Curious - my shifting habits are geared more to smaller displacement, higher-reving engines.

I drove my new beast today (first day) in my usual conservative "ricer/euro" mode, not sure if that is the best way.

For one thing I consumed almost a quarter tank of gas in less than (my first) 30 miles. Haven't had a chance to check how big the tank is but that sounds a little high.

Habit has me reving up from a full stop into the 1.5 / 1.8 rpm range before a gentle clutch engage, and usually not shifting until 3.5/4 in normal driving, 5.5+ during spirited stints.

Habit also has me downshifting the gears in most conditions. (yeah yeah, I know breaks are cheap, gears are not).

Anyway, finding that this car does not have the responses I'm used to - both in the power or non-power ranges (not that there is such a thing for a Z06).

Just a bit disconcerting until I learn this car.

Any feedback welcomed, particularly from higher end Porsche or BMW owners.

 

newme, you are doing EXACTLY what I do, did with my ZEE.
I think this way of driving will do a much better job of seating rings, and wearing in the powertrain( gears) than any other method.......
The key, at least as far as i am concerned is to vary EVERY aspect of the drivetrain, and never stay in one place too long..........up, down, up , down............
Downshifting gears as a braking method, does 2 things, it saves on the brakes, and it also wears the gears more evenly.......
Really a 3rd, it also uses more fuel..........
But, this car will be driven JUST like this, and usually in a much more spirited way, once you get past the 500/800 mile marker........
So, I am, as you can tell.........a firm believer in breaking them in as close to the way they will ultimatlely be driven as is possible.
I say......tally HO.................keep on keepin' on.............. :yesnod:

 

With about 300 lb-ft of torque at 1200 revs, you don't have to rev the engine in normal driving. Try short shifting at 2000 revs. There's still plenty of punch and your oil and fuel consumption will be much better. Of course, whenever, the urge and opportunity present, you can always use more revs, but the car is easy to drive "granny mode" with the prodigious torque.

If you double clutch your downshifts the sychros will last forever, and the pedals are set up for easy heel and toe. When starting from a dead stop let out the clutch until it just engages, then just a touch of throttle. If you practice this technique and learn how to engage the clutch without exceeding a thousand revs, you will be rewarded with very long clutch life, and, with practice, you can learn how to do this smoothly.

I think you'll find that shifting often and using the abundance of low end torque is a pleasant way to drive your Z06 in normal traffic - like a ten liter turbo-charged Cummins with a 2200 RPM governor. ;) You'll find yourself up and downshifting a lot, but isn't that what "drivers' cars" are all about?

Duke

 

Z06LS6, very cool. BTW, your older posts were influential in talking me into the vette conversion, so thanks!

Mr. Duke, i think that is my issue, I am foreign to low-end torque!

I've never bothered to H&T / double shift on the street in any car, although I couldn't help but notice how sweetly placed the Z06 pedals are!

So your point is just drive the thing and enjoy?!? I'm good with that!

 

The LS6 eats gas at high revs. To learn about its "diet", put the instant gas mileage up on the DIC for a few days. It's amazing what a couple of gear shifts will do for its economy.

But with premium fuel at 1.15/gallon, who cares!!!! Rev it hard. :reddevil

 

I agree with 2K2Z06. Just for reference, keeping revs under 3000 in all gears keeps the gas consumption down. My experience with my previous daily driver, a 95 6 spd over a 60 mi dailyround trip, was 22-24 mpg. I get the same mpg on the Z06, if I keep the revs low. HOWEVER, when I punch it or WOT, we go down into the teens on average over the same trip. Depends on how p*&^# o^% I am at the end of the day. It's like having two engine modes of performance in the car - LT1and 427. Under 3000 RPM its as good or better as a LT1, but above that its awesome, best car I ever owned.

 

Newme,
I average at least 20mpg in suburban tarffic, and 23-25mpg in non interstate tarvel with some stop lights and back roads. Of course if you run it gets thirsty.

BTW, I still have the CAGS installed. Normal driving, I start easing out the clutch at about 900-1000rpm. Once underway I throttle to about 1200 then shift into 2nd.(If you make your shift into second <14-15mph the CAG does not enage. Being in 2nd gear at 11-13mph the engine has plenty pulling power. I rarely go above 2200-2500rpm. Remember 2000rpm is about 80mph in 6th.

If on on fairly level roadway and simply cruising, I will be in whatever the *highest* gear is that will have the engine running between 1100-1300 rpm. If it is a little hilly, the the gear rpm equation changes with revs in the 1300-1600rpm range. This is not lugging this car at all. The LS6 generates more HP & TQ at 1200-1600rms than most cars do at WOT. Of course if I want to accelerate more briskly I will either upshift later or down shift as needed. Try this is several things will happen. Your clutch will last longer, your tires will last longer, your fuel will be in the 20-25mpg range and you'll probably keep your license a tad longer too! :yesnod:

Hey, but when the coast is clear it's hammer time! :cheers:

Martin

 

As others have noted, the Z06 is a torque-monster compared to a lot of the Euro cars. Power is developed so low in the power band that you just don't need all the rpm to get good performance. You'll use a lot less gas and get better clutch life if you learn to make good use of the low-end torque. Obviously, during 'enthusiastic' driving, different rules may apply :)

 

That's why this beast is so easy to drive. :yesnod: And to use as a daily driver :D :D

 

Thanks much, as "unnatural" as it seemed at first I made it a point yesterday to "lug" :lol: along in higher gears... car seems to like it better during average driving.

 

You can't beat a big pushrod V-8 for driving flexibility. Gobs of low end torque for normal driving, and stunning top end power, whenever you need it.

"Lugging" an engine was an issue long ago when engines had low strength babbit bearings. One limiting factor can be bearing loading, but designers take this into account and design in adequate bearing sizes and materials to preclude bearing damage from low rev high throttle opening operation. The other is detonation, but the knock sensors and electronic engine control take care of that, so it's really impossible to do any damage on a modern engine by "lugging".

In normal driving always run the car in the highest gear that gives adequate throttle response and doesn't result in any annoying driveline vibration. This will yield maximum fuel economy and engine life.

Duke




[Modified by SWCDuke, 8:28 AM 11/13/2001]

 

I know how you feel, newme. My previous (current backup) car had a 2.5L 195 hp 6 cylinder engine that loved to rev. In normal driving, it wasn't odd to shift between 4 - 5K, with 7K seen during spirited driving. I also had to shift driving habits with the Vette.

In the Vette, I normally "granny" it when just driving around. Shift between 2 - 3K rpm. The car just doesn't feel or sound right at 3 - 5K at low load. Even when I want to pass someone up on the road, it's amazing how well it will pull at 2K in 4th or 5th. When I get on it, I shift at 5 - 6.6K. Grannying it most of the time just makes those high rpm blasts that much more fun. :chevy

 

Hmmm, lemme guess - a SVO Contour

Duke

 

Normal driving, I shift at 3000 rpm.