When do you shift? [Merged 7-8] points shifting revs point

[Defiant]

This probably has been asked before; with that said I searched quite a bit but only found things about automatics shifting strangely or people have grinding/ shifting problems.

Searching is like shifting. Not all that many can really do it well.
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=184003
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9858
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=106073
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123441
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54907
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1066

 

[KaeROeS]

What would be the best time to shift. I would think that if the redline hits at 7000 rpms the best point to shift would be around 6000-6300. Anybody knows when the GS has its peak horsepower and if this is the best time to shift. Thanks a lot

 

[GSTdude06]

The best shirt point would be 6000RPM's. You reach your peak hp at that point, if you go over then your losing hp. Dyno records help at that stuff.

 

[turbotalon_]

Ok so I've had my car since Feb.4th and it has about 77100 miles on it. It's a 96 GST. After I wrecked my first car I've been kinda uneasy around cars and going fast. My question is do you think its safe to take the car to redline? So far I've only gotten her to around 5k because I don't feel like breaking something. The timing belt was done about 20k miles ago and I just had the TB cleaned, no other known problems... Oh and it's stock. What RPM is good to shift at? Id redlining it ok? Also if anyone can point me in teh direction of the top speed for each gear. Thanks.

 

[b4christ15]

Always make sure you keep her up to date as far as maintenance goes. If you think there's no known problems, then sure, its okay to take her to redline every once and a while. However, with the stock T25 there's really no point as it seems to run at of breath around 6k. As for what rpm to shift at, when I had my T25 I would only redline first gear then take the rest of the gears to around 6k. Every car is different so when you feel like your car just isn't pulling anymore, thats when the turbo is starting to run out of breath.

 

[daren_p]

Well it looks like your still running a stock t25 turbo so this will be the limiting factor of when to shift. Because its so small it losses steam in the upper rpms. If you do a pull into the higer rpms you will see exactly what Im talking about. Back when I had my t25 I may shift at 7000 in first or maybe second because they are so short but by the time you get to third you will probably end up shifting around 6500. Just do some higer pulls and you will be able to tell when the car doesn't feel like its pulling anymore, then its time to shift. When you get some mods & a larger turbo, I go up to the 7500 limit most of the time.

 

[femmeDSM]

What he said is right on ^^^ Good Job.

That said, even with an upgraded turbo, on my cars, I reserve redline shifting for Track Only. I baby my cars on the street, and shift well before 4k. But once you upgrade your turbo, taking it to redline once in a while is no biggie, so long as you don't go crazy with it, and your car is in good shape overall.

 

[gurmanator]

your cams decide the power curve of the engine.if your cams quit pulling at 5500 rpm then there is no reason to rev much past 5500 rpm because you want to keep the engine in the power curve and this info comes from many years of drag racing.

 

[turbotalon_]

I have another question, should I rev match on downshifts? I havent been doing it, right now I just let the clutch out slow enough to let the syncros match up but not so slow it burns up. I only have about two months experience.

 

[MyBeatGSX]

Yes please do the whole world a favor and rev match ALL your downshifts. We need another crappy manual driver like we need another Pontiac Aztec.

As for the original question. I have no idea why people are afraid of redline. If it wasn't meant to rev that high then it would be marked lower. In all likelyhood (i know that's spelled wrong), nearly all engines can rev higher with little problem. IMO, 7,000rpm works best regardless of your setup. Its not nessesarily because you make power that high but because it keeps you up in the powerband for the next gear.

 

[daren_p]

What he said is right on ^^^ Good Job.

That said, even with an upgraded turbo, on my cars, I reserve redline shifting for Track Only. I baby my cars on the street, and shift well before 4k. But once you upgrade your turbo, taking it to redline once in a while is no biggie, so long as you don't go crazy with it, and your car is in good shape overall.

Yes that is a good point, 7500 isn't my normal everyday/every time I shift point. I just figured most would realise I was talkin about wot pulls

 

[jongreene]

what exactly does rev matching on downshifts mean?...i usually just let the car out of gear, coast and put on the brakes to stop. rarely downshift, im tryin to be as easy on the synchros as possible

 

[turbotalon_]

Downshifting when taking turns... This is how it goes.. Clutch in>move shifter>blip throttle>let out clutch.. The point of this is to match up the engine speed to the speed of the gear. It is easier on the car when the RPMs drop between shifts instead of being sped up. For normal driving I don't rev match because it is too much of a hassle.

 

[wret]

Downshifting when taking turns... This is how it goes.. Clutch in>move shifter>blip throttle>let out clutch.. The point of this is to match up the engine speed to the speed of the gear. It is easier on the car when the RPMs drop between shifts instead of being sped up. For normal driving I don't rev match because it is too much of a hassle.

This is a good habit to develop. It places you in a state of readiness for accelerating and allows you to keep your foot on the throttle for better controlled turns. But, it is difficult in a 2g with stock pedals. Many times the blipping needs to be done while braking, which involves some heal-toeing. Aftermarket pedal plates can help with the pedal orientation.

If you don't rev match you are essentially just using the clutch as a brake. Brake pads are cheaper and much easier to replace.

 

[fredom dsm]

sorry guys but I dont get "rev match" what is it and how is it done? sorry if I already missed this. This is what I do when I turn, I let the foot off the gas, down shift, brake as needed and gas to come out of the turn. Is this all wrong or am I on the right track?

 

[wret]

When you downshift, the transmission is moving at a higher speed than the idling engine. If you blip the throttle (a quick stab of the pedal with the toe or heal), you can increase the engine speed to close to the transmission speed. Otherwise there is more friction placed on the clutch.

 

[jongreene]

ok i understand now...i always do it around corners when downshifting i guess i just didnt know it was rev matching

 

[MCDGexx]

Is it bad to use your transmission to help slow you down while daily driving? Like as i'm braking i'll put it into 3rd and second, let the clutch out slow to help the braking.

 

[turbotalon_]

When letting the clutch out slow like that it puts a lot of stress on it. I need to start revmatchin more but the heel toe thing is out of the question for me. The damn 2g wheel is so big that i hafta sit funny and theres no way i can move my leg to heel-toe. My knee wont fit under the wheel

 

[turbo98eclipse]

thats a long title! but anyway...about a year ago i was asking people about how easy it was to drive a stick. well after i got my dsm, i had to teach myself...and it was great! i love driving a stick now. but then i realized that i could probablly be better! i know that there are a lot of "ways" to drive a stick but im not sure what the terms are for each action. there are things like "slipping a clutch" "double clutch" even "granny shifting" (yes i watched F&F ) it may be helpful for some people who dont know all of these terms to get familiar with each term and also have a "definition" on how to do it. always good to better your driving anyone interested in contributing?

 

[TJGoSurf]

For everyday low rev driving i don't use the clutch except for 1st and reverse.

 

[Blitzeclips]

be QUICK with it. Not fast, strong, or hard, just QUICK, For 2nd to 3rd, I push the shifter away from me, almost diagoinally so it's a straight shot.

You don't use your clutch past 2nd gear? Wow. Thats bad. You're going to grind and rip the gear synchros up.

 

[TJGoSurf]

be QUICK with it. Not fast, strong, or hard, just QUICK, For 2nd to 3rd, I push the shifter away from me, almost diagoinally so it's a straight shot.

You don't use your clutch past 2nd gear? Wow. Thats bad. You're going to grind and rip the gear synchros up.

Get your CDL and see how you drive afterwards, its not hard and I never grind a gear. Its all smooth.

 

[GSEclipse06]

my friedn with an STi does full throttle shifting...basically full throttle even when down on the clutch to shift....can we say whiplash?

 

[bhop]

Get your CDL and see how you drive afterwards, its not hard and I never grind a gear. Its all smooth.

Even still.. I wouldn't want to be your transmission.. if, y'know, I were a mechanical object.