[Ender2664]

What rpm you shift at is also determined by what mods you have on your car, casue stock you probably should be shifting closer to 6,500rpms than 7,000rpms. However once you are getting into modding the car you should shift as close to red line as possible, cause generally moded STIs pull there peak numbers right at red line or just before it.
But for where you want to shift your sti it is more complicated, if you really want to get down to it you need to deceid what rpm you want to shift each and every gear.
When you redline first and shift into second you are at about 4,600rpms, however if you shift your car at 6,500rpms you are going to be at about 4,100 rpms. And in a stock sti you make 225hp at 4100 and you make about 260hp at 4600 rpms. So it is benifical to run the car to redline in first because of the power that you will lose going into second cause at 6,500rpm you make 300hp and at 7,000 you make 280hp. However as you progress up the gears your gears are closer which keeps the rpms closer...like when you shift from first to second you drop to 4,600rpms, but when you shift from second to thrid you only drop to 5,200rpms, and when you shift from third to forth you drop to 5,500rpms (assuming that you are redlining).
But i ran through all of the math for optimal shifting on a STOCK sti and here is basically what you want to do
1st-7,000
2nd-7,000
3rd-6,700
4th-6,700
remember those are for stock stis, if you have anything more than a intake and exhaust, you will want to bring that all the way to redline(generally) it depends on how your dyno chart looks. These numbers are going off of the aps stock dyno curve. But every car is different and every mod makes a differance. Like my stock v6 camaro but down best times shifting at 5,200rpms when the red is at 5,800 and my b16crx makes best times shifting at 8,200 and red is 8,200.

[crashsti]

i was reading something in one of the bike magazines about best performance and acceleration not always coming from shifting at redline. however i am still not set at shifting at redline. seems to a shift does not occur instantaneously. you have to push in the clutch shift the gear and then let the clutch back out. that takes time, so if your Shift light is set at say 7000rpm, by the time you get the shift started i think you'd be past redline. optimum shift points can be figured out mathematically but it also has to do with driver skill. i have my REV light/buzzer set at 6500rpm just to be on the safe side.

[Ender2664]

It might sound funny, but i have my shift light set at 7,000. I am used to shifting at the track without a shift light, so i have it there as a safety. I usally shift at about 6,800 and having it set at 7k is my way of know that i am not over reving the engine.