at what point might I do the engine damage over time? what is best shift RPM for engine durability? does it matter?
thanks
John

 

it has all the suggested shift points in your manual, i have a tC so i can't read it for you, but its in there.

 

Forget about "suggested" shift points and learn to play it by ear. With tiny engines like these cars have, it's pretty easy to tell when it's "luigging" - you'll be mashing the gas pedal in a high gear and not going anywhere. ;)

 

well if he could hear the engine and know it was lugging, he wouldn't be asking the question, so the cars manual is the best place to look to get a good estimate on where you should be shifting to get the best mix of performance, and fuel economy

 

its all in the feel.....

 

And by "foot feel" as well. When the vibration coming through the pedal gets "faster" (a loose term, I know) you know its time to shift.

 

Right, but I think my point is still valid - there are some times when 2k rpm's in 5th gear is totally fine (gently rolling on an open road) and other times when it's totally incorrect (trying to get up a hill on the highway). My point was that rather than try to live by some "You should always shift between X and Y" rule of thumb, it's worthwhile to try to develop a feel for it. I certainly know it took me a while to get this sort of thing - and I'm glad I put the effort into it rather than just following the guideline in some owner's manual.

 

You are correct, getting a feel for the car and the engine is the best way to drive it efficiently, but if you are totally clueless, reading the manual should be step number one. maybe even if you aren't clueless, i know i read it and i have been driving cars with manual transmissions for 8 years.

 

Stupidest post by far!

 

FYI - Dont feed the trolls.