Best time to shift (auto)

[Emilio246]

In full auto mode I notice it keeps me in a lower gear than I would want for my heavy city driving. Great for quick acceleration but not great for gas mileage. Question is, if I have it in manual mode and shift below 2500 rpm at all times, is the transmission working too hard in higher gears due to shifting to them quicker at low speeds? What speed and gear do you guys recommend for conservative driving?

[Scrappydoo]

Why don't you try a few things out yourself and see what you are comfortable with?
Get back to us with the results.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Scrappydoo

Why don't you try a few things out yourself and see what you are comfortable with?
Get back to us with the results.

OK ...... WHO left the gate open to the dog pound .......




humfrz

OP - I can't help you .... cause I have a MT. However, I usually shift between 3000 and 4000 rpms.


humfrz

[Emilio246]

Originally Posted by Scrappydoo

Why don't you try a few things out yourself and see what you are comfortable with?
Get back to us with the results.

I've been trying some I'll continue to note it. Just curious to see what others do and suggest

[HoonThis]

The lower the rpm you shift with a computer controlled auto, and the less throttle input, the more clutch slip the car will allow, and the more wear will take place.

Between 3 and 4k rpm is where you want to be on these cars for general driving in terms of easy up shifts.

On the street there are too many variables in terms of what you are trying to achieve vs on track where you shift as early as the torque starts to die unless you need to hold the gear out because an up shift will cost more time (usually because it would require a down shift back to the previous gear anyway).

Aside from the above, this is not something you can give generic advice on - every situation is different and knowing when to shift comes down to experience; good luck!

[DGM-BRZ]

I typically shift between 3-4k. I used to keep my car on Sport mode whenever I turned it on, that's also a good alternative. It makes the shift happen around 3000-3500 rpms.

The automatic shifts are way too low and it keeps the gears too high.

[Emilio246]

Originally Posted by HoonThis

The lower the rpm you shift with a computer controlled auto, and the less throttle input, the more clutch slip the car will allow, and the more wear will take place.

Between 3 and 4k rpm is where you want to be on these cars for general driving in terms of easy up shifts.

On the street there are too many variables in terms of what you are trying to achieve vs on track where you shift as early as the torque starts to die unless you need to hold the gear out because an up shift will cost more time (usually because it would require a down shift back to the previous gear anyway).

Aside from the above, this is not something you can give generic advice on - every situation is different and knowing when to shift comes down to experience; good luck!

Okay cool thanks for that info that helps a lot.
I was used to shifting early to keep the Rpms low but felt it could cause premature wear like you said . I'll do around 3-3500 rpm from now on

[soulreapersteve]

Just like driving a manual, every situation is different and shift accordingly.


Day to day driving, its usually at 4k for me. Though my gas mileage is poor due to that... which I don't really care about.

[mrg666]

Originally Posted by Emilio246

In full auto mode I notice it keeps me in a lower gear than I would want for my heavy city driving. Great for quick acceleration but not great for gas mileage. Question is, if I have it in manual mode and shift below 2500 rpm at all times, is the transmission working too hard in higher gears due to shifting to them quicker at low speeds? What speed and gear do you guys recommend for conservative driving?

Completely depends how you are driving. If you are aggressively accelerating, you will shift up at a higher rpm and speed. The rpm depends on where you keep your throttle. For example, if you have floored the throttle, the rpm is right before the redline (7000ish). Half throttle is somewhere between 4000 and 5000. You will know that when the engine is screaming and car not accelerating anymore; that is when you are late to shift up. If you are driving in the city and want to save gas, shift up at lower rpm and speed without stalling the engine. Likewise, shift down earlier as you get more aggressive. In the city driving, the car will shift down for you as necessary. But you can always shift down yourself as you want to accelerate or use engine brake, even in the automatic mode. As simple as that. Just practice and develop your own style. The shifts will not be smooth if shifting is not optimal. Just listen your engine, it will talk to you.

[Emilio246]

Originally Posted by mrg666

Completely depends how you are driving. If you are aggressively accelerating, you will shift up at a higher rpm and speed. The rpm depends on where you keep your throttle. For example, if you have floored the throttle, the rpm is right before the redline (7000ish). Half throttle is somewhere between 4000 and 5000. You will know that when the engine is screaming and car not accelerating anymore; that is when you are late to shift up. If you are driving in the city and want to save gas, shift up at lower rpm and speed without stalling the engine. Likewise, shift down earlier as you get more aggressive. In the city driving, the car will shift down for you as necessary. But you can always shift down yourself as you want to accelerate or use engine brake, even in the automatic mode. As simple as that. Just practice and develop your own style. The shifts will not be smooth if shifting is not optimal. Just listen your engine, it will talk to you.

For sure great info thanks man

[HKz]

just leave sport mode off and be light on the throttle? from my experience with the auto it wasn't any more complicated than that for relaxed driving

[navanodd]

Originally Posted by Emilio246

In full auto mode I notice it keeps me in a lower gear than I would want for my heavy city driving. Great for quick acceleration but not great for gas mileage. Question is, if I have it in manual mode and shift below 2500 rpm at all times, is the transmission working too hard in higher gears due to shifting to them quicker at low speeds? What speed and gear do you guys recommend for conservative driving?

I've got an auto, but rarely ever drive in D or Sport.

This engine really does not like having any load when under 2000 rpm. If you listen to the engine, you can really tell when it's unhappy with low RPM load.

For fuel mileage focused driving, your shift points should put you right around 2000 rpm after you shift. Only once you are coasting on level ground or heading downhill should you really be letting the revs drop much lower.

I will say, when I first got my BRZ I was wondering the same sort of thing and tried a bunch of different shift points for my daily driving. What I basically learned is that stock, fuel consumption isn't significantly tied to RPM. You won't notice a big difference in mileage shifting at 4000 vs 2500. I stopped paying attention to it, and just shift when it feels right from a performance standpoint.

[N1rve]

I would shift before 3000 RPM for conservative driving. Around 3100 you start going into the torque dip. If you shift when the up arrow comes up, you'll be very economical.

If you're driving the car how you're supposed to...7000 RPM shifts

[chaoskaze]

err redline all day after you let the engine warm for 15 mins

I used to always drive at around 3500 rpm, the lowest point of the torque dip.......so it's always like nice when I push the gas paddle. Cuz there is only going up. Stock torue near red line starts to fall at around 6900-7000 & you can feel that too.