When am I lugging?

[Exrald]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Waaaaay toooo late.

Back-in-the-day, my engine stayed below 3000 rpms AND the transmission (which consisted of a idler pulley, that when manually tightened up against the belt between the pulley on the driveshaft and the pulley on the drive axle) would make the car go faster .....or less fast. Did ya get all of that .....??

I started with a auto transmission (called a centrifugal clutch) and converted it a manual transmission (described above) ........because ......

A MANUAL TRANSMISSION WAS MORE MANLY in my roadster .....


humfrz

You like to control her (your roadster) with a stick huh? Lol jk 😜

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by humfrz

The one time that I remember most was in a semi-tractor trailer hauling bulk milk. Coming off of a Interstate off ramp at night, waaay too fast, went to gear down, got all tangled up in the gears, a stop sign with a "T" ahead, I panicked and locked up the trailer brakes to stop ...... while I sorted out where I was gear wise.

The fellow behind me WAS NOT impressed with my trucker skills.......


humfrz

That note on the plate that says "Do not change range while moving in reverse". Ya, they really mean it.

[Clipdat]

Nice cat.

Originally Posted by humfrz

Waaaaay toooo late.

humfrz

Crap, he traded with me too! I remember his car feeling great above 4k, especially with that catless header. Then he told me afterwards he was in 4th gear through the corners I was going through in his in 2nd and 3rd. O.O

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

I knew something was up. My car was never the same after we traded, that day.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Clipdat

Crap, he traded with me too! I remember his car feeling great above 4k, especially with that catless header. Then he told me afterwards he was in 4th gear through the corners I was going through in his in 2nd and 3rd. O.O

lol

Wish he still hung out here. I Miss him.

[anutjob]

There have been a lot of replies on this topic, but I'd like to put in my opinion as well.

12mph is about 20km, you'll bet I'm still in 1st gear during upshifting. I have accelerated in 3rd at this speed. I wouldn't consciously do that again. IMO, either 1st or 2nd gear is fine at this speed.

I haven't had this car for long. I have 2800km on the odo. In general I find the car happiest when I stay above 2500RPM. Yes I sometimes go lower when I'm not putting much stress on the engine, e.g. going down a slight hill.

The reason why I always try to keep it at at least 2500 RPM is that under that RPM, I can often hear what sounds like early detonation when I try to accelerate. It almost doesn't happen when I'm above 3000 RPM.

In short, if I'm going on flat ground, I cruise at about 2500-3000 rpm. When going uphill, I'm never under 3000 rpm. When going downhill, I sometimes go as low as 2000 rpm, or I downshift 1-2 gears to utilise the engine breaking while staying at the speed limit.

I haven't noticed a difference in fuel economy when driving at 2-2.5kPM vs 2.5k-3kRPM, but your experiences may vary.

When in doubt, always go to a lower gear.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by anutjob

The reason why I always try to keep it at at least 2500 RPM is that under that RPM, I can often hear what sounds like early detonation when I try to accelerate. It almost doesn't happen when I'm above 3000 RPM.

Welcome to the forum.


You probably hear the sound of the free gears rattling in the gearbox. It's really nothing. I regularly idle along in first or second as low as 1000 rpm when in slow traffic. Just avoid stomping on it.

[86MLR]

Throttle control
RPM
Road speed
Gear choice

If you think about these things, and you understand the reasoning of why you are thinking about these things, you will be golden.

Me, I just wring it's neck, or, when stuck in traffic, use the above principles.

Disclaimer: I give no cares for fuel economy, my cares revolve around induction, spool and a nice sound coming from the exhaust.

[gravitylover]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Welcome to the forum.


You probably hear the sound of the free gears rattling in the gearbox. It's really nothing. I regularly idle along in first or second as low as 1000 rpm when in slow traffic. Just avoid stomping on it.

Yeah you kind of roll into it. It helps if you can do it on a small downhill and the car naturally does it for you. It can make you feel like a real pro