Ideal shift points for 08 wrx?!!

[08silverwrx90]

hey can anyone tell me what the ideal shift points are for an 08 wrx? i would really appreciate the best for fuel efficiency and speed. thanks alot!

keep wrxing....

[Me&05WRX]

If this is your first manual car, my advice is to learn to feel the engine as it goes up in revolutions than relying on the tachometer. If you notice, an automatic car does not shift on certain rpms every single time nor does the driver watch the tach, as it varies on how it was driven; so should a manual car.

Take it easy on the gas pedal when accelerating from a stop. And you will know and feel when to shift, if you practice it.

[MiLaB21]

Originally Posted by 08silverwrx90

hey can anyone tell me what the ideal shift points are for an 08 wrx? i would really appreciate the best for fuel efficiency and speed. thanks alot!

keep wrxing....

keep your rpm's low, no need to beat the engine every time you drive it

[08WRXME]

If you want ideally, I would suggest around 2500-3000 rpm. enough power to move you, but not beating on the engine. also giving relatively good fuel economy.

Like they said though, it depends on the time, place and environment. if you're trucking up a big hill, you will stay in a gear longer than on flat land.

[RayfieldsWRX]

Yikes, shifting at 2500 rpms would drive me insane. I may as well be driving a Corolla.

My experience with 2 WRX's in varying states of mod would seem to indicate that throttle position is as important, if not more important, than shift points. In normal driving, I shift in the 3500 rpm range, so that power is there should I need it, but I don't depress the pedal any more than I need to. Depending on season and conditions, I reliably get between 26 and 29mpg. I experimented with driving VERY conservatively during the $4 gas period, and got 30mpg, but found that I needed a bit more "fun factor" in my driving experience.

[Me&05WRX]

Originally Posted by RayfieldsWRX

My experience with 2 WRX's in varying states of mod would seem to indicate that throttle position is as important, if not more important, than shift points.

Exactly! Feel how the car drives rather than watching as the rev's reach certain rpms. Road conditions varies so much to focus on shift points.

[corybb]

Originally Posted by RayfieldsWRX

...throttle position is as important, if not more important, than shift points.

Absolutely.

For alot of people...possibly you....this is your first turbo charged car. A turbo allows a whole lot of power to come out of a relatively small engine. However this comes at the cost of efficiency. When using the turbo more gas is pumped into the engine negatively affecting your mpg's.

ESPECIALLY in a turbo charged car. How far you're pushing down the pedal essentially will change how much you're using that turbo in there. If you watch ANY gauge, watch the turbo gauge (if you have one). As long as you stay off boost you can get GREAT mpg's....this is entirely NOT fun however.

So for fuel efficiency, only slightly depress pedal...rpms will rise slow, car will accelerate slowly, boost won't go into positive range. Shift around 3500 is about a good range...not everytime of course, just feel it.

For speed....um...push pedal down until it stops, never let up.

Now for a healthy mix between these. Accelerate smoothly, allow boost to go into positive range early when accelerating and then back off to where boost drops off to negative. This will give you some oomph and then settle into some mpg's.
Because if you really look at it, your mpg at any boost, throttle position at low speeds (<25mph) and while accelerating from a stop are pretty crappy...so it makes more sense to dip into boost during this already low mpg point than while at speed... once at like 40ish back off from throttle in all gears to get that efficient balance.

[wrx4lunch]

this is my daily drive routine...

i typically shift around 2700-3000, best indicator is the notch right after 2500, you get a little boost when you shift around those revs and for my tranny they're the smoothest shifts...i do this on streets.

but when i jump onto the freeway i push it to 3500-3800.

hope this helps, you just need to get to know her better, this will happen over time of course