Best shift points for DCT that the track?

[Shaung]

I'm been searching around and can not find an clear answer for a stock M3. Some say just red line ever gear, other say 7000 is best.

Is there a definitive answer? I know it can be different for each gear.

Thanks is advance.

[bigjae1976]

Redline. But I do shift a little early in 4th to keep engine temps down. If the car starts getting hot I'll shift at 6k-7k. You really want to keep the revs above 5k to stay in the power band.

[PrimeBMW]

Redline every shift unless you don't want to upset the car in a certain place on the track.

[///M Power-Belgium]

Guys , it's time to think about our damn bearings !

[FormulaMMM]

Peak power comes at 8300 rpm. You'd be missing out on a lot of power/acceleration shifting at 7000.

But of course there are any number of scenarios on track where short shifting and being lower in the rpm band is advantageous. I've seen guys ride the red line through corners for example and that's most often not effective.

[Groundpilot]

Shift at around 8000rpm, if you are racing, then shift at red line.

[M3SQRD]

Redline unless, as others have stated, track layout benefits from short shifting.

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by ///M Power-Belgium

Guys , it's time to think about our damn bearings !

I ain't got no time for no stinkin' bearings! Lol

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by Groundpilot

Shift at around 8000rpm, if you are racing, then shift at red line.

That's a good point. My car with DCT and a stock exhaust was hard to gauge when I'm at redline. So I probably pulled the paddle at 8kish with the intention of running to redline. One way to really kill momentum in this car is to hit the redline.

[Shaung]

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

That's a good point. My car with DCT and a stock exhaust was hard to gauge when I'm at redline. So I probably pulled the paddle at 8kish with the intention of running to redline. One way to really kill momentum in this car is to hit the redline.

Yeah, I've bumped it a few times. Make's me think about getting that performance steering wheel.

[pkimM3r]

8500.

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by Shaung

Yeah, I've bumped it a few times. Make's me think about getting that performance steering wheel.

I just need more engine noise. I never hit the limiter in my 330 which had headers and a loud magnaflow exhaust.

[pkimM3r]

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

I just need more engine noise. I never hit the limiter in my 330 which had headers and a loud magnaflow exhaust.

active sound retrofit

[1MOREMOD]

Originally Posted by PrimeBMW

Redline every shift unless you don't want to upset the car in a certain place on the track.

this, i short shift a few spots where i would be shifting mid turn otherwise.

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by SlowSaloonM3

active sound retrofit

[pkimM3r]

Originally Posted by bigjae1976

m4 ppl swear by it.

[bigjae1976]

Originally Posted by SlowSaloonM3

m4 ppl swear by it.

Not anti-F8X...not a lover...but piping engine noises through the speakers is a tad over the top.

[1MOREMOD]

What if they tricked you into thinking you had a Ferrari v12?

[WarrantyTracker]

Your post-count shows a high number, so I'm assuming there's a decent chance you are an experienced track driver who's new to DCT.

If by some chance you are at a steep point on the track learning curve, my suggestion would be to activate your shift lights and upshift right when it gets to red. Prioritize your limited attention on vision, steering, vision, braking, and vision. Downshift to something in the 2-3-4 range as appropriate for the corners (hairpin, normal, sweeper).

This is not optimal power management, but can be a "good enough" approach until your experience develops and you multitask better. Don't be the guy who's so focused on his RPM that he doesn't see the waving yellow flag at the next tower ahead, promptly as it becomes visible from your vantage point on the track.

But as I said, if you already know your way around the track . . . yeah, redline as deep as you can without accidentally hitting the limiter, which will slow you RIGHT down. Keep an eye on your oil temp on hot days. The car is so easy to shift that sometimes I notice I'm starting to drive that up, so I back off before it gets out of hand.

[GLZ]

Should I just let the dct automatically shift at 8300 every time?

[Sleeper519]

Originally Posted by GLZ

Should I just let the dct automatically shift at 8300 every time?

Unequivical NOOOO!!!

This is no playstation GT-R! Driver involvement is what makes this whole track game fun. The DCT cars already catch undeserved flack for not using our left foot (except for braking in complex corners) but hands-eyes-feet-brain, etc, all involved in the driving process. I love actively shifting at all times on the track whether its stick or paddles, controlling engine speed, correlating with steering inputs and chassis balance... Giving it over to the car computer in a (gulp) "automatic" mode is giving up a huge amount of car control. And fun.

my $0.02

[trackjunky]

Look at your car's torque curve from the dyno and shift where the torque curve starts to drop off dramatically. Then verify with lap times against a baseline where you are always shifting at redline. Try it out and report back!