Making a turn from stop, how/which gear?

Curious as to different techniques for taking a corner from stop ... run out of top end in 1st gear, but obviously don't shift to second in the turn. Currently I just hold it in 1st gear and once through the turn shift into second ... any other suggestions?

I am not sure I fully understand by I shift to 2nd before I have completed the turn usually. But, I will stay in 1st if I am going to nail it on a straight.

I stay in first gear all the way through the turn, saving the last few rpms for once I'm through the corner, and once through the corner nail it through the rest of first and then into second ... but could go faster through the turn if I had more legs in first gear.

I believe the proper way to turn is to stay in 1st completely through turn. When I first began driving stick, I would shift right after apex on a long turn from stop sign/light. I asked race car driver, Vic Elford, about it, and he said through a turn to stay in gear you began it in.

Are we talking racing or street?

I assumed he was talking street because of the "stop", on a track one doesn't completely stop before a turn? At least not at the races/tracks I have been to. But isn't principle basically the same anyway? It really comes down to the load on the tires.

As a general rule, keep it in the same gear you started the corner with to keep from upsetting the car. Lets talk autocross, since I don't like street racing. From a dead stop or almost dead stop and in first gear, what I like to do is start the corner slow and end it fast. At turn in, I basically just crawl, then progressively feed the gas. I go to WOT just before or at the apex. I like this technique better than holding the max rpm around the whole corner. Although both techniques have the same exit speed, your acceleration rate just before you shift to second is higher with the former. Your resultant top speed at the end of the straight just before the next corner will therefore be faster.

Thanks guys. I was talking street, but certainly not racing ... out my way there are a few spots where it will be just me at the intersection, so just enjoying the car around the turn. It does seem like the car can comfortably carry more speed around long corners but would need 2nd gear .... so I essentially do what Palting recommends.

The logic behind "no shifting in the corners" is because the weight transfer of the shift (clutch in, weight goes to the front wheels, select new gear, clutch out, weight goes to the back wheels) upsets the balance of the car - which is important for maximum cornering grip. However, if you are well under the maximum grip, then the tires can accommodate the unbalanced act of shifting gears. You may be able to shift into 2nd gear while in the early part of the corner (because you're going slower, you aren't cornering to the car's maximum ability), and then come out of the corner faster in 2nd. You may also be able to modify your line through the corner so you can make a "mini-straight" where you can do your shift, get back on the gas, then resume the arc or the corner. The easy answer is to play around a little bit and feel what the car is doing as the weight transfers from side to side and from front to back. If you're cornering under the limit, try an upshift, see how it feels. Obviously, don't try this if you're at the cornering limit, and don't do it abruptly the first few times. But with some trial and error, you should be able to find out was works best to give you the best results (whether that's exit speed, car feel, sound of the exhaust, spinning tires, or whatever). Drive fast! Take chances!