1st Generation Specific (1979-1985) 1979-1985 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections

When to shift for best gas milage

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Old Apr 10, 2006 | 01:09 PM
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When to shift for best gas milage

When driving in a city/town what rpm would you want to shift at for better gas milage.
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Old Apr 10, 2006 | 01:26 PM
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Around 3K is when I shift when driving normally.
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Old Apr 10, 2006 | 01:34 PM
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Hrm. I shift at 4k but I'm a bit of a leadfoot. Maybe that's why I get 16-17 MPG in the city.

Naw!
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Old Apr 10, 2006 | 01:38 PM
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ur kidding right
if ur not - the lower the better
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Old Apr 10, 2006 | 07:27 PM
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The best shift is in neutral at the top of a huge hill.
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Old Apr 10, 2006 | 07:43 PM
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i shift at redline, actually i like to hear the buzzer for a few second, then i shift.
drive your car hard or your motor will be a bitch.
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Old Apr 10, 2006 | 07:51 PM
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2500-3000 rpm should net you decent mileage. Don't granny drive all of the time, they need to be opened up on a regular basis to keep the internal carbon build up down.
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Old Apr 10, 2006 | 07:55 PM
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Get a vacuum gauge... The higher the vacuum the better.
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Old Apr 11, 2006 | 01:30 AM
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i usually shift around 2 grand however ive heard of lack of low end torque could cause worse gas milage so i was thinking possibly higher then that could result better, that is why i am asking paulied 3

[QUOTE]ur kidding right
if ur not - the lower the better
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Old Apr 11, 2006 | 01:32 AM
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what gear would you be in if cruisen at 40-50
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Old Apr 11, 2006 | 01:32 AM
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i usually use 4th?
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Old Apr 11, 2006 | 02:02 AM
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for gas mileage, i usually rip through first up to 6K... rip up to 3.5K in second, then shift to 3rd... that lets me sit at 60 to 65km/h at bout 2000rpm... great as milage... lol
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Old Apr 11, 2006 | 03:15 AM
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I shift where ever my auto lets me. Meaning: 4 k in first to 40 k, 5 k in second to 80, 5 k in drive 110, overdrive sits at 3k and 100km
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Old Apr 11, 2006 | 04:05 AM
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3k
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Old Apr 11, 2006 | 06:10 AM
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In nearly all of the vehicles I have driven in the last 16 years, one thing was pretty much a constant. My best milage was obtained by:

1. Not being a lead foot
2. Shifting at or around 3000 RPM's
3. Maintaining the vehicle to proper standards, I.E. Oil changes, following Manufaturers guidelines for proper maintainance every 3000, 10k, 30k, 60k, 100k, Etc...
4. Not Being a lead foot!

I have owned a 79 Corrolla, 89 RX-7, Indeterminite year Ford Tempo, 86 Celica, 86 Ford Thunderbird, 92 Pontiac Sunbird, 92 Ford Tuarus, 96 Ford Problem, err Probe, 80 RX-7, 92 Ford Exploder - errr Explorer just to name a few.

Although several of these were ATX, most of the ATX trannys shift at about 2500 to 3000 RPM under normal diving conditions, and all of the MTX cars got the best by shifting at 3k....

Pretty simple :-)
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Old Apr 11, 2006 | 06:39 AM
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From: Cloud Nine and Peak of God
Originally Posted by Rob Stolz
When driving in a city/town what rpm would you want to shift at for better gas milage.
With city speed restrictions you will be driving at around 1500-1800rpm in top.
Depending on your gearbox I suggest you change gear around 2200rpm in each gear which will take you down to your maximum rpm in top. If your car is in tune that should give you minimum consumption, 20+mpg depending on how hard you accelerate. In my stock 12A with bolt-ons I could get 25mpg round a city but that was with no serious traffic congestion. Sometimes I accelerate in 1-2 up to the legal limit then change straight into top for the cruise.

However, as Trochoid said the rotary needs the occasional hard drive to keep the engine clean.
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Old Apr 11, 2006 | 10:57 AM
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whats gas milage?? the other night i ran my car up and down the street a couple of times until my dad yelled at me until i came in to go to bed, it was maybe a half hour, when i started i had half a tank, when i finished i was almost empty so once agian i say, "gas milage?, what gas milage?"
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Old Apr 11, 2006 | 11:14 AM
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well i'm gonna assume you're very young (as in probably not having a license yet)...

gas mileage is a measurement used to show how much fuel it takes a certian car to go a certian distance, for example if it takes my volvo 19 gallons to go 380 miles, i would be getting (380 divided by 19) = 20mpg (miles per gallon) which is your mileage.

and ovbiously in times like this where fuel is expensive as hell and only getting worse the better gas mileage (often referred to as mileage, or fuel economy) you get, the less money you spend on fuel.

i hope that clears it up.


edit: after thinking about it again, i realize that the other thing you might be is just mocking the fact that you get **** for mileage (as all of us do, my 80 12a got 9mpg city driving the way i drive, and 26mpg hwy at 75 in 5th), and in that respect i laugh at myself for bieng a moron. :P
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Old Apr 11, 2006 | 12:27 PM
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Try to avoid roads with stop signs and stoplights - they are milage killers. Anything you can do to avoid stops will help dramatically. Reduce frequency of short trips as they are bad because cold engines use slightly more fuel as oil is thicker in engine and tranny and diff.
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Old Apr 11, 2006 | 03:00 PM
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sounds like you should just buy a honda.
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Old Apr 11, 2006 | 03:01 PM
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Originally Posted by Midwest 7's
sounds like you should just buy a honda.

I second that.
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Old Apr 11, 2006 | 03:32 PM
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lol if its gas mileage ur concerned bout buy a jetta or something.... omg the best gas mileage ever
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Old Apr 11, 2006 | 03:59 PM
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Agreed, Cities and Rx-7's do not mix so well unless you hop on the freeway a lot.
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Old Apr 11, 2006 | 04:18 PM
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haha ya true, i got **** for milage when i was in calgary, but i guess i was doing 160 on deerfoot the whole time. As for milage, get a honda, my crx had 110 hp at 1800 pounds with 51 mpg.
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Old Apr 11, 2006 | 06:27 PM
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From: Cloud Nine and Peak of God
Originally Posted by gmanuser
whats gas milage?? the other night i ran my car up and down the street a couple of times until my dad yelled at me until i came in to go to bed, it was maybe a half hour, when i started i had half a tank, when i finished i was almost empty so once agian i say, "gas milage?, what gas milage?"
Funny post! Jutney fell for the joke, from memory you are an experienced welder who rebuilt his SA. Out of interest how is your project to install a turbo going?
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