So with gas prices ever rising, I'm trying to drive like a grandma. Slow starts, and driving no higher than 50 mph. Anyway, I've also been keeping the rpms no higher than 2000. Frustrating, i know, but its just getting to expensive to show off my car.

What I'm wondering is will driving like this hurt anything? Also, since i'm trying to go slow, can I just shift from 2nd to 5th at 2000rpms or so? I certainly wont do it if it'll mess up the transmission. figured id ask you all.

btw: the real time mileage meter in the multi display went up from 21 to 28 driving like this.

 

hmmm where do i start?

dont do it. theres no point. itll probably bog.

why drive a Z if you're intimidated by high gas prices

 

okay then, what about just shifting at 2k rpms sequentially instead of 3-4k rpms?

I love my car, but its a daily driver, and gas prices are driving me crazy. I just want to know that shifting at low rpms wont permanently damage anything.

 

On the street I use 1-2-4-6 and am in 6th anytime over 40

 

whats your average mpg? ever check it?

 

Skipping gears will not hurt a thing, nor will driving at 2000 RPM. Your car might even last longer when driven that way.

 

So the people who told me I'm ruining my car are wrong?

 

^^This. Especially with the 4.083 gears.

 

The short answer is....Yes, you are putting more stress on your synchros, but whether or not it will have any meaningful impact on the longevity of your transmission is probably debatable....at least if you're only skipping on upshifts.

Synchros get put under a lot of stress during a shift -- they are tasked with matching the speed of your wheels with that of the transmission. The larger the gap in ratios (e.g. 2nd to 5th vs 2nd to 3rd), the more of a speed difference you are asking your synchros to negotiate.

Regarding my comment about upshifts vs downshifts....If you're upshifting slowly as part of daily driving, your revs will die off during the shift. This is essentially rev-matching, which is what you HAD to do prior to synchros being invented. Obviously, if you shift from 2nd to 5th, you'll need to wait longer for the revs to drop down to where they need to be in 5th.

Downshifting is much more stressful. If you are at 2500rpms in 5th and you slam it into 2nd, your are essentially ordering your synchros to instantly speed the transmission & engine up to 6000rpms (random guess). It'll do it, but it won't like it, and it will eventually wear out...

 

1-2-4-6 here.. wont do anything if you are easy with it and we have plenty of tq to do 6th gear at idk i was doing like 30mph something like that and lower can't remember.. ive been doing it since owning the car. I drive all city my avg is 24 ish.. no tune CAI,TP,AAM duals.

 

Doing it to get 1 more MPG isn't worth it. Drive the speed limit and change gears at 2.5k RPM. Just glad I live 7 miles from work, that right there is the best way to fight gas prices, dont live far from your job

 

im not getting 1 mpg more. acc to the meter, im getting like 7 or 8 because the way i was driving, i was getting 20mpg before, shifting at 4k rpms.

 

^theres no need to shift at 4k under normal driving. i shift at around 2 most of the time and like stated, i use mainly 1-2-4-6. I average 24 mpg in 60/40 highway/city+traffic.

I attempted to shift from 2nd to 5th at 2k rpm earlier on the way home and the revs dropped down to like 900 rpm. As a result, unless you're very very easy on the throttle to build up revs again, its just not practical or worth it. (stock gearing)

In conclusion, just shift from 1.8k or so to 2.5k rpm with a light foot if you'd like to save gas. Otherwise, all you're doing by what you stated is saving wear on your clutch it seems like.

 

this is why i come to this forum, for all of your expert advice. Switching to 2.5krpm and 1, 2, 4, 6. Thanks!

 

This is exactly how I drive mine too. I mostly do it because my exhaust is so freakin loud with test pipes and true dual, that the low rpm rumble sounds better.

Never really worried that much about gas mileage or thought about it. I get anywhere from 26-28 highway and 21-26 city/combined. Even if you pick up 1 more mile per gallon, that works out to like 15 cents a gallon. I'd rather spend the extra 15 cents for every 26 miles driven and enjoy my car.

 

putting that much load on engines is baddd

 

I do it that way for both Gas and sound reasons, the Motordyne Gamma single with headers and HFC's is not quiet, then when i run the shockwave i shift at 1500 to 2k rpm .

Please explain a bit more about this, I really want to hear about this !!!

 

Gas prices are ridiculous but you gotta pay it.

 

Or if possible live near your job. Have friends that bought homes 30+ miles away from their job because homes were cheaper. The little they save on mortgae payments, they surpass in gas.

 

no one has touched on the fact that start and stop low rpm daily driving will gain you little in the immediacy, but in the short and long term, WILL cause nastiness....
This is becuase that is the best way to give yourself carbon build up far and above the normal.

Google it, talk to mechanics etc.. it aint just about synchros as mentioned above, which is totally true tho.... or that youre "ruining" your car.. youre not..

BUT>>>

its jsut as true that repeated short distance low rpm trips w engine shut off and heat soaked will add to the problem..
so sure, shift short and stay low, but get on it every few days... but then that will be equaling out your "gain" of mileage... so again, no point, drive it man.
all this adds up to .. uh, it sucks, yes, but seriously.. if an extra 100 in a month for gas (its not like higher fuel cost is part of your business expense etc like a trucker) is enough to break your bank or change your mode of living, you are quite obviously over extended driving the Z in the first place man.. you asked, we're just bein honest.

Hope this helps.