yeah it makes sense that 2nd was a waste of time, but hey i tried it and wont do it agian. Hey ya live and learn!

 

Yea thats what you gotta do...practice practice practice. Like my stang was the first manual id ever driven, i SUCKD! But one of my car buddies took me under his wing and showed me the ropes of shifting lol...now im like a fender from beating him (hes got a 00 GT with raven mufflers, xpipe, and a sts).

 

I still think we kinda missed the point though. We shouldn't be slamming him on the shifting even though i said he needs a drive mod lol. Congrats on the win and keep representin!

 

Then, you should also know that the tranny will not get destroyed as you had previously stated. Also, if one can stay in 2nd for an additional 10 mph or more(which is possible for the OP to do when d/s to 2nd at 65 mph if his redline is set at 6500 rpm) and one is a quick shifter, then 2nd gear can give a nice acceleration boost.

 

Gotta respectfully disagree for these reasons.
HP(not torque) is the predominant force that accelerates a car at 65 mph, since air resistance(not weight) is the predominant force trying to slow it down.
The S197 GT's engine is still building HP in 3rd at 65 mph with 3.31's.
On the other hand, its engine is near or at its peak HP in 2nd at 65 mph with 3.31's.
Thus, the engine is able to produce more acceleration force in 2nd at that speed.
But since the engine is already spinning extremely fast, then the driver wants to make sure that the tranny can remain in 2nd for at least another 10 mph or longer(which is possible for the OP to do if his rev limiter is set at 6500 rpm), and that he/she is also a very quick shifter. Unfortunately, the latter is a talent that most drivers do not possess, which means most drivers will probably want to start in 3rd at that speed.

 

i will admit wheni did go into second i took off like crazy with a nice chirp of the tires and i was gooone, but like i said before prolly wont do it agian at that speed ne ways, like i said just wanted to try it once to see what happens, what do you think would be a safe speed to ds into second?(with the 3.31 gears of course)

 

If I'm on the highway going 50-60 and someone wants to run then I'll drop into 2nd... but if I'm over 60 then it's third gear all the way.

I just don't see the advantage of running a lower gear for 7-10mph... besides, this is my DD so there is no sense in beating on it.

 

There's the proof that 2nd will give more "pop" than 3rd at 65 mph with 3.31's, but ya gotta be a quick shifter.
What rpm is your rev limiter set at in your tune?

 

If you have the chance, then try this:
Start in 3rd gear at 61 mph, and time how long it takes to get to 80-90 mph.
Then, start in 2nd at the same speed, and time how long it takes to get up to those same speeds by shifting from 2nd to 3rd right before your engine reaches its rev limit. And no slow motion on the 2-3 shift. Gotta do it as quick as you physically can.
You may be surprised.

 

61mph and 65mph are two completely different beasts when you're talking about being THAT high in the RPM range.

I've raced motorcycles and done enough performance driving events to know what you're getting at, but I don't agree with you... plain and simple. :-)

For the average joe without a STS and one who doesn't want to speed shift... you're much better off just going from 3rd. If you don't mind beating on your clutch (ie speed shifting) then and you can shift uber fast, then maybe you're a TINY bit faster going from 2nd. But for the vast majority of folks here, I'm positive they'd be faster going in 3rd.