ok so I'm a newbie MT driver, and I've heard a lot about how I shouldn't lug the car... e.g. it's bad to accelerate or go WOT in a high gear, it'll damage my valves/engine compression etc. etc.

(which I'm not even sure is true -> VW did a test a few years ago and wasn't able to prove that lugging did anything bad to the engine at all... if lugging were an issue, wouldn't they put instructions in the owners manual?? i mean, nissan covers their a$$ and they even warn you how to properly open your glovebox... gotta love the funny graphics)

anyway i digresss - my question, assuming lugging is a problem, is this:

since our Zs use drive-by-wire (e.g. gas pedal is not directly connected to the throttle body)... wouldn't the ECU be smart enough to realize that the driver is attempting to damage the car by going WOT in a high gear (say 6th) and limit the fuel going to the engine????

 

Just drive it, if it breaks get it fixed under warranty.

 

all the auto experts here and we have only ONE reply to this?
I really wanna know too.

 

all good points. the manual states EXTREMELY low shift points, so I dont think its a problem, they have you in 6th at 38mph. I cruise at anything over 40 in 6th, but I dont try to accelerate in it, Ill gently accel, but if I need speed for a reason, itll be in 4th.

 

40MPH in 4th gear, for speed?

 

so would HARD acceleration in 6th, at say, 40... cause lugging and engine problems?

i just figured that a 30k car would have a simple algorithm coded into the ecu to prevent gas from flooding the cylinders... seems to make sense

the ecu even has controls to automatically increase gas flow at low engine rpms! why not controls to prevent potential DAMAGE to the engine?

comon experts! speak up! I'm talk to you

 

I think we're getting confused on the term "lugging". When people say lugging is bad, they mean real low-down engine bogging. You know, so bad that the engine knocks and pings, which definitely aint good for it. However, if you are throttling hard from 40 mph in 6th gear and it pulls this nice and cleanly through the revs, then no, it is not hurting the engine. It's not too fast driving that way, but it won't hurt it.

 

I see... is what I'm describing called "bogging" rather than lugging then?

in either case, bogging or lugging, I think my questions stands - should/can/will the ecu prevent fuel from flooding the cylinders since we're using drive-by-wire?

I wonder if we can call nissan tech about this...

 

 

Doesn't matter what you call it, as long as the motor is not pinging or knocking, you aren't hurting it.

 

True

but i've read that simply going WOT in a high gear, at a low speed can fill your cyclinders with semi-combusted gasoline and burn your valves (among other nasty things)

this was the case 20 years ago on stick-shift cars and is still generally what most experienced and knowledgeable MT drivers will and have told me

but as a new MT driver, i really question whether modern cars have such a restriction.. especially after reading the study by VW... and in particular, since the Z uses drive-by-wire, it should be negated altogether

any thoughts?

 

Sorry guys ... I have no idea what this thread is about?

What is WOT? Lugging? Bogging? Is it like running the car in a gear where the RPM's are too low? like trying to go into 5th at 3mph?

Thanks in advance.

 

bogging = poor acceleration out of higher gears (4-6) because the engine is running at low rpm (e.g. 1000-1500), way outside of the powerband. Gasoline floods the cylinders, and due to low engine speed, combustion is incomplete, resulting in uncombusted but VERY hot gasoline exiting the chamber which may "burn" your valves

lugging = engine bogging AND pinging due to hard acceleration in a higher gear (4-6), at a VERY low rpm (e.g. 700-1000 or near idle). Same long-term consequence as bogging, but the problem is more pronounced, and even worse for your car

WOT = wide open throttle (e.g. gas pedal to the floor -> e.g. throttle body completely opened)

Question = Z is drive-by-wire, so shouldn't the ECU be smart enough to not open up the throttle when driver attempts to go WOT at low rpm, thereby preventing damage?