How high is too high?

[dan326]

I feel somewhat dumb for asking this, but when driving an 05 gt, what is the best rpm to shift? I know enough not to redline and have only gone as high as 5grand.How high can I go before I am running the risk of damaging something?How will this affect gas mileage?Can I drive like this all the time?

[wicked1981]

Im not a GT owner but many here on this forum will shift until they redline (not all the time but racing or something) which is what 8200rpm for a GT and 6400rpm for a base? Im sure it lowers your gas mileage because your rpms are high and its using more fuel faster.

[Dave_ca]

Best RPM to shift. I will give you two awsners on what I think is right.1. For every day driving, I shift at 3-4k RPM. No sense winding her up for no good reason.2. On the highway, doing passing maneuvers, I usually shift right before rev limiter (8400RPM) in third gear to land myself back in lift for 4th gear.

[BlueCrush]

WOW! A GT owner that has never hit lift? What a shame! Just kidding!Try it you'll like it!

[joatmon]

The thing that makes the GT worth having to buy premium fuel is that above 6200? RPM, the secondary camshaft kicks in for a sharp increase in power. You have to go out right now, and find somewhere you can wind up the RPMs to that point, up into the 7K range. Stop reading this right now, get your keys, and go out and do this.OK, now that you're back, in practical day to day driving, wind it up as far as you want before you shift. When to do it depends on the situation, but the engine should be able to handle it no problem. Winding up the RPMs all the time will hurt gas mileage some, if that's important. If you hit redline, the computer conrolling the engine will keep it from going higher. In calm day to day just cruising around, you probably don't really need to run up the RPMs. You should run them way up a couple of times, just so you know what your car will do, what to expect, what you can take advantage of when the situation arises.

[Ponyota]

I agree with joatmon. Get out there and hit lift in that baby. It might startle you at first and you'll let up on it. Your curiosity will get the best of you and you'll end up doing it again just to feel the power. Just lay into it and when you hit lift keep going until you hit the rev-limiter. It'll act as if your engine is shutting off and loosing power. When you feel that, just let up of the gas and shift. This will give you a good feeling of how your GT can act. It wont hurt your car to give it a try. I think your going to like the lift alot. I shift mine while driving in town at about 3k RPM into second. I think just driving the car until you get the feel for it will be the best bet. Have fun!

[jimincalif]

I will usually hit lift once every day or two just for fun. If you think someone is paying attention it is fun to surprise them. And good to know it's there if you need it for passing or merging on a highway. But when driving in traffic stuck behind minivans, etc, I probably shift around 4K most of the time.One note, don't try to hit lift with the engine cold, it won't work, just makes a funny noise and loses power. Drive a couple miles first. Enjoy.

[03VibeGT6Spd]

What ever you do don't go upto 6,200 rpms with your foot on the floor.It kind of like herroin, Once is all it takes.I hit lift every chance i get.On a serious side, When your showing up Mustang GT's on the highway you need to shift at redline to keep the engine in lift.My car doesnt like driving under 90mph! On the highway it run smooth at about 4k rpms in 6th gear, and I normally get about 31-32mpg at that speed.Go take a ride and bust your cherry. (removed)

[drunkenmaxx]

oh my god! youve never hit lift????redline that SOB!!!!!!

[MJN2]

I shift at 3-4k driving normally.Then again, it's rare for me to drive normally unless I'm in traffic.I live up here in the country a bit, so I hit lift a lot

[4X4CHICHI]

Love the lift, man (or woman.)

[JustinVGT]

Yes, you must go hit lift! I waited until after I hit 500 miles on my GT. I never went above 5k rpm during those first 500 miles. I remember that day on my way to work when I first hit lift. I took some empty out of the way roads to test it out. I just remember being so excited and getting the adrenaline rush. It's a lot of fun, you need to go try it out!About shifting, I normally shift around 3-4k rpm. I hit lift probably once every other day.

[dan326]

I took your advice and went out to put the hammer down. I went from 0-95 no problem. It was really something, seeing as how I have never driven that fast in my life. However, I don't know if I did it right.Starting from a dead stop, I put the pedal all the way down and shifted around 7grand. First gear, second gear, third gear, and I really felt like I was moving, but I didn't feel what I thought I would feel.I was expecting my car to lunge forward when I passed 6200. It didn't. I then thought that maybe I shouldn't have the pedal all the way to the floor. I tried it like that, and I think I felt a lunge, but I am not sure.So at the risk of sounding like Forrest Gump...Did I do it right?Should I have the pedal floored when I try to do this?Can I get lifted when starting in first gear?Am I supposed to feel a sudden surge?I guess even if I did it right or wrong, it was still a worthwhile experience.

[Pablo1669]

was your car warmed up good enough, or did you try it while she was still cold?

[03VibeGT6Spd]

It sounds like your car might have been cold.It won't hit lift until it is so warm.I usally have to drive for about 7 or 8 mins before mine is warm enough.other wise it won't go above 7,000rpms and lift wont work.after it warm when you past the 6k rpm mark it should get unusally loud and plant you back in your seat.don't worry about how high your rpms go, it has a built in rev limiter.But you should be shifting above 9,000 rpms.Don't sweat the high Rpms Yamaha Built your engine!it'll feel like a Turbo or NOS when LIFT kicks in.

[goodvibe]

He's got an 05. They don't hit lift until close to 7k. I wanna take you higher. And do it in a low gear. You'll feel it.

[Smokin' Rubber]

Right, if he has an '05 lift doesn't kick in until like 6,500 or 6,600 rpms

[goodvibe]

I think it's way up at 6800.

[Pablo1669]

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? 6800? what is the reason for the change?

[JustinVGT]

Yes, put the pedal to the metal, all the way down! When lift kicks in you should both feel the ~50 hp increase and hear the second camshaft kicking in. The engine becomes quite a bit louder and changes its tone. If you are light on the pedal and take it into lift, you won't feel it as much as if you were to floor it. Take it all the way up to 8200 rpm and shift into the next gear. Let us know how it goes the second time around.

[Jahntassa]

It's not quite as severe a kick as these guys describe it, but it's definitely there. Do NOT be afraid to hit that redline! The engine is extremely smart, and should stop you before you really hurt it. The first time you hit the rev-limiter (around 8200) it'll spook you, but at least you'll have a good idea of where to shift.If you shift right as you get to redline, you'll be golden. You won't hurt anything by doing so. You will notice the HP increase as you go further toward redline though.It does affect gas mileage, so I don't reccomend going for redline at every shift. Passing, or messing around is fine, but for normal day-to-day, i'll probably shift somewhere around 4k, depending on what the people are doing in front of me.You bought a GT, use it! It's no fun if you don't let loose now and again!

[dan326]

I have been having too much fun to get back to you about the whole lift experience. The kick is feeling more severe. A couple of questions though.First, is it possible that my car has to or had to "learn" how to lift? I say this because as I would try to lift, I would get nothing. The more I have been trying, however, I am starting to feel it. It really is a good time. I find myself looking for any excuse to put the hammer down. It is addictive which brings me to my next issue.How much is too much? Don't get the wrong idea. I am not saying that I am racing every chance I get, and most of the time I am shifting around 4500 rpms. But I do find myself looking for any excuse to hammer it. Was this car built for aggressive driving like this? I am hoping that it was. Some input would be appreciated.

[03VibeGT6Spd]

Quote, originally posted by dan326 » Was this car built for aggressive driving like this? I am hoping that it was. Some input would be appreciated.Well the engine was tuned and built by Yamaha in West Virgina.mine is just over 50k miles and it's still together, I think I push mine harder then most people on here do. I rag on it everyday. lolSo don't sweat it.Have fun and watch out for the Bear's.I warned you about it being addictive!