Hi everyone - I just picked up my brand new 2011 GT California Special yesterday in Race Red with optional 3.73 gears. My background is in imports (Honda S2000 and WRX STi) that needed to be revved. I noticed from a stop 2nd gear in my car almost feels like 1st felt in my torqueless wonder cars. Any driving tips in terms of ride comfort when not rolling out? Is it ok to start out in 2nd? Any advice for a guy that is not used to good 'ole American Muscle? Also, I noticed sometimes when shifting from 1st to 2nd it is a bit rough... is this the skip shift?

Thanks! Man I love this car.

 

Welcome. Grats on the new car!

Majority of us are experiencing the rough shift from 1st to 2nd. This is indeed thanks to the skip-shift feature. You can play around and see what works best for you since you also have the 3.73 gears. I usually go 1st - 3rd - 5th or 2nd - 4th - 6th depending where I'm driving. It's all about personal preference. Enjoy.

 

i run through the gears as normal on my 3.73 5.0. i may got 1-3-5 when the snow falls, but i'll see how the car reacts with the winter tires.

also the new 5.0 is more euro in behavior than previous ford V8s. it has a near 7000 rpm redline and power really comes on strong at 4250. having previously owned a 911 i've noticed that driving the 5.0 as if it were a euro engine seems to work for me as they share similar shift points in the RPM range. when i downshift and rev-match it feels very euro.

 

Thanks for the replies... at least I know that is the skip shift and not that I forgot how to shift from 1st to 2nd I can't get over this car... Ford did it right. Everyone at work has been asking for a ride.

 

Hey Phil, welcome!

I don't have 3.73s so I can't advise on the best shifting points for cruising. When I'm driving in the city with no need to rev, I actually use the skip shift feature to my advantage. Straight from 1st -4th. It saves on gas.

 

I used to row through the gears, but lately I've been doing either 1,3,5 or 2,4,5. Either way I'm skipping a gear, and there is NO problem whatsoever. Smooth shifts, nice engine revving, no lag whatsoever.

 

I have the 3.55's in mine and I start out in 2nd gear all the time unless I need a super quick sling shot start. Like others have said, this engine likes to scream so wind it up!