okay, im a noob here for sport car. this is my first car and sport car i have ever had. i have driven stick before, but not a sport car. i am wondering when (at what rpm) u guys normaly shift??? from 1st to 2nd, 2nd to 3rd, etc

 

It depend on how quickly you want to get going or if you trying to save gas.

Fast = Red line

EPA = 2500-3000rpm's

 

even at the 1st gear? u can rev it until the red line even its 1st?
i am afraid i will break the engine.. and i felt that at the 1st gear, when i tried to rev it about 3 or 4 rpm, the car was starting to feel heavy. is it true?

 

whew...by the looks for your signature you have a brand new car...

great choice i just picked up and 07 black touring too...

as the manual suggests...dont go voer 4000 RPMS for the first 1200's and it's always best to go by the manual...

I adjusted my Rev light to come on at around 3200 RPM...so it should blink at 2700 RPM and stay still at 3200...thats where I've been shifting...

I'm at about 1050 miles so far...

but to give you a good idea, i usually listen to sound of my engine.

just dont dump the clutch...

you won't break the engine...but take it easy for the first 1000 miles.

 

yeah, my mileage now is at around 1500. so now i am wondering at what rpm do u guys normally shift your cars at full performance by not breaking the cars

 

Well ... Redline is fine in first gear .... after break in of course. Didn't realize you hadn't broken it in yet.

Keep it under 4K until you break the car in.

However, the best place to do a first to second is about 5K imo AFTER you break it in.

 

ok, i just passed the break in period. my friend was telling me that if you have a sport car, u have to drive it really hard, or later it wont be a sport car again. if u drive it like a baby, ur car's engine wont be as fast as the car which was driven hard... i am wondering if this is true? personally i dont believe him, but he is gooad at car, so what do u think guys?

 

I go every gear as far into redline as i can before i hit rev limiter. Shift at 5k? please explain. is it to prevent chirping tires?

 

if im just reg. driving about 2200 or 2500 to save gas. If im running hard redline .

 

You don't have to drive it hard all of the time. Some people argue that the ECU "learns" your driving habits, others argue that it doesn't. I drive mine very casually most of the time and when I want to get on it I get on it and it does just fine. I try to mix it up every once in a while, but more to prevent carbon build up than to "train" the ECU.

 

I am sorry but ---->

I know I know you are just trying to learn but c'mon. Break the engine???

 

If your Z is a new car, follow Nissans’s break-in guidelines. After that, here are some ideas.

When driving around town on city streets, just keep the RPM range at 1700-2500. That provides good economy and is a sensible way to drive your sports car. Since your Z provides a good amount of torque, you can accelerate easily from your selected gear inside this range. If traffic is heavy and you need to maneuver into position (lane shifts while accelerating, moving around in traffic, etc.), you may want to stay within a little higher rpm range (closer to 3K) for better performance and control.

When you want a little fun, you drive the car more aggressively and just about anything goes (but stay legal and don’t be a “show-off”). When driving a little faster, you depress the clutch fully (all the way to the floor), up-shift quickly and firmly, engage the clutch smoothly, and depress the accelerator (probably all the way). You want your clutch engagement to be smooth without grabbing or slipping. Your rpm range here (when driving more aggressively) will be at least 3500 (and maybe way higher once you master this).

When down-shifting while driving a more aggressively, you depress the clutch all the way down, quickly select the lower gear you want, blip the accelerator to increase engine speed for a smooth rev match (your rpm should jump to 3500-4500 depending upon the lower gear you select), and smoothly release the clutch. The all happens within a millisecond; and if you do it correctly, you won’t feel any grapping. You should practice this until you can make it feel smooth. Once you have this down, you can move to higher rpm’s and more performance without risking damage to your car’s drive train.

Of course you never want to drive faster or run harder than your ability to control your car. You never want to lose control of your car. Read the “crash stories” here to see how quickly you can end up in a bad spot.

--Spike

 

Fletch69z what do you mean when you say carbon build up?

 

fletch is right.... if you are a granny driver, once in a while it is good to get on the car a little. Over time you will get carbon build-up in your motor, and by driving it hard, the carbon build-up gets broken up and passed through....

as for shift points, since you are broken in...
i shift in between 3k to 4k norm.
close to redline or redline when needed or driven hard
I keep my RPMS in the city/town around 2000-2500 so which ever gear keeps it there, ill stick with that, maybe this way i am wording it will help you, since you are new...

i hate 1st gear in Z's btw, very jerky... so i keep it around 3k shift point in 1st gear...
Its to much to explain, you will get the hang of it and you will know when you are straining the car..

 

He is correct. That is how we break in our race engines. However, it creates a lot of slop in the pistons, rings, etc... at times and CAN cause the motor to burn more oil. Not an issue if you are rebuilding your motor after every season of racing. However, for a street car burning oil isn't a good thing.

Just keep that is mind when your breaking your motor in. If your using it for the track and plan on rebuilding the motor every so often your correct. If .1-.2 in a quarter mile isn't your main goal. I'd break it in under 4K and drive it normally after that to minimize oil consumption.

 

Yep, pretty much and by the time you shift in that gear at 5K your rev up into second get you closer to 6K. In first gear, that's all you need. Now, get some slicks on there and you could hook up.... But, then you might start breaking stuff. Drag radials are perfect for 6K shifts. They give just enough not like true drag slicks. I think stuff would start to break unless you beefed up the rear with a girdle or the like.

 

thanks guys for all your guides... it really helps me a lot. appreciate it!!!