I have sometimes same problem...

But unfortunately I can't play with sound on (parents).
Would it be hard to make such a mod ?

gianni: headphones?

does it hurt to redline the gear a bit anyway? sometimes when i corner i wont change till ive straightened up and sometimes itll stay in the red a little longer than normal, but its still accelerating right and got good revs

You always have the best accelleration when you change a split second after the red light pops up.

Quote from richy :

does it hurt to redline the gear a bit anyway? sometimes when i corner i wont change till ive straightened up and sometimes itll stay in the red a little longer than normal, but its still accelerating right and got good revs

depends on your gearing too, I go to 8 grand in the XRR in second gear so I have better gearing options later on, this also gives me more leeway on the slow corners in entry speed.

Try going on the drag strip, my best times were always when I shifted before the light...

Hey traxxion, that MOMO light thing works just fine.

GianniC, If you have a MOMO, go for it.

Thanks a lot guys!

Have fun.

Quote from eRaptor :

GianniC, If you have a MOMO, go for it.

He has a keyboard.

viper: it takes you time to react to seeing the light pop up, so when you shift 'at' the light, you're really shifting after the light, i.e., after the ideal time to shift. Only by a split second (most people's reaction time when they're not doing anything else is in the 0.1 to 0.3 second range, when you're busy driving maybe it's a bit longer), but that matters for drag...

Don't forget that the red light doesn't factor in the shifting time, where you're losing a bit of speed again. So the longer the currently raced car needs for a shift, the more you have to "overdrive" the gear to make up for the speed loss.

So much for the theory, in racing it's completely irrelevant, though.

I would have thought that all these were compensated for when they designed the cars. Either way you cannot really figure proper shift points until we see the engine torque/power curves.

(I still find my fastest times when I shift before the shift light, in any car)

Erm... LFS calculates the ideal shift point from the curves. It makes constant calculations of how much power you'd have in next gear, and as soon as that is bigger than the power available in current gear the red light flashes up.

Which is the EXACT moment to shift, every millisecond before and afterwards is a loss in time and/or power...

hmmm maybey keygetys with his dx "hacks" which he used for the ghostmod and his knowledge about outgauge could code something like this

So, like I said shifting before the light is the best time to shift. Because it takes time to react to the light.

Never knew LFS did that, cool =) I knew the light changed RPM but never really thought about it

I recall Scawen saying somewhere (might even been on RSC), that the ideal shift is indeed very shortly after the red light flashes up, because of the reasons I already stated. In anything but dragracing it's a complete waste of time to think about that, though.

Quote from AndroidXP :

I recall Scawen saying somewhere (might even been on RSC), that the ideal shift is indeed very shortly after the red light flashes up, because of the reasons I already stated. In anything but dragracing it's a complete waste of time to think about that, though.

LOL I agree

Quote from AndroidXP :

I recall Scawen saying somewhere (might even been on RSC), that the ideal shift is indeed very shortly after the red light flashes up, because of the reasons I already stated. In anything but dragracing it's a complete waste of time to think about that, though.

Actually, I could only get Pro in the MRT Acceleration Lesson when I shifted in about the same moment (maybe a bit before) as the light flashed up... Every other technique was too slow...

wait.. did you actualy complete those trainning missions?! i went straight to a race in SP with the AI, honing my skills there!