Well guys, my Anthracite/Ebony/Navi/6MT is arriving on March 31 (still deciding on what accesories to get) and I can't wait to give it a good run after the recommended break in period of course. Since this will be my first full time manual ( I learned how to drive on a 88 Mustang 5 Speed, but only for 6 months or so) I was curious about this topic. First, I don't plan on street racing as my job would certainly see this as a conflict of interest!

I mainly want to know the optimum way to shift when for instance you are at a 1/4 mile track. I have seen many people talk about racing and redlining in every gear to acheive maximum performance. My thought is that each shift should be made at the horsepower peak, as going over that when the curve trails off causes you to sacrifice power. I just wanted some insight on this, out of curiosity. Thanks everyone.

 

Welcome to the forum


Congratulations for your new ride...

 

are you a cop or something?

 

nice guess but do you think a cop wouldn't know how to drive stick?!

Just drive the TL like you pushed that mustang you should be fine

Now If you had a car with turbo then this question would make more sense to me
but then again i'm not that smart

Congratulations on the new whip and just have a good radar detector

 

LOL...I'm not a cop, dhs.gov, but getting caught street racing isn't something you want to have to explain to the director, or have on your record when it comes time for promotion.

I don't tend to have problems with local LEO's unless they feel like they want to show me 'their' power. On the other hand, I still have my X50 but I think I may need to trade it for a blue X50 to go with the TL's interior.

My question still stands from a theoretical standpoint.

 

I think taking the RPM slightly higher than the HP peak would put the RPM closer to the peak after the shift, I guess exactly how much higher would depend on trial and error. Shifting exactly at the peak is going to take you further down the power curve after you shift, and then you'll have to build back to the peak...does that make sense?? Look at the power curve charts, and see if the slope is more gradual or steep after the peak HP...then decide how far to go above the peak HP.