6 speeders, when do you shift?

[HOMESLICE]

So i was looking at my owners manual and it was recommended to shift from 4th gear to 5th gear at 44mph and 5th to 6th at 47mph. I am typically in 6th by 40mph and typically shift at around 2000, 23000 rpm per shift. It doesn't feel like it is dragging in 6th at 40mph as i coast a lot and try my best not to mash my gas for better mileage in the v6. my car is still pretty new with 11k miles on it so in the long run will my car learn my shifting patterns and kind of break in the way i want it or should i start revving it higher at shifts and use mitsu's recommendation for shifting. will driving in 6th at 40mph cause problems down the road? thanks for any help

[Boomko]

I havent had manual for some time, but to drive in 6th at 40miles an hour sounds the way to slow. I never drove mitsu in manual though so i dont know how its geared. I guess as long as it doesnt feel like engine starving would be ok.

[pat_08GT_Spyder]

i do the same thing, and i dont see any issues with that...
2300 rpm is good for cruising, sometimes a tad low if you need to get up and go, but that's what downshifts are for

as far as "break-in", you're long overdue ! just drive it like you want and dont worry too much about it... i give mine a good push once in a while, because i dont drive it as mine as i want and i need to hear that engine screaming sometimes !!! like a good 1st gear pull to 40mph, or 80mph in 3rd on the highway ramp

[Boomko]

Like i said never drove mitsu as manual but for general cruising around the town i would probably stay in 4th maybe 5th

[Rob Z]

Here is a cut and paste from a post I did in a milage thread. I'm now in 6th at 40. I have sence the below post found the car has enough power to shift from 1st to 4th for in-town driving with no issues.


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I've still wondered how some can get such better mileage then I've ever come close too. Well I came upon a revolation

I've been using the Android app Torque and decided to have it show me instant and average mileage while I was driving. I just made a 600 mile trip last week and was suprised at what I found.

Again I have an '06 3.8 6spd standard no mods.

I have always considered 6th gear an over drive so seldom used it unless on the open road. Well that was a big gas eater. The difference fuel usage in 5th to 6th was up to 4mpg. This was on a level road. Down hill it was up to 15mpg. I have also began shifting 1st - 2nd - 4th - 6th on those drives where no big acceleration is needed. This has save several mpg from being wasted just to get to 45mph.

Big thing I saw was leaving a stop, in easy mode going to 45 that 1st and 2nd were less then 9mpg. These are the biggest fuel eaters.

Cruse control was a help, but learning to feel the engine and learning when to ease off the pedal help more when on roads with hills. I'm in N Gerogia and we have some hills.

By the end of this trip the Torque software was showing I averaged 31.8mpg sence last fill up. The fill-up prior the software showed 28 and at the pump it was 24.9 so fairly close. My best instant show was 174mpg OK it was down a Very Big hill at 70mph coasting out of gear

Bottom line. It is all about how you drive the car and learning how to drive it.

[HOMESLICE]

^that is kind of what i figured. I do get on it every couple of days and drive like a bat out of hell. I am consistenly getting 21-23 mpg which for our car is very good so I guess I am doing something right and have gotten used to the car. thanks for the replies!

[dejectedangle]

If you want to put less stress on your engine and tranny keep it between 2-3k it makes the engine work less...

[TrainerZak]

I don't put it 6th while just cruising until 45mph. Anything slower is putting stress on the transmission. You don't have to put it in 6th while wot until about 135mph

[TotalEclipse07]

dejectedangle, for some reason I find myself staring at your posts for hours on end.....wierd

For casual driving I usually end up skipping gears. With all the v6 torque I can easily go from 1st to 3rd to 5th and 6th, or 1st-2nd-4th-6th. It cuts down on the shifting. I wish we had an over-overdrive 7th gear to get the mpgs up on the highway. It seems to me that the gear ratios are pretty close.