Quote:
Originally Posted by 7CAMARO7
you will never have more power in one gear than the other, your engine just has more leverage over the drivetrain in lower gears.
the rpms=power (as far as the engine is concerned) 6000rpms in first is no more or less hp than 6000 in 5th, there's just a difference in speed
I was only speaking from experience with my ls1. I used to shift at 5500 which is where the red dot dot dot starts and I used to get horrible track times. That was back when I didn't know any better. I learned from all the other guys to shift at 6000 on my car. I started kicking ass after that 
Also did you guys ever notice how the 97-04 ls1 vettes always were spec'ed at more power than our F-bodies? I noticed also that the same engine in the vette was spec'ed to something like 345 or 350hp@6000rpms with 350tq@5600rpms or something like that. Well for the fbodies they said 325hp@5500rpms and 325tq@ 4500rpms.
Why would it be different for the same exact engine? ITS NOT! Just something for you new guys to think about.
I also agree that the highest rpm is not always the best, but if the ls2 and ls3 follow after the ls1 then it is... |
the difference in power ratings is all in the tuning. the LS3 in the vettes is rated at 436hp (with the exhaust package). we have the same engine, but due to differences between the two vehicles, they required slightly different tunings.
as for the shift points, it really depends on the gear you're going to. you want to shift to where the next gear puts you in the sweet spot of your power band. a taller gear will need to rev higher before you shift into it than a shorter gear. take my truck for example: during normal driving, my 2-3 shift is around 2500 (going from a 2.32 to 1.40) anything much less than that starts to bog if i'm accelerating. my 3-4 shift (1.40 to 1.00), however can easily accelerate at a 2000 rpm shift.
i know that example's a bit different than racing, but not much and the principle's the same. it all depends on where the next gear will put your engine speed. hope that helped