ls1ssws6

ok so i bought my first ta yesterday...2001 nhra with heads/cam exhaust/intake m6...so on my way home on the highway i woud be doin about 80 in 6th just cruisin along...if i wanted to pass an 18 wheeler (hate drivin next to them) i would downshift to 5th and punch it,pass then go back to sixt...but i noticed though its strong its not as strong as i imagined this car would be....so my question is if i were to race and i was crusin at 70-80ish what gear should i downshift into and what is the proper way to downshift?

i ask cause i dont want to loose to a honda and have some civic owner with only exhaust braggin how he beat a cam/head ls1....also i just want to learn about my car

thanks

DBEST369

drop into 3rd but you'll have to shift soon since you'll be in like 5000 RPM at 75 or 80MPH or you can go into 4th and you wont have to shift as soon but alot lower rpms, i'd go with 3rd lol but thats just me

DBEST369

if you just want to pass some not racing go into 4th

shoemike

iTrader: (25)

5th gear sucks for power.
i got smoked by a C6 ZO6 while trying to pull in 5th.
know your motors power band and use gears accordingly.

ls1ssws6

thanks i will probably do 3rd that seems like the most common people are saying on here.....

yea i guess i dont have the driver mod yet but once i get used to her and learn how she works i think a heads/cam/exhaust/intake car should pull some pretty nice moves on the highway

glad i posted this now before i raced a civic on the highway and got smoked cause i downshifted to 5th instead of third hahah

BlackScreaminMachine

iTrader: (17)

I dont know about you guys.

but here is my situation.

2002 T/A non ram air
Un tuned
Lid
Headers
Exhaust
3800 pounds w/ driver
4.10's w/ 6 speed

I have no issues acclerating in 6th, revving 2k rpms.

Now I understand if you have a donkey dick cam in there, the power band is pushed forward but that car should have no issues passing a semi.

ls1ssws6

no no no no.....i dropped into 5th and flew by the semi, i didnt say i had problems passing it....i guess it was written wrong...i just wanted to know what gear i should drop to when about to get it on on the highway....the car is tuned and has headers as well....

tylergarceau

iTrader: (2)

exactly what he said, if u wanna impress someone redline the bitch lol, if its stock u dont have to shift out of 4th till just after 120

tylergarceau

iTrader: (2)

stock gears that is

Zero4488

iTrader: (10)

Take some time, learn the car, learn what each gear revs out to mph wise and take it from there...

skyhighsami

iTrader: (8)

2nd gear 3rd is for pussies......I kid I kid......just spend some time getting to know the car.

ls1ssws6

you guys are right....ill probably take her for highway trips and just learn the different shift points, hot/dead spots, and get used to it....just want advice so i dont blow up the tranny

red_ryderSS

iTrader: (1)

When ur downshifting, ur rev matching right or just throwing it gear? If u have 3.42 , going 75 blip the throttle to 4800rpm and thro it in 3rd. Then u have around 1500 rpms to hit fourth and by then u'll be scootin good. Have fun with ur new ride.

ls1ssws6

i think i was just clutch/5th no rev matching...so if im cruisin at say 75, i push the clutch rev up to 4800 then go into third? sorry for the n00b questions i just want to drive her the right way

68birdls1

iTrader: (46)

I'm with blackscreaminmachine, there should be no reason why you can't just pull past the semi fine in 6th. I have the mods in my sig and I can do it without a problem. Even at 60 mph I can give it just some gas in 6th and I am scootin fine. But like he said, unless you have a super big cam... BTW what are the specs on the cam

black01_WS6

iTrader: (13)

he never said he couldn't pass the semi easiely, he just wanted to know if it had more power in it still- if he could drop another gear or two.

I drop mine to 3rd gear at 70. if you are still on your stock rear be careful.

68birdls1

iTrader: (46)

Why do you say be careful?!? If you are rev matching what would the problem be? Just yesterday I raced a sl500 and was doing 75 and put it in 3rd and pulled very nicely up to about 110 then I put it in 3rd. I do turn it up to 6500 tho

ls1ssws6

no i dont have a problem pullin on the semi haha i just was using that as a reason that started me thinkin about shifting....

i believe it is the stock rear.....

when you say rev matching exactly what do you mean what revs should i do to throw it into 3rd cruisin at 70ish??? the cam is Comp Cam 224/230 581/589 114

StripedZebra

iTrader: (6)

I was once told that with the stock gears, anything under 95 mph, hit 3rd. Nothing will get the jump on you

Z Fury

iTrader: (1)

I didn't read all the answers (short attention span, sorry), but I've been told that 5th and 6th gear are both overdrive type gears, more or less. If you want to downshift for power, hit 3rd or 4th. If you are downshifting to 5th for more power, you'd better be doing about 120+. But yeah, for normal highway travel, if I need the power, I grab 3rd or 4th, depending on the speed, and what I'm doing.

As said, drive the car, learn the redline speeds, and you can adjust your shifting habbits accordingly. I spent about 3 weeks driving around looking at my speedo and thinking about "what gear would I grab in this scenario" kinda thing.

PS - Enjoy the new car!