Proper shift point / powerband for racing?

wdkwang · 02-16-2011, 05:31 AM

So it's starting to feel more natural driving stick now, as it's been a week in the Z and it's my first manual. A friend wanted to take a 70mph roll so I popped it in 4th and gunned it. Keep in mind I have my winter tires on and VDC on cause I'm too puhsey to drive without it right now. I immediately had ~2 car lengths on him but then he was able to stay with me in 5th before I let off. Needless to say we were both surprised I didn't tear him a new one being that hes in a RSX Type-S with some bolt ons. I'm guessing hes pushing around 200-215 at the crank.
For one, this goes to show I don't know the powerband on the Z, and VDC kills speed.

ChrisSlicks · 02-16-2011, 06:24 AM

VDC doesn't kill speed. It kills power if activated due to loss of traction. In a straight on roll @ 70mph that isn't likely to happen. If it killed power you would know it as it would feel like someone lifted your foot off the gas.

NCSUPACK09 · 02-16-2011, 07:18 AM

#1 - I have to say that this forum does not condome street racing.

I dont know what bolt-ons he has, but being that the car has 205 hp stock, im guessing he has a little more than 215 at the crank (not that it really matters against a Z). Also, why are you dropping it into 4th at 70 mph? If you dropped it into 3rd he would have been a little dot in your rearview mirror. You need figure out which gears to select for your speed.

tsolin01 · 02-16-2011, 08:33 AM

I have a bad feeling about this thread lol

spearfish25 · 02-16-2011, 08:35 AM

He had winter tires on the car. VDC will activate during full throttle in 4th gear with winter tires. This could certainly have hurt the Z's acceleration.

cfweber · 02-16-2011, 08:36 AM

without bothering to read the manual or research/look up the numbers

one can feel where the powerband is

I need to work on smooth acceleration

at a track day you would think you'd eat him up alive

kenchan · 02-16-2011, 09:29 AM

We should all slow down and drive safely.

Red__Zed · 02-16-2011, 09:35 AM

If you were doing a 70mph roll, wouldn't you want to be in 3rd? I've had my Z mostly on low speed roads, but I think 4th might be too tall for a 70mph pull.

spearfish25 · 02-16-2011, 12:34 PM

At 70mph, the Z pulls much harder in 3rd than 4th. With winter tires though, VDC will activate in either of those gears. It's not until 5th gear that you can put the pedal flat and not get a VDC light flashing

spinhead · 02-16-2011, 12:49 PM

Yeah as far as I can tell, torque is almost constant throughout the RPM range, so you should basically put the car into the lowest gear that isn't redlining at your current speed and keep it there to redline. At 70, that would be 3rd. And yeah I got winter tires on currently as well, and when I drop it into 3rd and gun it, vdc is on almost constantly, so it's sort of pointless to try.

christian370z · 02-16-2011, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenchan

We should all slow down and drive safely.

LOL, drive under the speed limit and be even safer!

ImportConvert · 02-16-2011, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wdkwang

So it's starting to feel more natural driving stick now, as it's been a week in the Z and it's my first manual. A friend wanted to take a 70mph roll so I popped it in 4th and gunned it. Keep in mind I have my winter tires on and VDC on cause I'm too puhsey to drive without it right now. I immediately had ~2 car lengths on him but then he was able to stay with me in 5th before I let off. Needless to say we were both surprised I didn't tear him a new one being that hes in a RSX Type-S with some bolt ons. I'm guessing hes pushing around 200-215 at the crank.
For one, this goes to show I don't know the powerband on the Z, and VDC kills speed.

Those RSX-S's with K-Pro, gasket, etc. are pretty impressive. Guy I know who had one was trapping over 100mph in his off the spray.

As to what gear to be in, I used to just put my car in 4th (LS1, not a V6) and just floor it. Even from 60. Usually, the 911 or mustang or whatever I was racing would ease out on me by a car or so and I would reel it in and walk on by. It didn't seem to matter a whole lot unless the race was going to be over by 100mph or something. Of course, I don't know how you guys play your video games. That's how I played mine.

fairladyZ34 · 02-16-2011, 05:41 PM

double clutch into 3rd then hold on lol

wilsonp · 02-16-2011, 06:03 PM

Since torque is flat from about 2500RPM to redline, you really want to drop as low as possible assuming you will stay in gear longer than the next shift - at 70MPH you will be about 5300RPM in 3rd and can run up to about 95MPH before shifting (about 4.5 seconds), so definitely the right choice if you have the traction. (I'll assume you can shift faster than 4.5 seconds with the 6MT

.)

Hmmm - need to figure out how to convert torque in gears to acceleration to compute time to estimate the difference more accurately.

I really need to post my Torque in Gears spreadsheets!

ImportConvert · 02-16-2011, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fairladyZ34

double clutch into 3rd then hold on lol

What the hell? Why would OP have to double-clutch his trans? If it's broken already, OP needs to fix his ride and not be out racing it.

02-16-2011, 05:31 AM	#1 (permalink)
wdkwang Track Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: N/A Posts: 899 Drives: slidewayz Rep Power: 20	Proper shift point / powerband for racing? So it's starting to feel more natural driving stick now, as it's been a week in the Z and it's my first manual. A friend wanted to take a 70mph roll so I popped it in 4th and gunned it. Keep in mind I have my winter tires on and VDC on cause I'm too puhsey to drive without it right now. I immediately had ~2 car lengths on him but then he was able to stay with me in 5th before I let off. Needless to say we were both surprised I didn't tear him a new one being that hes in a RSX Type-S with some bolt ons. I'm guessing hes pushing around 200-215 at the crank. For one, this goes to show I don't know the powerband on the Z, and VDC kills speed. __________________ Powerhouse Amuse \| K&N Typhoon Intakes \| MotorDyne ART Pipes \| Borla Catback Exhaust \| B&M Short Shifter \| Intake Ducts \| Ichiba 25mm F/R Spacers \| Carbon Fiber Interior Vinyl Wrap \| Tints \| 10000k HIDs \| Vtak, yo!

02-16-2011, 06:24 AM	#2 (permalink)
ChrisSlicks A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: North East Posts: 6,203 Drives: 09 370Z Sport M6 Rep Power: 653	VDC doesn't kill speed. It kills power if activated due to loss of traction. In a straight on roll @ 70mph that isn't likely to happen. If it killed power you would know it as it would feel like someone lifted your foot off the gas. __________________ Hotchkis ARB \| Stillen CAI \| Art Pipes \| Berk CBE \| Stillen AP Racing Brakes \| AE Performance Oil Cooler \| BC Racing ER Coilovers \| Doran Control Arms

02-16-2011, 07:18 AM	#3 (permalink)
NCSUPACK09 Enthusiast Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Somewhere Posts: 407 Drives: '10 370Z MB 6MT SP Rep Power: 15	#1 - I have to say that this forum does not condome street racing. I dont know what bolt-ons he has, but being that the car has 205 hp stock, im guessing he has a little more than 215 at the crank (not that it really matters against a Z). Also, why are you dropping it into 4th at 70 mph? If you dropped it into 3rd he would have been a little dot in your rearview mirror. You need figure out which gears to select for your speed. __________________ 2010 Base 370z Magnetic Black 6MT SP Mods: Bone Stock

02-16-2011, 08:33 AM	#4 (permalink)
tsolin01 Track Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 657 Drives: 2010 370Z Rep Power: 16	I have a bad feeling about this thread lol __________________ SOLD 12/30/2011 2010 370Z Coupe Monterey Blue 6MT/Touring/Sport/Nav F.I. CBE CF w/ 12" Res \| V1 \| SecondSkin \| Stillen G3 \| EVO-R CF B-Pillars \| Volk GT-S Ti Gunmetal 19x9.5 +30 F, 19x10.5 +8 R \| Swift Spec-R Springs

02-16-2011, 08:35 AM	#5 (permalink)
spearfish25 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Naples, FL Posts: 4,117 Drives: to work Rep Power: 1856	He had winter tires on the car. VDC will activate during full throttle in 4th gear with winter tires. This could certainly have hurt the Z's acceleration. __________________ 2013 Cadillac V-Wagon, RIP Z

02-16-2011, 08:36 AM	#6 (permalink)
cfweber Enthusiast Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Independence Posts: 388 Drives: 10 370Z BS 6 SP Rep Power: 14	by the seat of your pants without bothering to read the manual or research/look up the numbers one can feel where the powerband is I need to work on smooth acceleration at a track day you would think you'd eat him up alive

02-16-2011, 09:29 AM	#7 (permalink)
kenchan A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: N/A Posts: 76,801 Drives: N/A Rep Power: 141520	We should all slow down and drive safely.

02-16-2011, 09:35 AM	#8 (permalink)
Red__Zed A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: window seat Posts: 28,940 Drives: Mostly on two wheels Rep Power: 119	If you were doing a 70mph roll, wouldn't you want to be in 3rd? I've had my Z mostly on low speed roads, but I think 4th might be too tall for a 70mph pull.

02-16-2011, 12:34 PM	#9 (permalink)
spearfish25 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Naples, FL Posts: 4,117 Drives: to work Rep Power: 1856	At 70mph, the Z pulls much harder in 3rd than 4th. With winter tires though, VDC will activate in either of those gears. It's not until 5th gear that you can put the pedal flat and not get a VDC light flashing __________________ 2013 Cadillac V-Wagon, RIP Z

02-16-2011, 12:49 PM	#10 (permalink)
spinhead Base Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: N. Bethesda, MD Posts: 162 Drives: 09 370z BS 6MT Rep Power: 3387	Yeah as far as I can tell, torque is almost constant throughout the RPM range, so you should basically put the car into the lowest gear that isn't redlining at your current speed and keep it there to redline. At 70, that would be 3rd. And yeah I got winter tires on currently as well, and when I drop it into 3rd and gun it, vdc is on almost constantly, so it's sort of pointless to try. __________________ Consequences will never be the same.

02-16-2011, 05:41 PM	#13 (permalink)
fairladyZ34 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Central NJ Posts: 1,577 Drives: 08 G37S Black M6 Rep Power: 18	double clutch into 3rd then hold on lol __________________ From Z to G to BMW and back to a G! Nismo for life

02-16-2011, 06:03 PM	#14 (permalink)
wilsonp A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Virginia Posts: 1,134 Drives: 2009 Touring Sp Nav Rep Power: 16	Since torque is flat from about 2500RPM to redline, you really want to drop as low as possible assuming you will stay in gear longer than the next shift - at 70MPH you will be about 5300RPM in 3rd and can run up to about 95MPH before shifting (about 4.5 seconds), so definitely the right choice if you have the traction. (I'll assume you can shift faster than 4.5 seconds with the 6MT .) Hmmm - need to figure out how to convert torque in gears to acceleration to compute time to estimate the difference more accurately. I really need to post my Torque in Gears spreadsheets! __________________ 2014 Cayman S PDK Sport Chrono White/Black Was 2009 370Z Touring Sport+Nav 7AT Metallic Black/Persimmon Was 1991 NSX Auto Black/Black Last edited by wilsonp; 02-16-2011 at 06:08 PM.

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