Quote:
Originally Posted by paulca
Power is what you should base shifts on. Highest area under the curve.
|
Yep, and you want to shift when you are past peak power. Specifically, you want to shift so that you're making the same power in the next gear as you are in the current one. For example, if you're in a car that makes 200hp at 7krpm, 185hp at 7400rpm, 185hp at 6200rpm, and you lose 1200rpm when you shift at 7400rpm, you'd want to let it rev all the way out to 7400rpm before shifting. If you shift at the peak power point at 7000rpm, you'll drop down to ~5900rpm or so, where you'll be making less than 185hp, while if you delay the shift, you'll be making >185hp all the way up to 7400, and when you shift, you'll continue making 185+hp in the next gear as well.
(That doesn't mean you always want to shift at redline, just that you always want to shift past peak power)