hey guys...i was just wondering...wat is the best time to shift gears performance wise? i have a 05 S with shifting pads...

 

Shifting pads - you mean the MCS automatic?

"Generally speaking", if you want performance, you want to run each gear all the way to the redline. The true best acceleration might not actually be all the way to the redline, but I only said generally. Redlining each gear and shifting right at that last moment that it is about to hit the redline is a thrill all to itself, especially in a manual transmission.

A couple of notes though:

• Don't rev the engine really high when the engine is cold. Go easy on it, shifting early and smoothly... until you know the engine is fully warmed up. That doesn't mean park it with the engine running and wait, either... it's important for all components of the car to warm up, not just the engine.
• Don't be stupid. Redlining is fun, but high speed testing is not for the street. Stay within reasonable limits of speed.
• Be aware that accellerating aggressively, even if you don't actually break the speed limit, can be enough to get you pulled over and get a ticket, for such things as "display of speed". When you start to push an engine hard, wheelspin and tire squeal can very much become part of the experience... and get you a lot of attention - both wanted and unwanted!

 

AMEN! Important for auto tranny fluid to be at operating temp, as well as other lubricants - and for the dissimilar metals in the engine to warm equally so they're within tolerances.

With an auto trans, your best bet is usually to let the trans do the work for you on accel, using the brain cells freed up (by not concentrating on shifting) to concentrate on route selection and thinking ahead. I don't know if the DBW throttle will allow much in the way of brake-torque launches (holding the car still while revving the engine against the brakes, "preloading" the trans), but that can help if you don't spin the tires excessively as a result.

Speaking of which, experiment with the traction control off. This can allow a useful amount of wheelspin and doesn't bog the engine if it "chirps" the tires into the next gear. Weather and pavement conditions will affect your choices here.

[soapbox] Also, brakes are for slowing, engines are for going. Downshift while slowing down ONLY if you need to be in that lower gear, almost immediately, to keep the engine in the powerband for acceleration. Downshifting to a stoplight is ONLY useful if you have a racing, sequential, gearbox (or want to show off to uneducated folks while making boy-racer noises). Minis don't have gearboxes like that. Well, some full-race, tube-frame, $50k+ track Minis might, but ours certainly don't. [/soapbox]

You probably don't do that and were asking about acceleration - sorry [/soapbox]

Good question, though, and good answer in the post above mine. Technically, the answer is an "area under the curve" answer - you upshift when your engine is running out of steam in the existing gear and the engine RPMs in the next gear will allow the engine to be in (or approaching) the meat of the powerband. Shifting too early can "bog" the engine, shifting too late can detonate it (overrev) or run into the rev limiter (limiting also the acceleration).