When to shift?

[newbie13]

I'm new to manual cars, and was looking for some advice. When do you guys shift?

Newbie

[vvtlikick]

Normally, I try to keep the revs between 2000rpm and 3000rpm. So I upshift at 3000rpm, and downshift at 2000rpm, roughly.

When racing, I shift as close to the revlimit (8300rpm) as possible.

[Stripe GT2]

It feels really smooth to shift betwwn 3-4k I get best acceleration results there.

[AkUmA]

normal driving:
1st: bring it up to 3500rpm, shift
2nd: starting around 2000-2500rpm up to 3500rpm, shift
3rd: starting around 2000-2500rpm up to 3500rpm, shift
4th: starting around 2000-2500rpm up tp 4000rpm shift
5th: starting around 2500rpm up to 3200rpm and holding at 50-55mph
6th: not really in the city. mostly on the highway.

racing:
1st: slip clutch at 3000-3500rpm and run it to 8100rpm, shift
2nd: starting 5800-6200rpm (depending on quick shift) up to 8100rpm,shift
3rd: starting 5800-6200rpm up to 8100rpm,shift
4th: it usually over by then:D

[Matty P]

AkUmA is right.

Changing below 3,500rpm is just too low. You would labour the engine changing up at those sort of revs.

If you are racing, you have to take it past the redline to around 8,100rpm to be able to get on the power in the next gear.

Matty P

[pokgai]

dam u guys shift pretty high. i usually shift around 3000, sometimes 2500. and i always go into 6th, at around 40-50 mph when i cruise, so that the RPM is below 2000 when i cruise. is this bad for the car? I do this to try to save gas, since i do mostly city driving to school and work. when i wanna accelerate more, its 3000-4000, but thats only once in a while. and then there are the occasional "lift" shifts.

[AkUmA]

its not bad, i just have a lead foot. ehehe. plus with the exhaust and stuff, i love listening to it wound up. eheh

everyone has a different driving style.:D

[Elik]

in ur manual u should see a table when u have to shift for both gt and gts
i think(please double check)it was for gt
1->2 at 15 mph
2->3 at 30 mph
3->4 at 40 mph
4->5 at 45 mph

u will save gas this way
but i was a new to manual, well still am
since there are some much new stuff and it all comes from experience
u will learn when u drive around couple of blocks;)

[ishido]

"always go into 6th, at around 40-50 mph when i cruise, so that the RPM is below 2000 when i cruise"

Damn, that is hella low. For a 4 cylinder engine, it doesn't feel right to have it that low. If you need power you're 2 gears away from where you need to be. I let it cruise at 3Kish, shift betwen 4-5. A lot of it depends on feel. The engine should not feel like it's being bogged down by going into the next gear, it should feel natural. On a 4 cylinder it will be higher rpms than on an 8 cyl where there's more power down low.

I had a friend that drove a daihatsu jeep thing around. Basically a no power 4 cylinder jeep. He shifted before 2-2.5 K and would put it in 4th at 30. I drove me nuts I wanted to smack him.:rolleyes:

[chameleon]

My first 2000 celica was an automatic GTS and it would shift into 4th, keeping the rpm's around 2,000 or less during cruize speeds, so it is ok for the car pokgai. After I traded it in for a manual I just did the same thing and always put it in 6th, because it would seem weird to be revving unnessaraly high after driving the automatic, knowing that it should be in the next gear.

[Jim Lin]

lol , everytime,i rev up to 5000 then shift.

[Razz]

IMHO, some of you guys are shifting too early, and driving the car in the wrong rpm band. It will wear the crank bearings on a small 4 cylinder to keep it at 'too low' of an rpm for an extended period of time, with a load on the engine. If you're just coasting, 2k is fine, but if you are accelerating at all, you are probably putting undue stress on the crank. I'm a mechanical engineer, and my 'feel' for the Celica motor is to keep it between 3-4k for lazy driving. And 17 years of experience tells me I bet I'm right.

'01 GT-S 6 speed
OBX CAI

[Razz]

Also, if you're just lazy driving and want to extend the life of your tranny, you can skip gears. When I'm taking it easy, I usually shift from 1st to 3rd to 5th. Take 1st up to 5k, shift to 3rd, and notice how much smoother your engine speed matching is when releasing the clutch. You'll land smoothly at 3k just from the natural deacceleration of the engine. When starting off on downhill grades, I go from 2nd to 4th to 6th. Obviously, when it's time to 'get on it', every gear is essential!

'01 GT-S 6 speed
OBX CAI