There are life lessons aplenty in Vin Diesel’s Fast & Furious franchise.

Winning’s winning, whether by an inch or a mile; nothing matters more than family; life must be lived a quarter of a mile at a time.

Yet there’s no escaping that the franchise is about cars. New ones and old ones; fast ones and almost supersonic ones. From the kind of thing you can readily find at T W White & Sons to something you’d need serious inside information to track down.

During the seven movies released so far, pretty much everything that ever drank petrol has rolled across the screen at some point. And as such, we’ve learned some big takeaway points about driving. Such as…

 

1. Changing gear always, always increases speed

No matter which part of the speedometer the needle sits in, when Vin wants to go faster, he crushes the accelerator a little harder and changes gear. The result is an instant speed boost, as if his car had just been launched from an aircraft carrier.

In these movies, he’s not so much changing gear as engaging an afterburner. And when that fails to see off a rival, there’s always the Nitrous Oxide Systems (NOS) button.

 

2. And every car has a 17-speed gearbox

Overtaking always seems to require an upshift rather than the more expected opposite. Lengthy car chases generally see dozens of upshifts in a row, with perhaps two or three downshifts, no matter how bendy the roads or thick the oncoming traffic.

And kicking the car into reverse and spinning it round to outfox pursuers causes no noticeable speed loss.

 

3. Car performance is no match for sheer teeth-gritting guts

A weighty American muscle car with the turning circle of an oil tanker performs surprisingly well against far more nimble rivals through twisting streets, at least when Vin is behind the wheel.

Because a tight white vest and bespoke leather driving gloves are just the edge one needs when the car in front is a Japanese GT with the downforce of an F1 car.

 

4. When selecting suspension kits, choose titanium

Screaming over the brow of a hill and slamming into the road in a cloud of sparks and tyre smoke has no impact on suspension – Vin can get back on the gas (and NOS) and the suspension, bizarrely, won’t buckle like a new-born foal’s legs.

Clearly, his car’s innards have been re-enforced by the same compound that makes Wolverine’s skeleton unbreakable.

 

5. No time for ten to two

In the high-speed, high-pressure world of international, illegal street racing, driving conventions don’t apply. All corners should be taken sideways, preferably with half a dozen blue flashing lights on your tail, while your rear wheels should always be smoking well before the traffic lights turn green.

And when it comes to holding the steering wheel, place one hand at the top of the wheel and the other securely around a walkie-talkie – or on the outer roof of the car.

 

[This is a sponsored post.]