I've been reading for a while and cannot seem to find what I'm looking for. I just recently picked up a 96 Cobra for a DD while I'm rebuilding the engine for my 04. The car from what I can tell has a bbk, 62mm tb, gutted out stock h-pipe, dynomax mufflers with stock tail pipes, a densicharger cai, 3.73's. I'd like to know where you guys shift to achieve the best performance from these cars. The red on the tach as all of you know is 6800 rpm but the engine is rated at 305 @ 5800 rpms. Typically shifting a couple hundred rpm from power peak is optimum. The mods I have might move the power up slightly but I wouldn't think I should pull it all the way to 6800 to get the best time from it.
shift points
- Thread starter JPB
- Start date
7000. Don't shift at 6000. Just don't
7k all day, everyday! These motors love the high rpms.
+1 on 7,000. If you take your car to a track, you can notice a big difference in times shifting at anything less than 7,000 verses 7k
I have shifted at 7,000 a few times. Car runs smooth through the rpm
My Dyno sheet is proof that on a mostly stock engine the power starts dropping off right at/after 6000rpm.
Thank you for the dyno graph it is helpful. By looking at it 6500 rpm looks like the optimum shift point. Obviously it is looking horsepower after 6k; but it is gradual and it is still making enough power to be beneficial to hold it in gear and not lose time shifting. However, holding it to 7k seems counter productive becaue by that point it is making considerbly less power. From the way the graph is going; I wouldn't be surprised if it is only making 250rwhp by 7k. Due to that it seems like it'd be better to shift at 6500 and keep it in the power band.
remember shift a little higher than your peak because there is a lag between you changing gears and the rpms fall fast.
Right, peak is 5800-6000. 6500 is quite a bit past peak and 7000 is way past it.
I will stand by this,
In over 25 years of bracket racing in many many cars and many mustangs I have NEVER run a quicker time short shifting as I have taking it to redline.
And I have tried.
In over 25 years of bracket racing in many many cars and many mustangs I have NEVER run a quicker time short shifting as I have taking it to redline.
And I have tried.
B head engines make no midrange hp or tq, therefore you don't want to drop the RPMs too low, especially on the 1-2 shift. The image below shows why you should shift at 7000:
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I bought my cobra stock and from day one til now (4.10s, shortrunner, lt's, alum driveshaft, pulleys, etc) , it has always been faster when shifting at 6900-7000rpm no matter the bolt ons. OP, 7000rpm shifts or go buy a 2v instead and shift that at 6k.
our tachs are off on rpms...mine is off by 300 rpms at 7k..i usually shift at 7500 on my tach which is really 7200
Please explain this one.
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