Serge997

991.1 4s.

So I have this idea that one should not use 7th gear to pick up speed. I’f I’m doing 80 in the highway and space opens up I go to 6th, bring speed up to 100 and back to seventh.

My brother says it is very anoying and as long as I’m not flooring it one can bring the car up in speed using 7th without straining the clutch.

So, thoughts?

RGS

Hmm, interesting debate. I am by no means an expert but here is my take.

Accelerating in 7th at low rpms is probably not the best for the engine. Called lugging the engine. Accelerating in 7th if you are higher in the rpm is fine but then you’re going warp speed. The degree of acceleration is also a factor. Pedal to the floor, you should drop a gear or two. General speeding up, sure no issues staying in seventh. The only wear on the clutch would be the downshift you speak of. Accelerating while staying in that gear will have no affect on the clutch if it is healthy and clamping well. My 2 cents

koala

I would think lugging the engine in any gear is not desirable. That said, I don't think half throttle in 7th at 2,000 rpm is going to do any damage. Counterpoint to that, I wouldn't want to accelerate from 60 mph to 100 mph in 7th with any amount of throttle - too boring and slow

Dgags

I’m not grabbing 6th if space opens up and I want to get to 100. 3rd or 4th is more enjoyable...

However, nothing is being harmed by using 7th to accelerate gradually from 60 to whatever speed that open space allows.

BSO

Max torque on .2 occurs at 1750 rpm, so at highway speeds, accelerating in 7th gear isn’t optimal, but shouldn’t hurt anything.

Thing is, getting on the throttle under these conditions will see over 100 in an instant, so that needs close attention.

I imagine the .1 is similar in response.

LexVan

You're fine in 7th. At 80 you are well over 2,400 rpm. Assuming the road is relatively flat.

Bob Z.

On an S - GTS has a higher max torque, about 2250 from what I recall but that was before Cobb came along.

bkrantz

Nothing magical about 7th gear. Acceleration from any speed is best in the right part of the RPM range. At some speeds, 4th gear could be too low, and at other speeds 4th could be too high.

Mike in SoCa

There's no strain on the clutch if it's in gear. Most clutch wear occurs on the launch from a standstill, assuming you are using a manual gearbox properly.

That said, there's nothing wrong with accelerating in 7th gear as long as you aren't lugging the engine (I prefer the engine to be turning at least 2,000 rpm before I force it to work hard.)

Valvefloat991

I think in modern engines, the lugging limit is fairly low. 1500 rpm with four cylinders and 1000 rpm with sixes and eights. I'm a bit conservative, but don't hesitate to use full throttle in any gear--including seventh--at 1500 rpm and above in my 991.2, so long as I don't need or want sparkling acceleration.

As someone has pointed out, the torque peak is at 1700 rpm, and obviously at full throttle, so the engine can indisputably take it. The torque peak is way higher in a 991.1, but the peak torque level is a lot lower, so I suspect the same sort of revs are acceptable.

digits

The only concern is lugging the engine and others that know more than me have already chimed on that topic - the real question is, why is this annoying? The PDK always downshifts if I accelerate in 7th and it's not annoying. If I had a manual I can't imagine leaving it in 7th if I wanted to go faster... that's just an opportunity wasted.

911mhawk

Your brother sounds annoying.
He is also correct.
However, I'd take your version up a notch and pick 4/5 and run it up until your brother gets nervous or you run out of safe space.

Carrera-T

I have a 7 speed manual 991.2. The Carrera 370HP engine makes lots of torque way down low. The car has no issues accelerating at highway speeds in 7th gear, I do it all the time. Now, if you want to accelerate faster, drop her down to 3-4 and away you go!

rk-d

Your brother needs to grow a pair

Your car, you're driving, your rules.

I'd downshift. I hate accelerating in a suboptimal gear.

IMPorsche

That's how a manual supposed to be driven, your bro must be a PDK guy