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Old Nov 1, 2019 | 05:13 PM
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Default When to shift

I am not a speed demon, I don't often drive hard off the line and rarely drive over 90. I am just wondering if I wanted to go 0 to 140 as fast as possible at what rpm would I shift at for each gear?
Do you racers out there get near red line for each gear? Curious to see what you guys think.
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Old Nov 1, 2019 | 06:11 PM
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Yikes.
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Old Nov 1, 2019 | 06:40 PM
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yes just rev each gear to the red line and shift as fast as you can, nothing special here.
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Old Nov 2, 2019 | 12:34 AM
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Originally Posted by captain vette
yes just rev each gear to the red line and shift as fast as you can, nothing special here.
But the trick is to do this a split second before the rev limiter kicks in.

You get there, you lose.
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Old Nov 2, 2019 | 12:41 AM
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This thread is no fun. Go have fun. Find "mexico" and go get it. Make several runs and you'll figure it out. More importantly, you'll have fun doing it. Okay, I double dog dare you. Go!
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Old Nov 2, 2019 | 01:15 AM
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No comment on the manual, my is an Auto and in sport mode it shifts just a hair before redline.
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Old Nov 2, 2019 | 02:17 AM
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Originally Posted by jjfabs
I am not a speed demon, I don't often drive hard off the line and rarely drive over 90. I am just wondering if I wanted to go 0 to 140 as fast as possible at what rpm would I shift at for each gear?
Do you racers out there get near red line for each gear? Curious to see what you guys think.
Manual - 200 RPM below the red line
Auto - Let it shift itself
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Old Nov 2, 2019 | 04:56 AM
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my car doesnt shift well at high rpms, very difficult to get a smooth shift, i wonder if its clutch related

Im about 570 at the crank it drives smooth as butter during regular, or slightly spirited driving
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Old Nov 2, 2019 | 09:02 AM
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Originally Posted by jimijam
This thread is no fun. Go have fun. Find "mexico" and go get it. Make several runs and you'll figure it out. More importantly, you'll have fun doing it. Okay, I double dog dare you. Go!
I get the feeling some don't think I know how to drive my car, I know how to stomp on it. I guess I was wondering if it is better getting into second gear at say 4500 rpms than going to red line, same thing for 2-3, 3-4 etc.
I prefer cruising at high speed. I was on 85 south in North Carolina a few weeks back and a pick up, a C5 and me in my C6 were cruising 95 to 100 for about seventy five miles taking turns being the lead car. That was fun!
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Old Nov 2, 2019 | 09:08 AM
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Max torque to rear wheels is achieved by going to redline in 1st and 2nd. To figure out this for yourself find torque curve for your engine, multiply torque by transmission gear multiplication, shift when torque is higher gear is higher than torque in lower gear.
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Old Nov 2, 2019 | 11:18 AM
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Originally Posted by juanvaldez
Max torque to rear wheels is achieved by going to redline in 1st and 2nd. To figure out this for yourself find torque curve for your engine, multiply torque by transmission gear multiplication, shift when torque is higher gear is higher than torque in lower gear.
OK, I got my calculator. I tried to figure this out, but I must admit that I get easily distracted

.
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Old Nov 2, 2019 | 01:41 PM
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Originally Posted by 1Willy1
my car doesnt shift well at high rpms, very difficult to get a smooth shift, i wonder if its clutch related

Im about 570 at the crank it drives smooth as butter during regular, or slightly spirited driving
Driver mod?
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Old Nov 2, 2019 | 01:48 PM
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Originally Posted by jjfabs
I get the feeling some don't think I know how to drive my car...
I haven't seen a reason to refute that yet.
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Old Nov 2, 2019 | 02:15 PM
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Originally Posted by jjfabs
I am not a speed demon, I don't often drive hard off the line and rarely drive over 90. I am just wondering if I wanted to go 0 to 140 as fast as possible at what rpm would I shift at for each gear?
Do you racers out there get near red line for each gear? Curious to see what you guys think.

What tune on the car?

If stock, then you notice that the motor will want to go flat around 5.5K, and the torque is dropping off around 5.4K as well.
So this would be your best shift points for shift, even on a stock LS7 motor. Hence the LS7 will rev out at 7K, but since it's going flat long before that, that extra RPM is really just a saver for when you are coming out of a corner and don't want to shift until your down with the corner instead.

On the other hand, if the motor has been tuned to pull hard all the way to red line, then it would be just before redline that you would want to shift instead.

As for 140 MPH, that only a few gears, since most C6's in 5th gear will take you up to 175mph before the motor rev's out in 5th.
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Old Nov 2, 2019 | 02:49 PM
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For anyone who wants to nerd out with math:


PS: I bet the LS3 numbers will be right around redline...

Last edited by 919cw313; Nov 2, 2019 at 03:24 PM.
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Old Nov 2, 2019 | 08:37 PM
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Originally Posted by 919cw313
I haven't seen a reason to refute that yet.
Enough out of you Mr. Earnhardt
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Old Nov 2, 2019 | 08:43 PM
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Originally Posted by Dano523
What tune on the car?

If stock, then you notice that the motor will want to go flat around 5.5K, and the torque is dropping off around 5.4K as well.
So this would be your best shift points for shift, even on a stock LS7 motor. Hence the LS7 will rev out at 7K, but since it's going flat long before that, that extra RPM is really just a saver for when you are coming out of a corner and don't want to shift until your down with the corner instead.

On the other hand, if the motor has been tuned to pull hard all the way to red line, then it would be just before redline that you would want to shift instead.

As for 140 MPH, that only a few gears, since most C6's in 5th gear will take you up to 175mph before the motor rev's out in 5th.
Thank you for your thoughts on this. My car is stock. Some people could only think of an insult.
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Old Nov 2, 2019 | 08:45 PM
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Originally Posted by jjfabs
I get the feeling some don't think I know how to drive my car, I know how to stomp on it. I guess I was wondering if it is better getting into second gear at say 4500 rpms than going to red line, same thing for 2-3, 3-4 etc.
I prefer cruising at high speed. I was on 85 south in North Carolina a few weeks back and a pick up, a C5 and me in my C6 were cruising 95 to 100 for about seventy five miles taking turns being the lead car. That was fun!
I had to recallibrate my entire driving style when I bought my GS. I came from a lifetime of muscle cars where the party was over by 4500 rpm max. With the LS3 that is when the fun is just beginning. I have my Dashlogic programmed to sound an alarm beep @ 6200k rpm, so I can shift just before redline.
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Old Nov 2, 2019 | 09:19 PM
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Originally Posted by jjfabs
Enough out of you Mr. Earnhardt
Sorry, my humor is very dry and my answers are full of snark, yet always based on facts.

Did you watch the video I posted?

Have you tried your 4500 rpm theory out and compared it to running up to 6500? Even the butt dyno will tell you the answer.

Mr. “Hence” knows his stuff when it comes to C6 repair, but he’s wrong on when to shift one.

Running on the expressway at 100 isn’t exactly extreme. Some people call that commuting. (**** I did it again, I can’t help myself)
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Old Nov 2, 2019 | 09:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Patsgarage
I had to recallibrate my entire driving style when I bought my GS. I came from a lifetime of muscle cars where the party was over by 4500 rpm max. With the LS3 that is when the fun is just beginning. I have my Dashlogic programmed to sound an alarm beep @ 6200k rpm, so I can shift just before redline.
I came from a lifetime of Jeep Cherokee's, Chevy wagons etc. My father had a '64 Buick Wildcat that was pretty quick. I drove a friends Z28 and Datsun 260Z, fast cars but nothing like my C6.

I really was just being curious about shifting at what rpm's. I doubt I will ever run through the gears at red line. Does that get me kicked out of the Corvette family now?.
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