meeno

I heard somewhere that it's bad to have the RPMS at say 1000 and then floor it (in sixth). Of course this won't give a lot of performance, but is it bad for the engine?

thanks

Zerostixxs

iTrader: (1)

i'm curious to know this as well.

luke350z

I think it causes some carbon build up. Not sure though.

s9am_me

iTrader: (1)

i think it does... makes the engine struggle. My friend did it by accident while trying to learn how to drive stick on a civic. i guess he shifted to the wrong gear and the car started to vibrate. you could hear the valves struggling. don't know why you would do it this tho, no power. Shouldn't be around 1K anyways, unless your in first

ranger5oh

Lol... The only gear I use is 6th, I am too lazy to shift, so I just leave it there. Sure, it doesnt accellerate all that fast, but hey, who wants to shift? gears 1-5 are pretty much just decoration anyway.

meeno

lol...whats the slowest you can go in 6th gear? (dont have a Z yet)

WayneTN

What you would be doing is severely "lugging" the engine. It may or may not hurt the engine and drive train. The engine could be operating in a region that it was not intended to operate at, at least for very long.

You might try a search on the Internet on "lugging car engine", or something similar.

WayneTN

NismoEagleRock

what you're doing is essentially working the engine really, really hard. i have an analogy for you. have you ever rode a mountain bike that had numerous amount of gears? say you put it into the highest gear, and pedal the bike your hardest. you are straining yourself out trying to go faster, and not getting the best performance from your bike. this is what's happening in the engine that causes the lugging sound; it's working overtime. simply put, it's a matter of physics and the gearing on the car. each gear operates efficiently at a specific speed range. so my answer is yes, flooring it in sixth gear, ESPECIALLY at 1000 rpm is bad for ANY engine. i hope this helps.

robcassell

I can shift into 6th gear going 30

FairladyZ

just wearing the car out faster.

Alang

iTrader: (1)

I would guess that in a regular car, there could be very minor issues with lugging the motor, but since our car has a drive-by-wire throttle, the computer would control the fuel enough that it really wouldn't be a problem. It won't just dump fuel into a slow turning motor, it will just add as much as it can and still have everything running within "safe" parameters.

R.J._Vancouver

Hmmmm.... Some odd answers. Why would someone buy a 6 speed sportscar if they don`t like to shift?
I love to go through all the gears. Up, and down shifting.

R.J._Vancouver

Hmmmm...... Some odd answers. Why would someone buy a 6 speed sportscar if they don`t like to, or are too lazy to shift?
I love to go through all the gears, up, and down shifting. Thats part of the fun of having a Z. Just my opinion. :-)

Pagan

Lugging the engine is bad for one main reason : oil pressure. The oil pump is controlled by the RPM's of the engine. When you make the engine lug, it's trying to generate power, and you're putting an overly rich fuel mixture into the cylinder. You're also not getting proper lubrication to the important parts. Lugging is VERY bad, and it's strongly recommended that you downshift when you need to.

Rushguy

My car doesn't see 6th gear unless going on a long highway trip and setting the cruise control on 80 or so. Every 6 speed I ever had I only use 6th when I'm on the Turnpike and cruise control. If I happen to do 75 to 85 on my way home on I-4 and its a 15 mile trip I keep it in 5th, just have more control imo.

ml2316

i did this once in my old car and i smelled smoke afterward and the car never felt the same again. maybe it was just my imagination though.

Superfly84zx

The engine should not be lugged at low rpm, period...your manual will say this somewhere inside I'm sure.

The engine combustion chamber pressures will be so high that the fuel/air mixture will explode instead of burn...known as detenation or knocking...over time this damages your pistons, rings, valves etc.

Your engine makes power by burning fuel and air in what can be thought of as pulses of power per second if you like. To accelerate your vehicle you want as many power strokes per unit of time as you can...AKA Faster RPM = More Power This I'm sure everyone will understand...

But placing your car in too high a gear is similar to stalling your engine on start off...too much energy is needed from the engine to move the car at that high gear ratio so ultimately the engine begins to knock and shake as the fuel explodes or doesn't burn correctly...

Think of it this way...if you could keep raising the gear ratio to say 7th or 8th or 9th gear you would get to a point where the motor would just not be able to turn from the load...like a lawnmower that hits a steel pipe and stops dead...usually this ends in a cloud of blue smoke.

Is this what you want for your engine? You'd be safer running in 2nd all day at 5000rpm around town than in 6th at 800rpm...

ztropic

iTrader: (1)

It isn't catastrophic since the engine is drive by wire. The ECU will do it's best to accomodate your immediate demands as you stomp on the gas by adjusting throttle body, fuel/air mixture, etc. But it will not allow for such extreme conditions to exist as if you were driving a car with a standard, manually driven throttle body or carburetor. I.E. just because we floor our Z's does not necessarily mean that our throttle bodies are wide open. The ecu calculates the ideal throttle input, fuel, timing, etc. to provide the most power at that instance while also considering fuel economy etc.

rouxeny

What about bogging? I find it's pretty easy to bog a little while starting in first.

WayneTN

I'd hate to be paying for your gas.