How do you drive your 6spd LT1

Just wonderin how everyone drives their manual LT1s around.

When do you normally shift?

What kind of rpms do you normally target for cruisin?

I'm just wonderin as i dont want to run the rpms too low and hurt engine components, or the clutch or somethin.

But I do want to maximize gas mileage.

Thanks

:D

when Im just bumming around town I skip shift from first to third to fifth. I disabled CAGS cause I hate the idea of a computer controling what gear I can shift to.

I cruise under 2k RPM it doesn't hurt the engine at all unless you floor it in sixth going 35 or start off in third or something like that.

My 96 Trans Am came with 4.10 gears when I bought it, and I drive aggressive from stop lights, shifting at 5800 or so.
Cruising on the highway was around 1800 in 6th gear at 65 or so, if I remember correctly

I guess it depends on the mood I'm in. For Hi-way commuting, I try to stay below 2k, but above 1500 rpm. For cruising around I shift b/t 3-4k, for a bit more kick-rarely get above 4k, really. I'm pretty easy on the machine:)

i shift right before 2 grand on my 1st to 2nd shift to avoid skip shift, if i miss it though then i rev it out to 3 grand then shift to second. Or sometimes if i pull it out of first with the skip shift enabled i hold the clutch in till the r'spm drop and drop it in second. On regular shifts i keep it under 2200 especially when engine oil temp is cold. I mean there is really no reason to run the rpms up high for just normal city or highway driving because these cars have plenty of torque. If im accelerating down a hill then i skip all kinds of gears instead of going through all the gears. When i go for a joyride on the freeway i keep it over 95 cruising along, let me tell you, That engine is super happy at those speeds with all that air running over the radiator and balanced engine and constant oil pressure temp.... I dont drive city barely because my lt1 is my fun car and believe me it IS fun:thumb:

ps: that skip shift (CAGS) will go bye bye pretty soon

1-4-5 when behind a ton of cars at a light
1-3-5 when gently cruising around town
Both of the above get good gas mileage

1-2-3-4-3 for having fun.. Fourth to drop the rpms low while I slow down, then back to 3rd since, hey, I'm having fun, I want it louder! :D

1-4-5 when behind a ton of cars at a light
1-3-5 when gently cruising around town
Both of the above get good gas mileage

1-2-3-4-3 for having fun.. Fourth to drop the rpms low while I slow down, then back to 3rd since, hey, I'm having fun, I want it louder! :D

Interesting...I always go from 1-2-3-4-5 when drivin around the city

Maybe thats why my gas mileage isn't as great as it can be

I'll try doin 1-3-5

Just seems too slow to do that

I didn't even know my car had 6th gear Never used it ;)

Before I did all the heads/cam work, I would shift the car at about 2500rpms in most gears. I would cruise in 6th on the highway at 60-80 mph with it runnin below 2k rpms. The car has enough tq down low to warrant the slow shifts and it wouldn't bog it one bit unless you tried doing any kind of decent acceleration on the highway hangin in 6th gear. I would use the clutch but shift quickly to avoid too much rpm drop during shifts. I found it was very easy on the clutch and drivetrain as a whole even though many wonder why I am rowing the lever so quickly. I barely have to do any blending shifting the car this way.

When I had the clutch replaced (thought I fried it with the new power but turned out to be slipping due to oil getting on it), the clutch had a lot of life in it at 50k+ miles on it. Keep in mind I was a stupid HS kid and loved the 1-2 chirp so I must have been doing something right to keep the clutch in that good of shape.

-Brian

Around Town: I shift every gear through 5th @ about 2300, sometimes I even skip 4th... Plenty of torque down low, so no issues, and at that low RPM your not doing any damage anyways...

Having Fun: Usually shift @ about 6000 or so, If I am a little slow I'll hit the Rev limit, but hey I'm having fun right....:)

I usually go WOT and shift at 6800-7000rpms.

When driving normally I have no problem shifting at 1800 in all gears except. I use 6th most of the time except if I drop below 45 mph. No reason not too. At WOT I shift 1-2 @ 6K and 2-3 @ 5800. Can chirp 3rd that way :D

Just wonderin how everyone drives their manual LT1s around.hard.

Just wonderin how everyone drives their manual LT1s around.
Drive it like I stole it!

1-3-4-5 and 6th gear aswell when doing about 50mph due to the 4:11's

Interesting...I always go from 1-2-3-4-5 when drivin around the city

Maybe thats why my gas mileage isn't as great as it can be

I'll try doin 1-3-5

Just seems too slow to do that
WEll, If you shift around 3.5k for 1st, it's not terribly slow... I mean, sure, it's not fast, but if you do anything around here in the city, you'll get pulled over.. I got pulled over yesterday for no front plate.. dang.. No ticket, just a warning...:D
And no, I'm not drilling my bumper...

I row through every gear most of the time. I mirror my driving style in both my Camaro and Cobalt shifting at about 2500-3k gradually lowering the RPM of where I shift until I hit 5th and then 6th in the Camaro on 45mph+ roads. I target ~1800RPM for cruising or somewhere between 1500-2k. Still gives you some RPM to accelerate without lugging the engine.

I don't use the gas pedal off the line usually.. just slip the clutch a bit and go, then once its rolling, I start to lay into it... 4.56s I can actually drive uphill in 2nd by slipping the clutch out without using the gas... im not sure if this will still be possible after I switch to a spec stage 3, since i've heard bad things about chatter and whatnot...

I sometimes start in 2nd or 3rd or even 4th depending... I love skipping gears, but most of the time im crusing at about 1000 rpm in whatever gear i can be.. 6th @ like 30mph @ 1000rpm is where i spend most of my time.

When theres an open road though, drive it like you stole it.... 7k WOT pulls through each gear!

depends- if im being conservative -
i start in 2nd, then 4th then 6th


but thats rare, usually bang through everygear - and at least once a day bring her over 6400 :D

I am pretty gentle on my drivetrain during everyday driving -

1) I leave the car in neutral when stopped rather than leave the clutch pedal down in gear at stop lights (saves pilot bearing wear)
2) never hold the car on an incline with the clutch, and
3) rev match on all downshift

By doing little things like this, I have seen great clutch life. I have over 205K's on my daily driver econobox with the original clutch and its still not slipping. Granted, its not making v8 torque, either....

Most of the time, I dont skip gears and shift at about 2500 rpm. On the freeway, I put it in 6th most of the time to save gas, but if I need to pass anyone, I'll drop down a gear or three to avoid lugging the motor.
My stock internal LT1 sees a couple 5800 rpm shifts every time I drive it :)

I'm driving an LS1, but I'll chip in FWIW:

I use whatever gear will provide the acceleration I want, whenever I want. Cruising, I'll use the biggest gear possible while keeping revs over 1000. 5th gear at 30mph and 6th gear at 45mph are common.

When I'm in an all-out mood, I'll run WOT to the desired speed, shifting at redline, using whatever gears it takes to get there (usually just first, or sometimes first and second), and then skip right to 6th.