I was looking at another thread about what rpm's people shift at. and well iv been a manual driver for around 2 or 3 months now. and im completely stock for now. at a steady speed ( not accelerating or slowing down) i keep it aroud 2k rpm's. and when im accelerating i shift at 2k maybe 2500 if i feel like it. reminder, this is just daily driving, like through my subdivition or around town not sprinting the stop lights or anything. is this bad or no, just give me some imput. sorry for the noob q? but i read that bogging ( as in really low sound from the engine and if i floor the gas the rpms dont go anywere too fast. sorry noob lol) the the engine gives u worse gas mileage. is this true? whats the best way to save gas. and no i dont drive 100% of the time trying to save gas.

soaarry for the question if i sound like a moron, which i probably do, just wanted to learn some more info on shifting and yada yada yada.


i was driving home from work tonight and i turned left out of the parking lot and was in 2nd and was pressin the gas pretty hard, just enjoying the torque and having my back being pulled into the seat. in second at about.. not sure wasnt looking but i think around 2.5k-3k and i went over a patch of snow that was maybe 10ft long. i just felt my tires loose traction and just start sminning and my rps... up to a good 6k maybe... they went pretty high, again i wasnt looking at the tach, i just took a glampse at it then just threw the clutch down. iwas just like ".....****!"

 

This is how the shifts should go for daily driving (not limited to and also may vary depending on weather conditions etc, style of driving)

1st gear: 2500 rpm
2nd gear: 2850rpm - 2900rpm
3rd gear: 3000 rpm
4th gear: 2900 rpm

Someone once posted this and I tried it, and I think its the best rpms to shift at.

 

I just shift whenever I feel like it. That's the beauty of a manual transmission.

 

I don't even look at the tach anymore, I can just feel where the car is at.

 

the feel and sound of the engine is how i shift.

 

Same here

 

I do the same as everyone else, you probably will eventually too. Once you've done it for a few months, you usually shift at pretty much the same place every time. I shift at lower rpm in the winter though, no matter how lightely I am on the gas, my tires start spinning if I'm much farther past 3500. Better now with the snow tires though. In the winter I usually shift so that the after-shift rpm is at 2000.

 

...i drive the poopies outta my car ...lots and lots of gas spent. im probably at the gas station near my house every 4 to 5 days...

 

i usually shift at 2k looking and when shifting by feel.
one wuetion of mine was. if im driving with the rpm's at the 800-1000 range, is this bad for the car or no?

 

It's not bad per say, but if you need to suddenly accelerate for whatever reason, you'll have to downshift a couple of gears to get your torque back! I think you are being overly careful. 4cyl engines are very rev happy and there is no reason to consistently make an effort to shift at 2k rpms!

Trust me, it just feels right when you need to shift, prob closer to 3-3.5K (just before MIVEC) rpms. Look at your speedo on the freeway, you cruise at close to 3500 rpms. Another advantage about reving a little is that it can help you stop faster and with more control by using the natural resistance of the engine.

The whole point of a manual is so YOU have complete control over the shift points. If you want to shift like an automatic does, then be my guest. But, if you want to have a little more fun, then for god's sake, rev it a little!

 

i do. i dont drive like that 24/7. just when i feel like saving gas and not reving it away i shift around 2k.

but you saying that the onlything bad about it is that i wont beable to accel if i need to?
its not bad for the engine?

and. am i really saving gas by keeping the rpms low?

 

Gas consumption isn't all affected by where your RPM's are. You will use more gas if you floor the pedal, letting more gas into the chambers(acceleration). Gas consumption also increases with weather change.

I could be wrong, but the best for our cars to save gas is to gradually accelerate and stay around 2-2500 RPM. I say that because it is safely out of MIVEC and safely out of "needing to hit the gas to (insert action here, such as pass, make it up a hill, etc)".

 

its no prob hellview im also noob to manual....been driving it for 3 months now just take the car out and hear the engine that will tell you when to shift....i all depends on how much fun u want to have.... the RA is a real fun car to drive so enjoy it




PS: may i add another question here. When i go from 1st to second sometimes i get a hard pull when i push the clutch. am i doing something wrong?

 

i know how to shift and drive. i was just seeing if there was any "better" or more of a gas saving way of driving.

 

no, but don't you start to bog around that range? what gear are you in when you're driving around those rpms? i ask because the engine will require more gas just to keep the car rolling at that speed with throttle applied, then if you were just to cruise around at 2000rpm off the gas.