Which Gear
09-19-2007, 07:23 PM
#1
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Which Gear
It's been a while since I posted but most of the questions I had have been answered by members or by experience. However, After a trip to the Bay Area, and now during my daily commute, I find I'm using a lot of 5th gear on the freeway in "normal' traffic - more than I ever used to. I find I can keep the car revved for better control and acceleration but I don't believe I did this much 5th gear driving the first 3 years of the car.
What gear do you guys drive in when the traffic is moving between 70-80 but with fast traffic. I'm not talking about dropping the hammer in 6th
. Maybe I'm just driving smarter? Opinions anyone?
cruise with much attitude
What gear do you guys drive in when the traffic is moving between 70-80 but with fast traffic. I'm not talking about dropping the hammer in 6th
. Maybe I'm just driving smarter? Opinions anyone?cruise with much attitude
09-19-2007, 10:47 PM
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When I am driving at a steady speed on roads without steep inclines I'm in sixth, unless I'm prepairing to speed up or slow down. Then whether I downshift, and how many gears I downshift, depends entirely on what I'm anticipating or doing. There is no "right" gear. If you're in traffic, and the flow changes speed regularly, you probably don't *need* to downshift to keep up, but the car will be more responsive and have sharper acceleration if you do, so it's really a matter of what you want, rather than right or wrong. 
When you want lots of pep, keep the revs up. When you want to keep the noise down and conserve fuel and minimize engine wear (slightly) then keep the revs down. Keeping the revs somewhere between 2,500 and 8,000 is probably about right for most situations.
When you want lots of pep, keep the revs up. When you want to keep the noise down and conserve fuel and minimize engine wear (slightly) then keep the revs down. Keeping the revs somewhere between 2,500 and 8,000 is probably about right for most situations.
09-19-2007, 11:00 PM
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Originally Posted by RED MX5,Sep 19 2007, 11:47 PM
When I am driving at a steady speed on roads without steep inclines I'm in sixth, unless I'm prepairing to speed up or slow down. Then whether I downshift, and how many gears I downshift, depends entirely on what I'm anticipating or doing. There is no "right" gear. If you're in traffic, and the flow changes speed regularly, you probably don't *need* to downshift to keep up, but the car will be more responsive and have sharper acceleration if you do, so it's really a matter of what you want, rather than right or wrong.
When you want lots of pep, keep the revs up. When you want to keep the noise down and conserve fuel and minimize engine wear (slightly) then keep the revs down. Keeping the revs somewhere between 2,500 and 8,000 is probably about right for most situations.
When you want lots of pep, keep the revs up. When you want to keep the noise down and conserve fuel and minimize engine wear (slightly) then keep the revs down. Keeping the revs somewhere between 2,500 and 8,000 is probably about right for most situations.
. I'm sure the AP2 guys don't know what I'm talking about.
