Those with 6MT, what RPMs do you usually shift at, and cruise at?

This car as we know has no low end torque, so to get an acceleration i'll usually shift at 3-3.5 and try to cruise when be fuel efficient at around 2.2. Also, what gear do you usually take 1st? I find I can't get any movement in it unless I stomp on it and the revs just shoot up quick, so i'll usually try and shift at 2.5 for 1st and do all accelerating in 2nd.

 

the beauty of 6mt is you can shift when ever you feel like it!

 

Yep, i rarely go over 3.5 k unless im getting on it or feeling like a BA

 

I like to cruise in 5th at or above 30 and 6th at or above 40...shift down if I need power. Acceleration is normally 1st, 2nd, double clutch 6th...or 1st, double clutch 3rd, double clutch 5th or 6th.

 

I usually shift between 2-3K while cruising. At WOT, I shift at the redline.

 

What is the lowest RPM you can shift/cruise at without lugging the engine?

And how do you guys usually take off in 1st? Do you rev first to like 1.5 or do you just release clutch and gas it?

 

At minimum, I'm at 2K prior to releasing the clutch to go into 1st gear. Correction on my earlier post; I usually shift between 3-4K while cruising. It's been a while since I paid attention to the actual RPM instead of listening to the engine note when shifting.

 

A blip to 1500-2000 with a brief slip into 1st is fine...the TSX can handle 1500 all day without lugging unless your are heavy or going up hill.

 

Yeah, into 1st im usually at 1.5-2K. I've found it's just not possible for me to launch well into 1st below that without lugging. This car literally has no low end torque.

So when do you guys ually shift to 2nd? How do you handle the smal 1st gear with RPMs shooting up so easily and no movement unless you release gas it?

 

Cruising. Shift at 3000-3500. When racing i shift at 7800

 

I tend to shift around 3.5-4 mark. If I am accelerating I often shift at the 4-5 mark getting onto a highway or something (not racing).

I can shift easily at lower RPM's but the engine just seems more comfortable around the 4k RPM mark.

cruising I'll hang in 6 gear at 40-50mph. I tend to do a lot of city in 4th gear only using 3rd and 5th gear for acceleration into either 4th or 6th.

Racing I get out of 1st gear ~6K mark and from 2nd-6th ~7.2K mark.
If I ever find time to Hondata I'm sure that will all change

 

For economy, shift around 2300-2700...

 

What is the lowest RPM you can shift out of 1st in this car without lugging and damaging tranny?

I just really hate this car's 1st gear and love to do all my accelerating in 2nd.

 

<--- Confused. Just what are you trying to do?

Shifting to 2nd from 1st as early as possible will reduce your acceleration. Honestly, you can start in 2nd with a little clutch slip on a flat surface. Lugging hurts the engine, not the tranny.

 

I know, but im not racing. I like to do all my accelerating in 2nd.

The 1st gear in this car is too small, and I don't go anywhere unless I stomp on the pedal and end up at like 5K, which is when my shift gets ugly.

 

I would just start in first to get the car moving. Once you hit 2.5/3k you can shift into second without too much strain on the engine and go from there.

As noted above you can start the vehicle in second if you are on flat ground. However, this would cause premature clutch wear. I know it is a quick shift but it is there so you might as well use it.

Ultimately it is your automobile, drive it however you want.

 

Didn't see much difference from 2700-3600 rpm's. I average about 30mpg city/traffic and have tracked it as high as 42mpg open highway. Little less than a 1mpg error margin.

When my wife drives she likes to sit around 3.6-5k then I see the MPG reading 26mpg (probably ~24mpg).

I switched to a K&N air filter, car really liked that. I have the star alloy wheels (aspec??) which I think are also lighter than stock.

 

Cool.

Sorry for all the questions, just one more lol. Been only driving stick for couple of months and this is my first car with it.

Engaging 1st and taking off, do you guys rev up 1st before releasing clutch? Same time? Clutch first? I usually try and release clutch and then once it grabs I give gas, but i;ve found since this clutch is extremely short and very low engagement point, it's easy for me to lugg since the revs then drop quick if you're not quick enough giving it gas. What do you guys do?

Thanks!

 

Give it gas at the same time you are letting up on the clutch. This will let the engine come up to the right speed to move the car and you won't be burning up the clutch. Eventually you will get better with the transition.

I know you said that you haven't been driving stick for that long, but soon you be used to it and realize that you are driving the car, not the car driving you.

 

+1

 

Yep, feather the clutch slightly off as you blip the throttle, then smoothly release the clutch and the RPM's drop back down for a smooth start. The a quick shift to 2nd at about 2500 will put you in your preferred 2nd gear.

On economy, careful study of my mileage and reported mileage during drives on the highway showed the sweet spot for MPG was about 2500-2700 rpm shifts and about 1700 rpm cruise. Of course, on the freeway that just won't fly. There anything above 2700 rpm dropped mpg much more than between 1700-2700. Note, this is all with a 6MT.

 

There is a table of suggested speeds for shifts to obtain best economy in the owners manual (and I suspect for longest life of the clutch). I don' t have the owners manual nearby but it was basically every 11 mph - 11 mph shift 1-2, 22 mph shift 2-3, etc. continuing up to 55 mph shift 5-6. If you follow this recommended pattern, you will be "granny" driving but will get best economy. I don't know the RPMs of each shift but I suspect it's not very high.

 

So for the 1-2 shift leave foot lightly on gas? I just can't get it smooth at all.

 

keep from completely removing pressure from the gas pedal, at least thats what i do. But i do let it slip a lil bit into 2nd like a cheater

 

Yeah, if I slip it, it comes smooth, but the shift takes forever.

 

I'm still trying to get the hang of 1st gear in this car too. I'm coming from a V6 6MT Accord, so I've been spoiled by that strong 1st gear torque. But what the TSX lacks in power, it makes up for in finesse. In the Accord I was usually trying to not take off too hard (you ever notice that there's ALWAYS a Mustang beside you when you're first in line at a red light? ), so even power has its downsides.

 

Today I noticed if I shift very fast into 2nd and slip clutch a tiny bit, it is much smoother.

Is this okay to do?

 

The clutch is a friction surface and is therefore intended to wear. How much it wears and how soon you will need to replace it is up to you and the way you drive.

Like I said you will probably get better with practice. In general, clutch slip is bad and you should try to avoid it as much as possible.

 

I shift around 2-3