6000. my peak power is not at redline. there is no sense in running it longer in that gear if im not going to get more out of it.

 

Peak hp in a stock LS3 Camaro is 5900 rpm; redline is 6500, unless yours is an auto (not an LS3 then). If you are shifting at 5500 rpm, you aren't even reaching peak power, unless your mods have somehow lowered the peak speed by 400 rpm.

Also, the point is to maximize the average power throughout the rev range used in each gear. As JakeRobb explained earlier, if you shift right at the peak, you haven't taken advantage of the "near peak" power that you are still making just past the peak point. That puts you in a taller gear at a lower engine speed (farther away from the horsepower peak).

These are generalities, though. If you had an engine with an unusually steep fall off in torque (and thus, power) immediately after the power peak, it might not work out as well to go much beyond the peak hp speed. But assuming that the power output doesn't completely nosedive, you are likely better off doing what JakeRobb described earlier.

 

In that case you need to get as close to the 6500 limiter as you can !

 

You simply do not understand, even though it was explained verbally and graphically for you above.

 

check the redline again..... and mine is not a stock ls3.....

 

i guess not... case closed.

 

The rev limiter is at 6500. We're not talking about the actual red line on the tach.

The image below shows the actual red line at 6250. I don't know if it's a photo of an actual production car.

 

Didn't you say that four (4) replies ago?

EDIT: And you have a "stage 2" cam, which certainly won't LOWER the peak HP, and most likely RAISES it, resulting in an even higher recommended shift point. But we can lay that to rest if you'll post up the 460 RWHP dyno graph you have. Would be interesting to see...

I'm holding it back Jason....I really am!

 

Don't have a car in front of me, but according to the Road & Track article comparing the SS to the Mustang GT 5.0L, the redline is at 6500 rpm, and the fuel shutoff / limiter kicks in at 6600 rpm. I don't know where the line is on the graphic in the car. I thought I recalled 6500 or 6600 rpm from when the LS3 debuted in the Vette as well.

Anyway, even if it is 6250, shifting at 5500 rpm is not the way to go. And if you have an aftermarket cam, well, they typically bump the peak power UP in speed, not down, as Mr. Cosby pointed out. Not all cams, though, so perhaps you went for a more "streetable" cam that boosted power in the midrange. I dunno. But 460 rwhp suggests to me that your cam makes some bigger power at the upper end of the tach.

 

What is the rpm band on an SS LS3 with the M6? 800rpm?

 

Everything will be different.

Not to mention your rev limiter should not be 6500 unless your tuner is lazy.