What are your shifting habits:
1. In normal city/suburban traffic do you shift through all the gears or do you "speed shift"
2. At what RPM do you shift to a higher gear (both when hard accelerating and when being conservative)
3. At what RPM do you believe is to low that you are "lugging" the engine
4. Do you ever upshift, downshift or just put the gearshift back into neutral while driving without using the clutch

 

I shift when it feels right... which changes

 

1. Whatever is correct for the given conditions.
2. Usually around 5000
3. 2000
4. Nope

 

1. I like to row through all the gears.
2. 5000/3000
3. 1000-1500 depending on the gear.
4. Nope.

P.S. - R56 driver here

 

1. I try to go through all the gears, but won't go to 1st at a light when stopping - I roll to a stop in neutral after 2nd.
2. 5000 hard, 3000 conservative (I am usually more conservative)
3. 2000 for the low
4. Never ever.

 

1. Depends, but I don't use 1st for much or for long.
2. 3500 to 4000--maybe more if there's an 18 wheeler involved. Why flog the engine?
3. 1500. On our old Porsche 356 it's an ironclad 2000, but the gearing is much taller. The MINI easily gets along with lower, why flog the engine?
4. Not really, will put it in neutral without the clutch when at low speeds when coming to a light, though, since it will be in neutral while stopped.

Just noticed--this is in the General Section, which includes the R53s. I have the R56--no need for the higher RPMs with the turbo, and the general versatility of the gearing/torque curve. Power kicks in at 1500. Huge difference!

 

Because it's FUN!

1) "Speed shift" = shifting w/o removing foot from gas. Never, but some racers do it. If by speed shift you mean I'm taking it real easy and skipping gears every now and the, the answer changes to "sometimes" . I'll go 1-3 or 1-2-5, or 1-2-5-6, or 1-3-5 if it's pragmatic. No harm there at all (provided shifts are clean).

2) 2800-4300 conservative, 4500-5000 harder accel, "to redline" occasionally

3) Depends on load. 1500-ish I guess, unless I'm trying to accelerate and the current gear doesn't give me the torque delivery to do so, then I change down.

4) ALWAYS use the clutch. Downshifting to a complete stop, even using the clutch and rev-matching, is unnecessary (a topic oft discussed in the early days of ANY forum with manual trans cars in it!). It sure SOUNDS good though! Downshifting to be in the right gear to exit a corner or otherwise accelerate, however, is encouraged!

 

I may have misinterpreted question 1. Yes, I do skip gears when appropriate. I frequently bypass 5th, for example. And it is true I don't use 1st for much.

As for my comment "why flog the engine," I believe in saving the engine during routine driving. Nothing says I can have fun when I'm having fun, though! And the turbo pulls so strongly from 1500 rpm, there's really no need to wind the engine up to 5,000, as some have suggested, unless there's an 18-wheeler about to cream you. Different strokes for different folks, I guess, but I'm glad I won't be buying your used car.

(Those of you driving R53s ought to test the R56. That turbo's a BLAST!)

 

What's wrong with putting the car in neutral w/o the clutch?

 

1. Usually go through all the gears, unless for some reason I'm flooring and can skip a gear.

2) About 3000 RPMs most of the time, maybe higher when I'm trying to accelerate faster.

3) I'd say around 1500, although I usually shift down to keep the needle at 2000 or above.

4) Nope, ALWAYS use clutch.

 

I usually use 1st, 2nd, 4th in town............1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th when getting on the hiway..........About the only time I use them all is on the track, but I rarely get 5th then, and never 6th

 

1. I often skip 5th and sometimes go 3rd to 5th, very occasionally 3rd to 6th.
2 & 3. Never thought I would ever say this, but I could almost live without the tach. I shift by feel and sound. I would have to look to find out.
4. Never

 

Good point. I usually do, too--only occasionally look at the clock, but it's about the right "sound/feel" for what I normally do.

 

1. Occasionally I skip gears, usually just the 4-6 amd skip 5. I have occasionally done the speed shifting, but thats when I am lazy on a long straight section of road thats wide open.
2 & 3. I was taught to drive manual without a tach, and everyone of my manual tranny cars did not have a tach. So it's all sound and feel. If I look I don't think I ever go above 5k though.
4. I used to on my Focus, but I don't with the MINI

 

I never power shift, I don't let the engine get below 2,000, I never get above 6,000 rpm anymore, and I always heel-toe down shift. At lights, I have it in neutral.

 

1. Shift normally. If I know there's a slowdown up ahead, I'll keep it in a lower gear (no need to make an extra shift when your going to slow down in 5 seconds).
2. aggressive - 4500-5000. conservative - 2500. occasional trips to redline.
3. in the low gears, 1500. 1750 in 4th, 2000 in 5th/6th.
4. I shift into neutral all the time w/o clutch (as long as you get it at the on-off transition it works great). Never shifted into a gear w/o clutch.

I double clutch my downshifts when I'm not on the brakes and add a heel-toe in the mix when I am braking.

 

1. All gears in "normal driving," sometimes skip 4-5th if I redlined the first couple.
2. Normally, about 4k, unless feeling frisky, in which case I'll bounce it off the limiter.
3. About 2.5k. I like to cruise at 3k or thereabouts.
4. Nope.

 

Just out of curiosity, what speed is 3,000 rpm in 6th in the R53?

It's 70 on mine.

 

Sounds about right. (Though, factoring in the speedometer error, it would actually be more like 67-ish.)

To answer the OP:
0) I generally go by sound/feel. But it probably works out to the following:
1) I think I row through the gears.
2) Quick acceleration: 5000 rpm to redline; typical: 3000-4000 rpm; conservative (sloooow traffic): 2000-3000 rpm
3) Probably around 1500
4) Clutch always.

 

Is there a rev limiter on the S? At what rpm? I think redline starts at 6800? I've never looked at the torque curves but especially with the supercharger, my seat of pants feel is that anything above 6000 or 6200rpm is fun just to hear the engine, but you have more torque if you upshift before you hit redline.

 

There's a rev limiter, I've heard it on others' cars at the track but have not hit it myself. daffodildeb, don't misinterpret my intent! "flog" can have several meanings - and while there's no harm with revving an engine to 5000 or up to redline every so often, it'd be quite foolish to shift there all the time! Legend has it that such hoolgan-ish behavior helps "blow the carbon out of the cylinders", but with today's technology in engine management that's likely not an issue as in the carburetor days, when over-rich mixtures could leave unburned gas if the engine wasn't revved or run hot....

 

1. Always through all the gears on the highway I may go from 6 to 4 (with rev matching) if I need to pass something in a hurry and i am still doing the speed limit.

2. I try to aim for 4000, if i have to pass something on a steep grade i may run it all the way to 6000 (redline if i forget to shift). I keep it around 3000 while the engine is still warming up.

3. I usually feel like i am starting to lug it around 1000 RPM, that said my tach regularly gets close to around 600. Is that a bad thing?

4. Nope, dont do that.