986 Sport 6Speed Gear Chart

[2003S]

Like this? Page 251 of my owner's manual

[Kianfar]

Originally Posted by Overdrive

Not much I can say here regarding optimum shifting points, but the manual (for my base 2.5 5-speed) says to shift below 4000rpms until the car has reached optimum temperature. I adhere to it so much that unless I'm intending to run through a gear I pretty much shift around that 4000 (which is also easy to spot since it's right at the top of the gauge) during my regular driving after the car has warmed up. I've found that things seem to just mesh a lot better at that point. Revs drop to where you're just about where you need to be when moving to the next gear up for a nice, smooth shift, and the car is just starting to get happy and make nicer noises at that 4000 mark. As has become the rule of thumb here, I also follow the advice to shift above 3000rpms as much as possible and to keep the rpms above 3000 as much as possible. So when I'm first driving I have a rather narrow 1000rpms to play with and stay within, but after that it's pretty much 3000+ to shift and to cruise to keep the car happy.

Interesting, I shift every 2.5K. I find 3000 - 4000 range to be on the higher end. Also on my downshifts, when I give the gas a blip to rev match the clutch to the RPM, I rarely go above 3000. It's worked ok so far.

Originally Posted by 2003S

Like this? Page 251 of my owner's manual

That seems to be what I'm looking for. Interesting, that it put 1,2,3,4,5,6 between the 3000-3500 range. Wondering if that's the optimal best shift area. If that's the case, I need to ad 1K to what I'm doing now, which is up shift at 2500.

[stephen wilson]

Rarely above 3,000 ? you're missing most of the fun!

There is no one optimum shift RPM (after warming up) , if you want more acceleration shift higher, for fuel economy/cruising, shift lower.

[2003S]

Originally Posted by Kianfar

Interesting, that it put 1,2,3,4,5,6 between the 3000-3500 range. Wondering if that's the optimal best shift area.

I would not read that into the chart -- it is just a label identifying which line corresponds to each gear, and that location was fairly centered. I believe the optimal shift point depends on how you're driving -- for maximum acceleration, the optimal point is significantly higher than that. for everyday driving, that's probably not far off from where I shift (although I think I run it up a bit higher).

[Kianfar]

Originally Posted by stephen wilson

Rarely above 3,000 ? you're missing most of the fun!

There is no one optimum shift RPM (after warming up) , if you want more acceleration shift higher, for fuel economy/cruising, shift lower.

Listening to the engine, I just felt like given the 6 gears, they should be changed frequently, and 2500-3000 RPM seemed ideal. It seems like a lot of RPM saying going from 1-2 and changing at 4Kish. Wondering if I'll get a chirp lol

Originally Posted by Overdrive

Kianfar, I would say you're being a bit too nice to the car. These cars like to be revved (once they're warm), and there's a whole extra 5000rpms you're leaving untapped. These cars sound lovely when you wind them up, and you're not doing them any harm. On the contrary, it has been noted on at least a few occasions that Boxsters that are babied can have some serious problems and a rather short lifespan (not necessarily proven fact, but certainly observed). Put it through its paces once in a while.

Feel no worries about shifting between 3- and 4000rpms, the car will be just fine, if not happier. 2.5k is really short-shifting a very rev-happy car, and crusing below 3000rpms is not good for it. The only time I ever shift that low is when I'm driving by a cop so he doesn't think I'm trying to test him or blatantly disregard his presence by racing my engine.

Glad you found what you were looking for in the manual.

The boxster is my daily driver, with a nice commute, although all highway. Like I was saying, I thought I was on the aggressive side at 3000 area, but I'm eager to test this 3500-4000 range. Fuel consumption is nice to have, given the gas prices and the high commute. What RPM do you start the car in from a stop to a roll? I haven't quit got that one.

Originally Posted by 2003S

I would not read that into the chart -- it is just a label identifying which line corresponds to each gear, and that location was fairly centered. I believe the optimal shift point depends on how you're driving -- for maximum acceleration, the optimal point is significantly higher than that. for everyday driving, that's probably not far off from where I shift (although I think I run it up a bit higher).

I see

[Overdrive]

Originally Posted by Kianfar

Listening to the engine, I just felt like given the 6 gears, they should be changed frequently, and 2500-3000 RPM seemed ideal. It seems like a lot of RPM saying going from 1-2 and changing at 4Kish. Wondering if I'll get a chirp lol

The boxster is my daily driver, with a nice commute, although all highway. Like I was saying, I thought I was on the aggressive side at 3000 area, but I'm eager to test this 3500-4000 range. Fuel consumption is nice to have, given the gas prices and the high commute. What RPM do you start the car in from a stop to a roll? I haven't quit got that one.
...

It does seem like a lot of rpm, but you get used (addicted? ) to it. You're not likely to get a chirp unless you're dumping the clutch, and even then, you probably wouldn't get it until you're high, high up in the powerband. I don't think I can chirp 2nd unless I'm over 5k, but I'm also about 3/4 of a litre smaller displacement and short at least another 50 horses.

Fuel consumption will certainly go up with you cruising in the 3000+ range, but the car will like it better...and you didn't buy this thing for its Prius-rivaling fuel economy, right? Bear in mind, though, you'll probably be going close to 100mph (sry, my brain's not in a unit converting mode right now) at 4k in your top gear, so you can either choose to cruise at a lower speed in top gear (and therefore lower rpms), or keep yourself in 5th once you reach highway speed (likely to have you in the 3000+ range). But as far as getting to that point, try some higher-rev shift points once the car is warmed up. You'll find the car has some scoot, and you may even find that shifting just seems to come together much better when you're up there.