i just want to see how people shift so i can improve mine owne. i am a first time manual driver.

general habits:
1->2 around 3-3.5rpm around 20+ mph
2->3 around 3-4 rpm

i do these relatively high revs cus otherwise i can't shift smoothly yes i'm a super noob

is it me or is 5 gear almost useless? i am always tempted to go 4->6

so my questions are:
what are your normal shift patterns:
1->2 rpm and mph
2->3 rpm and mph
3->4 rpm and mph
4->5 rpm and mph
5-> 6 rpm and mph

thanks in advance

 

1-2 3500
2-3 4000
3-4 3000
4-5 3000
5-6 3500

 

Even though this seems like an easy question, it's not. You'll get a lot of opinions on this, and someone's liable to flame my answers, too.

Generally (very generally) speaking, your optimal shifting occurs at approximately the same RPM for all the gears. AFAIK, the engine's HP & torque characteristics don't change depending on the gear you are in.

The real question is: Are you driving for fuel efficiency or performance?

For fuel efficiency, your best efficiency occurs the quicker you get up to 5th or 6th gear - so you want to shift at lower RPMs. Once you are moving (especially for constant speed highway driving), you'll want to shift each time somewhere around 1700 to 2200 to get to 6th quickest for fuel savings (This is the region I see my 5AT do most of it's shifting at). The problem with this is that you have less acceleration available to you the higher in gear that you are. So, you may want to keep the car in 5th (or maybe 4th or 3rd) when going through highway traffic that's changing speeds constantly - giviing you the available power you may need for safety.

Shifting at around 2500 RPM gets you to around 90% of your torque (torque gives you the "push-you-into-the-seat" acceleration feeling). This is the most "bang for the buck", so you may want to shift around here for most of your driving.

For performance, you want to shift at later RPMs. The torque curve maxes out somewhere around 5000 RPM, so you don't get as much acceleration per RPMs past that point. So, you'll want to shift each gear around this point (or even later) when you're going for performance.

Keep in mind that these suggestions are all very generalized. Eventually, you'll find that you'll get more comfortable shifting without giving it a second thought. You'll literally drive by the seat of your pants - sound and feel give you subconscious cues when to shift. BTW, get into the habit of downshifting to give you more acceleration/power when you need it. When you are approaching a right turn, for example, you'll tend to brake a bit (or coast a bit), then shift into 2nd just before you get to the curve ... engage the clutch and hit the gas to pull you through the turn quickly and efficiently.

Good luck with the 6MT! If I didn't have so much stop'n'go traffic to deal with every day, that's what I would have bought. The 6MT was sure fun to drive - one of the easiest clutches and smoothest gearing I've had the pleasure of driving.

Cheers!

 

I thought for sure I was going to see shift at 6800 rpm, every gear in this thread.

 

I do!

Now seriously, 3500-4000 is a good point for all shifts.

 

the owners manual tells you if you want to follow the OEM

 

yeah i read that in the manual too, the point for optimal fuel efficiency. thanks for the responses guys

 

First -> Second 6400rpms
Second -> Third 6400rpms
Third -> Fourth 5500rpms
Fourth -> Fifth 5000rpms
Fifth -> Sixth 3400rpms

 

Normal driving.

First -> Second 4400rpms
Second -> Third 4400rpms
Third -> Fourth 3500rpms
Fourth -> Fifth 3300rpms
Fifth -> Sixth 3200rpms

 

What a loaded / open-ended question...

That is so subjective...

The obvious answer is not so high (RPM) that you blow the engine...

Yet not so low (RPM) that you stall...

But seriously...

I have been driving sticks my entire life (started back in France)...

and on this car (I like to push my car) I like to shift between 4 and 5 k...

I hope that helps...

BTW I was so tempted to put:
REDLINE!
REDLINE!
REDLINE!
REDLINE!
But I resisted...

 

Normal shifting - before 2500rpm. I can easily match the flow of traffic shifting this way. I'm generally in 5th around 45mph and 6th around 60mph. For merging or passing I rev higher, but I generally don't run into scenarios where I need to exceed 5000 rpm or so around town. Hey, gas is expensive!

For performance driving, like up in the twisties, I generally keep the car in second and third and the RPM's between 4500 and 6800. That's good to about 90mph, so if I'm hitting forth it cues me that I need to reign it in. The perfect twisties are the ones where I can stay in third the whole time.

 

why don't you read the manual....it's in there

 

 

damn you guys are shifting high. i am shifting just before 3K when driving normally to try and get more mpg out of my commute. for spirited driving i take it pretty high but 4400 seems high to me for normal driving. maybe that is why people are reporting poor mileage out of the car.

 

I shift at betweeen roughly 4800-6000 or so in all gears. As posted below, max torque is at 5000. I tend to drive for performance unless I am running out of gas, in which case I get it up to sixth gear as soon as I can.

As far as 5th gear usefulness, it is actually quite useful. At first, I found it to be somewhat less useful but as I become more experienced driving my 6MT I find 5th gear to be a nice gear for crusing, particularly on the highway in moderate traffic. I generally only use 6th gear on the wide open road.

As you get better you will love the 6MT, it is a fantastic car.

 

Shifting 6MT means getting to know when the power band is. That is the point where the engine makes the most power. The VTEC makes the most power around the 3000+ rpms, if you're comfortable with the upper band of the tach then go with it. If you think the revs are too high, then shift up. The 6MT tranny is with close ratio gearing so the next gear up/ down won't make the revs jump too high nor too low.

The problems is when you select a gear that is too low. That means "squeezing" the power out of the engine at very low revs, close to idling. To keep on the power band, you have to get used to driving above 2500 rpm. Any lower than that you will feel the car "chugging". You think you're driving with the best gear for fuel economy but not really. You're at or close to WOT but not getting the optimal rpms.

Don't rely on any owner's manual on how to shift, when to shift, etc. Driving manual tranny means you need to have a better feel of the car and when to get the power when you need it. Practice makes perfect.

 

Right.

 

For maximum acceleration it would be redline all the way; i.e. the lowest possible gear for any speed. That is not universal, but it works just about everywhere except big V8's.

For best fuel efficiency you want the highest possible gear that can deliver the acceleration you want.

For best fuel economy you generally want the lowest speed that gets you there on time, and in the highest possible gear. Something like 6th gear at 55mph or less.