Shifting points 3.2

[gwl123]

I don't have a manual for my '89 911 but need to find out what are the shift points. I've been driving around the city and trying not to lug the engine. I assume anything under 2000rpm is not good. So should I just use 1st and 2nd gears? Its loud and I get a buzzing in my years after a while.

[remroc]

40,70.100 and 125 are redline shift points. My '87 has the Fed mandated shift lite, does the '89 have that? I don't think 2000 rpm hurts anything around town.

[cgarr]

5500 shift, 5500 shift, 6000 shift, its not your grandmothers car!

[vanwyk4257]

Originally Posted by cgarr

5500 shift, 5500 shift, 6000 shift, its not your grandmothers car!

+1!!!!

I usually shift mine around 3000-4000 rpm depending on conditions/grade/mood, etc.

[Rot 911]

A stock 3.2 is not happy running below 3000 rpms and it really will feel like it is lugging. Try to stay above that whatever gear you are in.

[York]

I cruise around town at 3,000 rpm in 2nd or sometimes 3rd depending on the speed limit. I usually shift into 2nd by 4,000 rpm, if higher I double clutch since my car has a 915 tranny. Entering a highway on ramp I get into 2nd by 5,000 rpm then floor it to experience the great acceleration that I now have with a custom chip from 911chips.com (my car was running very lean). I do not pay any attention to the shift indicator light, that will have me driving around town in 5th gear at 1,500 rpm, which can't be good for the engine.

[JABSEA]

PM me if you want a scan of the manual specs...

[ChkbookMechanic]

Whatever happened to shifting by sound? I just shift when it sounds like it needs it - could be close to redline, could be 3k, I just let the car tell me depending on the situation.

[Nine17]

What did John Wyer call it? That Certain Sound. Maybe you need a more sonorous muffler. While you're in there, try the sport intake as well. I rarely shift out of second around town. It's a safety issue: I prefer to stay in the sweet-spot of the torque curve in case I need to accelerate hard to avoid some oblivious nimrod veering into my path...

[vreference]

My car sounds very happy at 6200; If i just did it by sound I'd probably end up well north of the "orange" line but I don't get the chance to drive it very often and I drive it above 5K RPM even less.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by Kurt V

A stock 3.2 is not happy running below 3000 rpms and it really will feel like it is lugging. Try to stay above that whatever gear you are in.

What Kurt said! AFTER she's good and warm I run her up to close to 5500+ on every shift (I go by sound too, I'm not watching) and even when cruising, I'll be in the 3500 range. I've got a 22 mile commute to work (backroads), and I rarely see 4th, much less 5th (occasionally on the Interstate which I avoid usually). Driving at 2K rpm is silly for these cars

ps: Goes without saying, IGNORE that stupid EPA mandated "shift light" too.

[M491driver]

Don't you just love 3rd gear in these cars?

[KFC911]

My car could be a 3 speed and I probably wouldn't know I was missing 2 gears for several weeks

[Mitch Leland]

My 2 cents is that more importantly you don't lug the engine... Mashing down the gas pedal at 2,000 RPM's in 4th or 5th gear is hard on the engine like ours. I'm not sure running around town at 4 grand is necessary, but to each his own.

Piston travel is wear, the more times the piston goes up and down, the more wear that takes place. I say use the RPM's appropriately for the conditions you're driving.

[JeremyD]

If you are shifting around 4000 in a 1984-1989 Carrera then you have a car with the effective power to weight performance of a Honda Accord.

once warm you need to drive the car between 4000 and 6000 rpms. Don't worry, if you change the oil consistently - you won't break it.

[GH85Carrera]

One thing that is not addresses in your question is are at a steady speed? To drive down the road in 2nd gear at 50 MPH is silly. I try to keep it between 2,500 and 3,500 RPM once I am up to the speed limit. In traffic moving at a steady pace there is no reason to stay at 4,000 RPM for several miles.

[KFC911]

If I'm at a "steady pace", I'll probably be around 3-3.5K (in whichever gear is appropriate), but I'll sure take her up to near 6K every shift (when she's good and warm). Thus, if I'm on a typical road, 45-50 mph or so, I'd be in 3rd at the low end of the power band. I mentioned "lugging the engine" on a recent Rennlist thread, and Pete Zimmerman gave a great explanation about how it's really putting more of a strain on the tranny too at lower rpms (not necessarily the engine). Bottom line, I'm almost never below 3K rpms, and that type of driving is certainly not causing unnecessary wear imo. Heck, at 80-90 mph on the Interstate (not often for me), in 5th, she's going to be probably close to 3500, and they're designed to do that ALL day long, every day, plus I get 27 mpg to boot @ those rpms . Drive it like a sports car should be driven is my .02 worth...

[Jgordon]

There's a red line on the tach that tells you when to shift.

[richde]

Remember these cars are not only sporting vehicles, but also made to be driven daily. In other words, reving the crap out of it when not necessary is just a waste of gas and annoying to the general public. You know how annoying it is to hear a motorcycle go by at 9K rpm, or a ricer with the fart cannon? That's how it sounds to other people when you constantly redline your motor.

Vary your RPM, run it up once and a while, but doing it constantly doesn't do anything.

Really "lugging" the engine and what some people consider "lugging" are two very different things. If it pulls smoothly, it's not "lugging."

[stlrj]

Originally Posted by Kurt V

A stock 3.2 is not happy running below 3000 rpms and it really will feel like it is lugging. Try to stay above that whatever gear you are in.

A well tuned 3.2 should be able to take off in 2nd at 1,000 rpm effortlessly without stalling or bucking and shift at 2,000 or less all day, just like any other normal car, with plenty of grunt all the way to 6K.

That's my criteria because that's the way my 3.2 behaves and anything less would not be tolerated.