Smooth shifting

[Motogordo]

Is there a special rpm that one should shift in order to get a smooth shift without the hesitation that sometimes happens ?

 

[glynnk]

Is there a special rpm that one should shift in order to get a smooth shift without the hesitation that sometimes happens ?

On mine, with the engine fairly cold, I have smooth shifts at 5,000 rpm; when it warms up a little less than 5,000 rpm seems to work for me.

Glynnk

 

[waytootall67]

On mine, with the engine fairly cold, I have smooth shifts at 5,000 rpm; when it warms up a little less than 5,000 rpm seems to work for me.

Glynnk

Wow I'm shifting way too early it seems. I am normally in 4th at 65km.:gaah:

 

[ARtraveler]

:spyder2: likes higher rpm's. Most seem to shift 4000 and higher. You will find a sweet spot where the shifts become seamless.

Downshifting: My :spyder2: likes it about 4000 when shifting down from 5 to 4 or 4 to 3. It likes 3000 when shifting down 3, 2, 1.

Yes, it will downshift automatically at about 1500--but you usually get the clunk, clunk. Much smoother at 3000 and manually downshifting.

I usually keep :spyder2: in 4th until I exceed 60 mph.

:spyder2: will shift and run at lower rpm's--but you get better use of the powerband at the higher ranges.

Experiment and see what works best for you.

 

[Pandy]

Shifting

What akspyderman said. The only thing I could add is you should not shut the throttle too much whilst shifting. The machine if perfectly happy shifting without moving the throttle at all, but most of us acquire a feel for just how much to "feather" the gas to ensure smooth shifts. Enjoy your learning curve, it will flatten out rapidly. And, if it hasn't been said lately, let the :spyder2: do it's thing it was engineered to do,hang on and ENJOY.:yes:

Patrick

 

[Dudley]

If you have an SE5, shift it just like your automatic does in your car. Do not reduce the throttle...just maintain the RPM and feather the paddle shifter, but don't shift in any less than 4500 RPM range. The shift to 5th should be at highway speed...65 or better when you will maintain that speed. When coming to a stop, shut the throttle down completely...let the engine shift itself at 2500 RPM.

 

[3pod]

Shifting

Interesting info on this blog. My transition from my Harley to RT
SE-5 answered here. I have been shifting around 3000 rpm and sometimes get a hesitation / hiccup when it shifts. So taking all this in as stated I'll make adjustments and use higher rpms. Certainly a continued learning process on these magnificient machines.

 

[NancysToy]

Interesting info on this blog. My transition from my Harley to RT
SE-5 answered here. I have been shifting around 3000 rpm and sometimes get a hesitation / hiccup when it shifts. So taking all this in as stated I'll make adjustments and use higher rpms. Certainly a continued learning process on these magnificient machines.

The thing to remember when shifting is that you have to be at high enough rpm in the new gear, that the transmission won't want to shift back down. The Spyder drops about 1,000 rpm per gear in the upper gears, so shifting at 3,000-3,500 rpm would drop it to around 2,000-2,500 rpm...at which point it would want to automatically downshift again. This is what causes the hesitation sometimes. The poor thing is just confused! A little more rpm is not a bad thing, and will usually not hurt your gas mileage, since if you are too low on the power curve, you would tend to open the throttle further to compensate, using more fuel rather than less.

 

[SilverFox1]

Thanks for writting that Scotty! I just love you!! Since I bought my RT-Limited, I have had more people come to visit than I've ever had before (go figure). Three friends have taken the plunge so far and a few more are doing so in the near future. However, I just can't get them to understand this theory. They don't believe the gas mileage I'm getting. They are all way off the target on this one! Shift at a higher RPM I tell them and you will get better gas mileage. (There are limits of course). I actually think their wives and partners understand better than the guys. There is a thread on here where some folks have noticed a possibility of better gas mileage when pulling an RT622 trailer. Well,,, since the fact that you dial your ryde into "trailer mode", it forces you to shift at a higher rpm, does it not? Therefore since you are shifting at higher rpm's comes the better gas mileage. Voila!! Scotty, if I am wandering too far from the truth please let me know and I will go into hiding.

SilverFox

 

[Marker]

Is there a special rpm that one should shift in order to get a smooth shift without the hesitation that sometimes happens ?

I usually shift gears at around 4500rpm , when I shift with lower rpm sometimes I get a hesitation.

 

[Motogordo]

Shifting at 3,000 rpms

Interesting info on this blog. My transition from my Harley to RT
SE-5 answered here. I have been shifting around 3000 rpm and sometimes get a hesitation / hiccup when it shifts. So taking all this in as stated I'll make adjustments and use higher rpms. Certainly a continued learning process on these magnificient machines.

I just came back from riding tonight and found that I prefer to shift around 3000 rpms with the throttle released each time. I find this to be smooth with almost no hesitation of hiccups. It is exactly the same in my 02 MR2 Spyder convertible. (5 speed ). Just let go of the gas, push in the clutch and shift. This is how I shift in my car. Shouldn't it be the same ? Do we need to use higher rpms for any special reason ? I do make the shift at just over 3,000rpms on the Spyder.
Motogordo:yes:

 

[NancysToy]

I just came back from riding tonight and found that I prefer to shift around 3000 rpms with the throttle released each time. I find this to be smooth with almost no hesitation of hiccups. It is exactly the same in my 02 MR2 Spyder convertible. (5 speed ). Just let go of the gas, push in the clutch and shift. This is how I shift in my car. Shouldn't it be the same ? Do we need to use higher rpms for any special reason ? I do make the shift at just over 3,000rpms on the Spyder.
Motogordo:yes:

There are some very good reasons to use higher rpm. First of all, at too low an rpm, the Spyder will refuse to shift at all, because it would drop low enough in the higher gear to just immediately shift back. Second, under high load conditions, it is very possible to lug the engine, straining the bearings and causing possible detonation. There is a reason they raise the shift point in trailer mode. There is a big difference in the range of the power band on the Spyder engine, with a redline of 9,000-10,000 rpm and an auto engine with a redline of 5,000-6,000 rpm. Shifting the Toyota at three grand is doing it at around 50% of the rpm range, while three grand on the Spyder is only 30%. That is certainly not where the engine is happiest. JMHO

 

[Motogordo]

Smooth Shifting

Is there a special rpm that one should shift in order to get a smooth shift without the hesitation that sometimes happens ?

I took a couple more rides in the local area and used the same method I used before , and it works perfectly. I bring the RPM's to about 3,000 and then I back off the gas and shift. It is smooth every time, and I get NO hesitation and NO hiccups.

Gordon
p.s. When I downshift, I go just below 3,000 rpm's. The downshifting works great and so does the automatic downshift.:chat: