Although daunting for some, using the clutch is a quick-ish way of gaining time without hours of setup work.
When I first starting playing FM3 I couldn't use the clutch but Wayne helpfully told me that I could change the buttons around to make it easier (from LB to A). With the clutch assigned to LB, I was always getting cofuffled and ended up locking my brakes or changing down too many times and locking up that way. Once I switched it to A button it took me about 10 minutes to get the hang of it without any real issues (using X to change down gear and B to change up). This setup allows me to press the clutch and the gear up/down at the same time and wastes no time change gear. One important thing to remember, is to let off the accelerator for just as long as it takes to change gear, so you limit the risk of blowing your gearbox and engine.
As a quick example:
Chris' Civic '04 setup can get me around a second faster using the clutch than without. Lower classes have a bigger gain through using the clutch over something like the DTM cars.
Mastering using the clutch is relatively easy with a little practice, and the benefits are huge. Setting up the gears will also get easier as you'll develop a much more precise idea of when the perfect time to change gear is. Another little bonus is not having to upgrade your clutch and using the PI points saved to upgrade something else like tyre width or possibly a small increase in HP.
This is just the way I do it. I know Chris uses the right stick and Karl uses another way for his wheel, but hopefully some of you can start moving up the field a little bit and improving your leaderboards!
When I first starting playing FM3 I couldn't use the clutch but Wayne helpfully told me that I could change the buttons around to make it easier (from LB to A). With the clutch assigned to LB, I was always getting cofuffled and ended up locking my brakes or changing down too many times and locking up that way. Once I switched it to A button it took me about 10 minutes to get the hang of it without any real issues (using X to change down gear and B to change up). This setup allows me to press the clutch and the gear up/down at the same time and wastes no time change gear. One important thing to remember, is to let off the accelerator for just as long as it takes to change gear, so you limit the risk of blowing your gearbox and engine.
As a quick example:
Chris' Civic '04 setup can get me around a second faster using the clutch than without. Lower classes have a bigger gain through using the clutch over something like the DTM cars.
Mastering using the clutch is relatively easy with a little practice, and the benefits are huge. Setting up the gears will also get easier as you'll develop a much more precise idea of when the perfect time to change gear is. Another little bonus is not having to upgrade your clutch and using the PI points saved to upgrade something else like tyre width or possibly a small increase in HP.
This is just the way I do it. I know Chris uses the right stick and Karl uses another way for his wheel, but hopefully some of you can start moving up the field a little bit and improving your leaderboards!
