When driving a manual transmission vehicle?

gregory_dittman

I do it by ear and speed. You want the RPMs to drop when down shifting and the RPMs to go up while speeding up. The higher the pitch, the higher the RPM. I would say for a car, 2,000 RPM is high enough to up ship after that, the sound deeply annoys me so I don't go much past that. For speed in my car, I generally have it in first in parking lots and up to 10 mph. 10-20 mph at second gear, 20-30 mph in third gear, 30-50mph in 4th gear and after that in 5th gear. Trucks, heavy trucks and various work vehicles are different. My dad has a motor grader that has like 20 gears with a top speed of 35 mph. Obviously the rules are much different in that than in my car.

Todd L

Daily driving in my car with a 7,200 redline I don't let my rpms get above 3k when shifting and no more than 2500 at cruising speeds. During racing I can hit 7000-7200 many times over a 1 minute period.

Friendly Stranger..

There are 6 steps to understanding what RPM to reach before you shift.

* Keep an eye on the tachometer which measures the RPM. Most tachometers have numbers from 1 to 7 or 1 to 9 that correspond to the RPM. Multiply the number by 1000 to get the RPM of the engine.

* Shift gears between 2,000 and 2,500 RPM for optimal engine efficiency. Allowing the RPM to go up to 3,000 RPM or higher increases speed but makes the engine work harder, which reduces fuel economy.

* Watch out for a red warning light or for numbers highlighted with red strips. If your RPM reaches a warning number or a warning light comes on, you need to up shift immediately. Over-revving the engine causes damages and may cause oil to leak onto a hot exhaust causing a fire.

* Listen to the engine. As you drive a manual transmission, you naturally develop a RPM ear that helps you know when to shift. The faster the engine turns, or the more RPM, the louder your engine gets.

* Calculate the best RPM for shifting using gear ratios and torque curve. The next highest gear ratio divided by the current gear ratio provides you with an optimal time to shift.

* Check the car's manual for recommend guidelines. The optimal RPM level changes depending on the type of car you drive.

ted_haze

honestly if you have to ask that drive automatic not to be rude

dorichx

Just let it return to idle speed unless you shift quickly

UCANTCME

Follow what the owners manual states, its different for different vehicles.

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