I just purchase an 08 cayman s a couple of days ago. What RPM level should I go to before I upshift in normal driving conditions (commuting). I noticed I'm at 3000 rpm's in forth at around 50mph and 3000 at 5th and 6th @ about 60 and 65mph which I thought was a low speed to be at 3000 in my top gear. Is this normal? It seems like I could go directly from 4th to 6th gear without a need for 5th.
Thanks for any insite!

 

sounds like what you are doing for traffic is fine. the car has pretty good torque and you really could drive around in 6th gear most of the time at any speed above 40. the gears are needed really for full acceleration red line shifts then you will need a race track to get to 5th gear, 6th gear at Daytona.

 

In normal driving I upshift @3500-4000rpm. I think you can go lower if you must, but don't go too low and lug the engine.

 

FYI: Assuming that you have stock sized tires (stock circumference) the MPH per 1000 RPM for each gear on a 08 Cayman S should be: 5.9, 10.0, 13.9, 17.3, 20.2, 23.9

1st gear at 3000RPM would correspond to about 17.7 MPH
2nd geat at 3000RPM would correspond to about 30.0 MPH
3rd geat at 3000RPM would correspond to about 41.7 MPH
4th gear at 3000RPM would correspond to about 51.9 MPH
5th gear at 3000RPM would correspond to about 60.6 MPH
6th gear at 3000RPM would correspond to about 71.7 MPH

In normal (commuting) traffic I usally shift around 3000RPM to help with the fuel consumption, rarely do I go above 3500RPM.

 

like 2slow, I usually upshift @ 3000 rpm on city roads (35 - 45mph speed limit) - anything more than 3rd gear @ 3000 could get you a ticket (more than 10mph over limit). If merging on highway/on-ramp, I would wind out 4th a little bit, then shift into 6th (skipping 5th).

 

speaking about porsches in general. just keep the motor above 1500rpm. so shift whenever the next gear is going to start at around 1600~1700rpm.