It all depends upon the car. If the engine makes a lot of torque low in the powerband, then shifting at low RPM is rarely ever an issue. If you try driving like that in, say, a Honda S2000, then it would be a miserable driving experience. That's an engine that loves to be wound out and doesn't make very much torque down low. To appreciate that engine, you really have to rev it up high.tankinbeans wrote:
I tried short-shifting, but I'm never sure what the definition is. I've seen it where you shift short of 2,000 rpm, but that doesn't give you enough torques in the next gear for any meaningful acceleration; 2,250 rpm seems to be a nice balance. I've tried starting in second gear just to shunt the amount of unnecessary torque going to the wheels in first, but this feels unnatural. I've also tried keeping the engine spinning 2,500 rpm because I've read around that higher rpm is better for smaller engines, but the racket got to be a bit much. I've avoided 6th gear if I'm travelling below 55 mph, and I've used 6th gear as soon as 40 mph, just to see if there's a gain/loss. I've tried slow and steady acceleration as well as balls out, 'get up to speed, then cruise,' acceleration.
When people say short-shift, what exactly is meant?
But for me, I can't really be bothered with shifting for fuel economy. I can do it once in a while, but I enjoy hearing and feeling the engine wind out along with the sound of the turbo boosting. So no matter what, I eventually find myself burning excess gas just for the fun of it. I just can't help it