Shifting gears at Low RPM??

[Danny51]

Hey Guys,

Got a question for you about shifting gears. I drive a 91 318i and usually shift at 1800-2200, so just around 2k RPM. It's pretty much just habit at this point, and not too hard considering how slow the car is (I still love it!)

I've noticed that its been pretty good to my wallet , but Im wondering if this is bad for the Car in anyway !

Let me know,
Thanks

[roguetoaster]

If you occasionally take it in to the upper reaches of the rev range I doubt you are hurting the car. OTOH, if you never rev the car higher than 2200 RPM you may end up with more carbon deposits than would be healthy, but you will probably extend the life of the drive train markedly. Try shifting at 2500-2750 RPM so when you get in to the next gear you are actually making forward progress.

I get about 27-28mpg in my 318i, and I do not drive the car gently, but I do have a 70+ mile daily commute which mitigates wasteful driving. I have found that if I do shift at ~2500 I can get upwards of 33mpg, but it's no fun, and it makes you a rolling road block around the DC area.

[Danny51]

If you occasionally take it in to the upper reaches of the rev range I doubt you are hurting the car. OTOH, if you never rev the car higher than 2200 RPM you may end up with more carbon deposits than would be healthy, but you will probably extend the life of the drive train markedly. Try shifting at 2500-2750 RPM so when you get in to the next gear you are actually making forward progress.

I get about 27-28mpg in my 318i, and I do not drive the car gently, but I do have a 70+ mile daily commute which mitigates wasteful driving. I have found that if I do shift at ~2500 I can get upwards of 33mpg, but it's no fun, and it makes you a rolling road block around the DC area.

For my regular driving I will shift around 2K, but I will definitely occasionally push it with some more spirited driving (Near redline)

Yea right now I dont know exact mileage but it seems to be pretty nice, especially after I recently changed my fuel and air filter. I'll try shifting a bit higher then !

What do you usually shift at to get 27-28? because that's still pretty good numbers !

[CabbE30]

I think you may bore your e30 to death.

Just rail her & enjoy 26+ mpg everywhere.

[elbrack]

I regularly shift at 3500RPM and love to take it up to the 5K range. I have a 4 minute drive to work every morning and a huge stretch of a road before I turn into my job so I just slam on it then. Albeit I only get like 23mpg so there's that. 1991 318is

[einhander]

I regularly shift at 3500RPM and love to take it up to the 5K range. I have a 4 minute drive to work every morning and a huge stretch of a road before I turn into my job so I just slam on it then. Albeit I only get like 23mpg so there's that. 1991 318is

4 minute commute?

Redlining when cold?

Nice?

[Wh33lhop]

4 minute commute?

Redlining when cold?

Nice?

It's an M42, worst that can happen is he grenades it and is forced to put something better in.

[einhander]

It's an M42, worst that can happen is he grenades it and is forced to put something better in.

Good point, Tito.

[mrcheezle19]

It's an M42, worst that can happen is he grenades it and is forced to put something better in.

[roguetoaster]

For my regular driving I will shift around 2K, but I will definitely occasionally push it with some more spirited driving (Near redline)

Yea right now I dont know exact mileage but it seems to be pretty nice, especially after I recently changed my fuel and air filter. I'll try shifting a bit higher then !

What do you usually shift at to get 27-28? because that's still pretty good numbers !

I usually shift between 3 & 4k, which would normally return bad MPGs, but I spend a lot of time in 5th on the highway. In addition to that I frequently skip shift.

FYI our M42 powered Chump car gets between 12-14 MPG, and thats driven pedal hard down most of the time. So you should always be able to top that on the street.

[dustyperez]

redline everytime!!! :hitler:

[Danny51]

Yea I guess I'll start changing higher then, I have a 15 minute commute everyday but its all Backroads so Im usually cruising in 5th anyways

[BobombETA]

Redline = stress relief.

Lead a stress free life, healthy and happy.

[fiveightandten]

Hey Guys,

Got a question for you about shifting gears. I drive a 91 318i and usually shift at 1800-2200, so just around 2k RPM. It's pretty much just habit at this point, and not too hard considering how slow the car is (I still love it!)

I've noticed that its been pretty good to my wallet , but Im wondering if this is bad for the Car in anyway !

Let me know,
Thanks

1800 is too low. 2200 is on the low side.

As a general rule, the more noise an engine is making, the more internal stress it's seeing. Lugging the engine around at 1000RPM (what you're doing if you're shifting that low) can be just as hard on it as redlining it.

For that car, 2500-3000 is a pretty reasonable point to shift. But it all depends on what kind of load you're putting on it and how much acceleration you need out of it.

[GThomas]

I usually shift around 7300.