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Old 04-09-2012, 05:04 PM   #1
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986 Sport 6Speed Gear Chart

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone had a factory spec 986 Sport 6Speed chart for this vehicle. Really love to know what Porsche had in mind for the gearing, so I can shift accordingly. The chart usual specifies, what gears are ideal for what speeds. What RPM are ideal for gear shifts between each gear shift. Lots of useful information. Went trough the manual, and didn't find much in the manual section. I've seen such charting on other manual cars, but didn't know if anyone had one for the Porsche 986 Boxster S 6 Speed.

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Old 04-09-2012, 05:17 PM   #2
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There is a chart in the owners manual of you car if you have it pertaining to shift/gearing charts. It is located on page 161. Hope that helped.
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Old 04-09-2012, 06:49 PM   #3
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Page 161 was an index. Looked around in the back, found some information about gear ratios, but didn't really find a chart that says like 1st gear up to so and so speed, and so and so RPM etc...
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Old 04-10-2012, 06:37 AM   #4
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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.
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Old 04-10-2012, 07:12 AM   #5
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Like this? Page 251 of my owner's manual
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Old 04-10-2012, 09:21 AM   #6
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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.

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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.
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Old 04-10-2012, 10:33 AM   #7
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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.
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Old 04-10-2012, 10:39 AM   #8
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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.
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Old 04-10-2012, 10:47 AM   #9
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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).
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Old 04-10-2012, 11:28 AM   #10
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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

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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.

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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
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Old 04-10-2012, 11:45 AM   #11
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I try and run it to above 6k RPM once a day when it gets drove, it just sounds soooo good
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Old 04-10-2012, 12:00 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kianfar View Post
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.
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Old 04-10-2012, 12:15 PM   #13
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I will echo the previous posts about feeling free to rev the engine however you like. The fun actually starts at 4K rpm when the VarioCam kicks in and the engine sound is pure and clear.

And after 32 track days with the engine at 4.5K-6K rpm for at least an hour per day (that's 32+ hours spent at or near redline) along with 106,000 miles, my engine still runs like it was brand new.
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Old 04-10-2012, 01:46 PM   #14
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In my 3.6, I try to never let the rpms go below 3000 unless I am in traffic. I normally cruise on country roads at 3000 just below where the vario-cam kicks in in either 4th, 5th or 6th. I use the car from 3k to 5k most of the time but I always push the redline at least once every day I drive the car. Usually in the afternoon on the way home there is a straight stretch with only crops on both sides and it is a good place to let the engine rev freely.

My wife's 2.5 is not as rpm happy as my car, it is a 5 speed and seems to live about 1000 rpms below mine across the board. It cruises nicely between 2000 and 3500.
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Old 04-10-2012, 03:19 PM   #15
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Oh my, reading these responses, I feel like I'm an outsider to my car. We need to go on more dates. Boy, I'm glad I'm on these forums.
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Old 04-10-2012, 04:28 PM   #16
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Don't feel bad I had to re-learn how to drive when I got my Porsche, I had driven V8s for a long time and felt that I was doing the engine a dis-service if I went over 2500 RPMs. I have since learned to enjoy the free revving of the flat six and now I even let my old V8 get up to 4000k rpms without feeling guilty.

Just remember that the Porsche was built to drive and enjoy.
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Old 04-11-2012, 06:14 AM   #17
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Regarding your question about what rpms to start at from a stop...well, that's really dependent on your skill and the situation you're in. I usually try to get the car moving from a stop with as little throttle as possible, though sometimes I end up giving it a bit more than needed and having to ease the clutch a bit more. If you know the car well at this point and how the clutch behaves, you should be able to get moving easily and without a whole lot of unnecessaty noise and clutch wear. It's very easy to get this car moving just on the clutch alone, so no need for an extra 1000rpms to get moving.

My commute does involve a mean hill, and my turn is right at the crest, which is a non-issue when going down it, but can be hairy when the light at the top turns red when I'm on my way up it. Even automatic cars roll back on this hill, and yet people always love to get right behind you when you're stopped at this light. In these cases I end up launching the car rather hard at a higher rpm and a quicker dumping of the clutch so I roll back as little as possible. It's not a frequent thing, but it does happen. These types of things are the exception rather than the rule, though, so what I said above is more relevant to your question.

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