Quote:
Originally Posted by Heero
Questions: When should I downshift if driving up hill?
I do alot of highway driving and it consists of many hills. If I'm taking the hills at roughly 80-100kms an hour, do I need to shift out of 5th (3000rpm)? Or can I stay at 3000? What is too "low"?
Thanks
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Assuming you are driving up hill in your 5th gear in about 3000 rpm, the question is: do you need to down-shift? It really depends on what you want to do. If you are cruising with no intention of driving faster or overtaking anyone, stay at 5th because you should have most of the torque at that rpm. Unless you are going up some steep grade where the car grunts, there is no need to down-shift.
On the other hand, if you need to pass some slow 18 wheelers and your car is complaining and does not accelerate fast enough, you can down-shift and bring up the rev (rev-match) to get more power to pass that truck.
In short, if you need more grunt, down-shift. Otherwise, just stay in your torque band as much as possible.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Drunknhero
I have a question too if you guys don't mind answering. Let say I'm driving in 3rd gear and it is time to shift. I would push in clutch, shift to 4th, release clutch all the way first, and then apply gas... Will that hurt my car?
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IMO that is fine with a little modification. When shifting: 1. release gas pedal; 2. press in clutch; 3. shift from 3rd to 4th; 4. release clutch fully; 5. press gas pedal to accelerate.
As long you do not mix up your sequence, you should be able to do it quick enough to ensure a smooth up-shift.