how high do you rev in 1st gear

[cantdrv55]

Do you go to 5K and up on 1st gear before shifting? A buddy of mine who races says 1st is meant to get the car moving so shift to 2nd sooner than later. That gear and on you can take to red line. I shift to 2nd much later than he recommends. What do you fellas do?

[Emission]

I redline (when in a hurry)... if I short-shift into second, I may lose my boost!

Anything below 3000 RPM is dead for me, so I don't like to find myself down there.

Redline is redline - no matter what gear you are in.

[aigel]

There is no difference to the engine if you redline it in first or second or any other gear. Of course your buddy is right in saying that you have to pick your battles. If you are not in the race or timed run when starting to go in first, why be hard on things. One gets to redline very quickly in first and there may be a slight chance of hitting the rev limiter.

George

[jdowty3]

I usually shift between 4500-5000 and no earlier than 4000. If my foot's feeling heavy, I'll take it it up to 6500.

[A Quiet Boom]

Depends on how I'm driving, in the morning as it warming up I shift first and second at about 3k, maybe I can get away with that because my car is a lot lighter than an SC and I have a short geared 901 box. Anyway after she's warmed up a bit I shift first around 4-5k, if I'm out for a spirited drive rather than just cruising I shift at the redline or just under.

[yelcab1]

I have learned to shiift out of 1st gear early with a 915 tranny. Its first gear is not the most robust.

[masraum]

If you are looking for maximum acceleration and you short shift first gear then your revs in second start out lower and farther from peak power which will result in slower acceleration. If you are just tooling around then it doesn't really matter that much. At that point do what you feel like doing. If you are looking for maximum fuel efficiency then short shift every gear, but use 3/4 throttle to get there.

It depends....


Sometimes I take it all the way (when I feel like some fun). Usually however I take it to 3000 rpms and then change into second.

[GrindingGears]

When cold: 2800-3200

When warm: 3500-4500 (day to day, 80% of the time)

Flogging is a whole different story.

[VaSteve]

A related question for the classic 1-2 shift on a 915: do you tap the accelerator during the "pause"? I have started and it seems like I'm less likely to lose my "boost" that way.

[singpilot]

I take 1st to the top of the onramp. Hit the left turn signal, shift to second, drop into third entering the fast lane, crossing thru the national speed limit.

Spooling thru third, fourth and fifth are dependant on traffic flow.

[Bob's Flat-Six]

Originally posted by singpilot
I take 1st to the top of the onramp. Hit the left turn signal, shift to second, drop into third entering the fast lane, crossing thru the national speed limit.

You must do this when leaving Nevada Or you hit the 15min lull on the 405 at 4am

[wilsonk97330]

I've heard this mentioned in several threads. What do you mean by a short shift from 1st to 2nd? It sounds like some sort of technique, and not the modification to a short shift kit!

Thanks,

Karsten Wilson
karsten@tarck.com

[Bob's Flat-Six]

Originally posted by wilsonk97330
I've heard this mentioned in several threads. What do you mean by a short shift from 1st to 2nd? It sounds like some sort of technique, and not the modification to a short shift kit!

Thanks,

Karsten Wilson
karsten@tarck.com

Welcome to the board , Karsten
Short shifting is not running the rpm's to their peak in say first gear , say you shift at 4k instead of 6K rpm.

I have a diesel truck with lot's of power so when I'm empty I'll skip gears entirely going from 3rd to start off and then right into 5th or 6th depending on the grade and how tired I am.
This could be considered another form of short shifting.

[nostatic]

what Bob said. Short shifting is shifting "short" of red line. I usually never red line in first, as I'm not in that big of a hurry off the line, and the 1-2 shift is one that I don't like to rush. Once I'm in 2nd, I'll visit redline though, and tend to stay in 2nd or 3rd around town.

[vash]

things tend to happen too fast for me in first gear. i am outta there at around 4000. in 2nd, i am more comfy letting it ride. redline in 3rd, is kinda scary, because you are really movin.

[oneblueyedog]

Since my engine rebuild is timed mid range within the Elgin cheater cam, my engine comes alive at 3600-redline at 6200. Just driving around sanely I bring it up to 4500. With its stock gearing it's at about 28mph at the shift. At redline the speedometer reads 35mph. Like the other posters said, if you go to redline the rpm's drop nicely back into the power band. To be honest I wish the gearing was sportier. After reading Noah's post about the ring gear...oh yeah.

Lee
78sc

[wilsonk97330]

Got it! Sounds like the answer is that "it depends" if you should short shift or not. Sounds like many people do!

Thanks,

Karsten Wilson
karsten@tarck.com
'77 911 2.7L

[geof33]

To the edge if things permit... Usually, 4200-4600 when warm, never over 4000 in ANY gear when cold...

[Rick Lee]

Under 4k when cold and never under 5k when warm. My varioram kicks in around 5k and it's a wonderful sound - especially since I just installed solid motor mounts on Sat. Now the car sounds like my old Carrera.