I have the rev-up engine. My question is when do I shift exactly? At 7K (start of red-line) or just before it?

Here are my thoughts:

1. Needle gets to 6.5K-6.9K RPMs
2. Foot off the gas
3. Clutch-in
4. Shift to higher gear
5. Clutch-out
6. FLOOR IT!

Just wondering since I haven't taken my car to redline yet....

Wondering what would be the safest? Would it be best to shift when there is peak torque instead? Does it even matter?

 

You will know when the car red lines because you will hit the rev limiter.

 

Peak wheel power is at redline in any given gear; engineered that way. So no lift to shift.

 

When you say no lift to shift, what are you not lifting?lol. When the clutch is in and its floored wont it redline and bounce off the rev limiter? explain this to me could you.

 

+1. Sounds like 350Zenophile is talking about power shifting. I know some people on the boards here do that. The thought of power shifting seems scary!

 

power shifting and "never lifting to ****ft" is when your approaching redline, you dont lift off throttle. you keep your right foot on the floor and shift as fast as you can to the next gear.

 

rockinboy what you are describing is pretty close to being perfect. Although, #2 & #3 are pretty much a combined action, which instantly leads to #4. The only exception is that you might start to push the clutch a fraction of a second before you lift off the throttle, so you don't get any engine brake. It's best to push the clutch all the way(or as far as possible before engaging the next gear), and as fast as possible. You drop the clutch the instant you have engaged the next gear, before the rpm have had a chance to drop for an upshift revmatch. The extra power is sent to the wheels and the clutch is given a chance to grab. This is known as speedshifting, and it's the fastest way down the strip. It is only slightly stressful on your drivetrain, and nowhere near as bad as powershifting, but best of all it's faster.

I'm definitely not a powershifting advocate. Our drivetrains were not designed for shifting without lift (aka SWOL).

You also need to take a gear to redline and introduce yourself to the rev-limiter. I haven't driven an '06 so I'm not sure if they are as intrusive as my '04, but when you hit it, it's like hitting a brick wall. The engine is still pulling hard right when you hit it. I take it right to redline and shift a fraction of a second before the rev-limiter hits. And don't worry about hitting it. It doesn't do any harm, it's there for a reason. Just try not to hit it if you can help it. Keep in mind the rev-limiter does nothing if you ever downshift to too low of a gear. The engine will over-rev and cause damage to your engine.

The main reason for shifting as close to redline as possible has to do with torque multiplication (power/gearing). Even though your power starts to drop off as you approach redline, the lower gear still put's more power to the ground than a taller gear at a lower rpm(even if the engine is making more power at the lower rpm). The lower the gear the more critical it is you get every inch out of it. First gear is the hardest for most people.

ok ill shut up now. anyway, i hope that helps

 

I was power shifting fine until about 6500 KM, then in one incident I some how did not get it right and was shifting from 1st to 2nd. The shifter refused to go into 2nd and I heard a dreadful sound of gears grinding. I was so mad and sorry for the car. Since then I noticed that shifting into 2nd is not like it used to be, sometimes I get a little grinding sound when shifting, so I have to shift carefully and not as fast as I used to do.

 

I actually agree with everything roast said, just too lazy to have written it last night. Hope that helps clarify. If you've never powershifted, don't learn on the Z, the .2 seconds it saves you over regular shifting isn't worth the potential damage done if you mess it up.

 

Thanks for the comments. Shifting at redline to third and forth gears is easier than first and second. As you mentioned, redline comes around pretty fast in first and second gears. My reaction time is not fast enough to catch first and second gears perfectly. If fact, I cannot watch the tachometer in first gear: I have to shift by feel.

And for all those who shift perfectly every time, show me the money. Post those time slips and lets take a look.

 

Unless I read the OP wrong, this thread is about when to shift, not shifting technique.

 

uh.. i don't agree with that.. it is ONE way of shifting fast into the next gear.. but it isn't the fastest.. i powershift and speedshift depending on the mood. for me, i'd say the powershift is slightly faster but speedshift just feels faster because there's a pause between 2 gears.. this also depends on the person.. if the person can't powershift or isn't that great at it, speedshift may be faster. if the person can correctly powershift, then this method is probably faster.. also, i don't think powershifting is too stressful on your drivetrain if it's done correctly..

 

If I am pushing my rpm's to redline I am trying to squeeze every last bit of performance out of the car. When I do this in my Vette (04 Coupe) my right foot is FIRMLY PLANTED on the floorboard and never moves until I am at the end of the run (1/4 mile). It is not difficult in todays cars to power shift. I learned on my first car back in high school in 1967. It was a GTO with a Muncie "rock crusher" 4 speed. Now that was a bear to power shift. The shift linkage was very stiff and it took alot to slam that puppy from 2 to 3. Once I actually broke the **** off the shifter and managed to break 3 fingers when my fist containing the **** hit the dash. If your gonna push any car to it's absolute limit be ready to shell out $$$ for repairs. Oh, I have no idea about shifting in the Z as I don't pick up mine til TOMORROW! Was due today but they got behind on the prep. I will post my success or failure on powershifting soon.

 

nice... bringing back a 8 month old thread back to life

 

just joined. I'm readin it all

 

Outstanding!

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

Nope.

It doesn't matter whether is flywheel, or RWHP, peak power ('06) comes at 6400.

Peak torque is at 4800

bill

 

Wrong. Actual peak wheel power takes into consideration gear multiplication. I say actual b/c dynos are programmed to remove gear multiplication from the equation providing a standardized 1:1 ratio for comparison purposes. 5th gear in a 6spd is typically closest to being direct drive while each successively lower gear provides an increase in actual power to the wheels. Taking this into consideration, redline in 1st or 2nd gear will put more power to the pavement than the next gear shift up unless you have an abnormally sharp drop in power after peak. See attachment.

 

Your graph shows the relationship between torque and vehicle speed.

It does not provide any data about the relationship between power and engine RPM.

bill