How often do you redline it & a story of newfound joy

[blue2000s]

If you're not using the top 1/3 of a flat-6's rev range, you're not getting what you paid for. These engines are made to rev both in performance and logevity. Run it to redline or buy an SUV.

[Pat]

I may not redline it ever time I drive it, but it's not uncommon. I drive it nearly every day and most of them have it over 6K at least once.

[eightsandaces]

My car sees the redline pretty often, with the care attention and maintenance we all put in, I feel confident in doing so.

[landrovered]

No offense but why would you bother to redline your Boxster in first gear? To me this is just revving for its own sake. The extra revs don't give you much in the way of torque after the midway point. Torque peaks and is actually on the way down as you reach the redline.

I shift out of first from 4500-5000 rpms max, I shift out of second around the same and then wind third all the way to the redline and fourth and fifth, I have never redlined sixth as of this writing.

I redline my Boxster at least once ever time I drive it and try not to let the rpms go below 3000 rpms while cruising, the rpms do drop below that during starts and stops and in traffic but I live in the country so that is not as often as it would be if I lived in the city.

So why are you redlining first gear?

[blue2000s]

Maximum acceleration is dependent on torque at the wheels. It's a combination of engine torque and gear ratios. There is more torque at the wheels in first gear at redline than in second at any point. So max acceleration comes when you redline in first ( and every other gear for that matter). It's not the case with every car, but usually is with sports cars and absolutely is with the Boxster.

Let us know when you redline in 6th. It's over 170mph!

[landrovered]

Perhaps I should qualify my statement....in the 3.6 there seems to be no benefit percieved from redlining first or second. The long gears are where it is at.

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by landrovered

Perhaps I should qualify my statement....in the 3.6 there seems to be no benefit percieved from redlining first or second. The long gears are where it is at.

Unless the 3.6 torque curve is less flat than the 3.2, which I doubt, you're still faster winding to redline. Whether you fell the need to do so is of course another matter.

[eightsandaces]

Originally Posted by landrovered

Perhaps I should qualify my statement....in the 3.6 there seems to be no benefit percieved from redlining first or second. The long gears are where it is at.

I have never driven a sports car where redlining first gear made sense. IMO, the Boxster third gear and fourth is where the power is killer approaching redline. I also think remaining in fourth on the highway is way fun, sucks more gas but the available passing power is again, killer.

[Frodo]

I tend to agree with landrovered here. I don't know the science like some folks out there, but, to me, it seems like the Boxster has such a good torque curve that it feels totally unnecessary to wind out to redline in first.

As he said, when "in a hurry" I'll typically run up to 4500-5000 rpm in first, then shift. She just pulls so strong in second when I do that it just seems silly to delay that shift. I too save the redline (or near-redline) shifts for the middle to higher gears.

Like I said, I really don't know the science here...this is kind of a 'butt dyno' kind of thing for me.

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by Frodo

I tend to agree with landrovered here. I don't know the science like some folks out there, but, to me, it seems like the Boxster has such a good torque curve that it feels totally unnecessary to wind out to redline in first.

As he said, when "in a hurry" I'll typically run up to 4500-5000 rpm in first, then shift. She just pulls so strong in second when I do that it just seems silly to delay that shift. I too save the redline (or near-redline) shifts for the middle to higher gears.

Like I said, I really don't know the science here...this is kind of a 'butt dyno' kind of thing for me.

Your butt dyno needs recalibration.