Hi guys, I recently got my first vet, a 02 MY vert with stock 6spd. My question is, whats the best way to shift going from stop? How long do you keep it in 1st before shifting to 2nd?...... Do you rev it up before launching, if so how high, please give me insight.

 

Just rev it up enough to get off idle and as you let the clutch out add a little more throttle. As for shifting either shift to 2nd before you get to 15 mph or after you get to 20 mph. That will stop skip shift from forcing a 1 to 4 shift. You can shift between those 2 points but you need to be aggressive on the throttle to keep skip shift from engaging. If you are in heavy traffic it might be hard to be very aggressive.
Bill

 

myfirstvetc6

WELCOME to the forum and to the Corvette world!! :thumbs:

Boy,,, you sure asked a loaded question! Rowing through the gears in C5 can take on many faces! :D You can shift it so smooth that you wouldnt wake a baby sleeping the passengers seat or you could scare the S&*! out of your passenger! You can speed shift it and roast the tires in second and scratch third real good!! Hell,, if you have a ZO6 or mod your car you can get it to scratch 5th!!!

It really depends on what your intent is at that monent and what kind of mood your in.
Normal driving starting out from first at a dead stop, I normaly blip the gas a little(rev it up to 1000-1500) and as she coast back down, let out the clutch. I normaly shift at 2500-3000. If I'm in a slow mode (not very often) and dont need to go anywhere fast you can skip shift (1st - 3rd - 5th) If you want to play, you can run first to red line (which breaks the speed limit on most local city streets :D ) and shift to second.
The C5 (LS1/LS6 engine) has a lot of torque down low in the rpm band. On a straight and level road, it will handle 6 gear as low as 30 mph. THIS IS NOT RECOMMENDED but it will! If your careful you can just let the clutch out in first and when the clutch starts to catch, you can apply a little gas. It will almost sound like your going to stall it but she will power right through and accelerate.
As long as you keep the rpm range around 1500-3000 when you shift, you should be fine!
You will find out that if you shift from 1st to 2nd around 3000-3500, the shift to second will be as smooth as silk.

If this is your first corvette, before you try to master a power launch and master speed shifting, get the normal everyday shifting and feel of the clutch under control first. Once you get use to the car and find out how the drive train hooks up and works best under normal driving, then it is time to play!

Believe me, your clutch will live a LOT longer if you take your time and go through the steps slow!

To launch the car off the line, try this:

1. Depending on how your car is equipped, either put the car in "COMPETITION MODE" or "ACTIVE TRACTION OFF". If your car is equiped with "competition mode" I highly recommend playing in that mode!
:thumbs:

2. Put her in first.

3. Rev the engine to 3000 rpm, let the clutch out quickly (do not side step it unless you want to roast the tires) and mash the gas as the clutch grabs. Be ready to depress the clutch and shift to second because the tach runs up to red line QUICKLY!!!

4. As you accelerate in first, grab the stick and apply pressure to shift the trans to second, let off the gas very breifly, stab the clutch and shift to second quickly and let the clutch out smoothly as you mash the gas again :smiliedrool: If you shift fast enough you will match the RPM of the engine with the RPM of the drive train for a VERY effective and smooth shift!!!!!!!!!

Everyone has their own way of shifting and you will probably get 50 different points of view! :D

Good luck expiermenting with your car and PLEASE drive safely! :seeya :thumbs: :auto:

Bill Curlee