GT with PP manual driving tips

[PatrickGT]

You should probably launch your car away from every light at 3K or higher, you know to save the engine.

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[millhouse]

It's definitely not good to lug your engine. Fuel economy is not important to me. Engine power and engine life, however, IS very important to me.

So I avoid driving in any gear that puts the engine at less than 2,000 rpm, unless I have cruise engaged and the road is relatively empty.

That rumbling sound you hear when you step on the throttle at low rpm? That's the pistons tipping in their bores and scraping their skirts against the cylinder walls. It's not going to prevent your engine from running, but over time lugging the engine will reduce power output and increase the piston-cylinder wall clearance.

Driving at 1500 RPM is NOT lugging the engine. Going WOT at 1500rpm however is, but no-one in here is suggesting to do so.

Driving at 1500RPM is not going to cause any undue harm to your engine as long as you're not driving like an idiot.

 

[ENPhoto]

OP:

You'll get used to it. The engine and transmission combo is definitely an odd setup compared to other cars. Mix that with the PP 3.73 gearing and it's definitely fun.

I'd stick with just your regular shift points...for normal cruising, upshift around 3k, downshift when you feel comfortable between 1500-2500rpm.


You may get into 6th at a low mph...as long as you don't lug it along. I like to keep above 1500rpm when cruising...otherwise I'll downshift.

I don't really pay too much attention to the manual and the speed stated....I just go off rpm.


I don't skip gears going up, but people do. I don't think there's cause for concern. The only issue I have with 3.73's is on the highway when you are stuck behind someone who is varying their speed between 90-100km/h (50-60mph)....I get stuck between 1400 luggy rpms in 6th or 3500 rpm in 5th. Not bad for a min or two...but following for 10-20 minutes at a time on a no passing road suuuuccckkkssss.

 

[nastang87xx]

yeah I do 1500 RPM all the time in 6th. As soon as I start to feel the car lose speed, I upshift. A foot resting on the gas at a few percent throttle to maintain an easy cruising speed in the 40's range is nothing to sweat at all. Now if you tried to do a half throttle or even quarter throttle pass, then yeah, terrible idea.

 

[nastang87xx]

@nastang87xx
http://www.mustang6g.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1757272#post1757272

Me likey.

 

[accel]

The GT350 has a similar setup. 1-5 are evenly spaced and there's a big gap between 5th and 6th. I just have to remember it's essentially a 5-speed with a heavy crusing overdrive. Also note that the exhaust mode closes down to "quiet" when you shift into 6th.

IMHO, it should have a gear between 5th and 6th. A 7-speed like Corvettes have. This is my third 6-speed manual. The previous ones were evenly spaced 1-6 and shifting was intuitive. In my GT350, I find my brain trying to put the car in 6th when I get above 2500 or so. That's too soon and 6th almost lugs the car.

Strangely, Ford does say 43 mph in 6th is OK. My old school brain says that's lugging and I don't do it. 1500 RPMs is the absolute lower limit for me before I downshift; usually 2000. The car will tell you when you're lugging it. Lugging is bad for the bearings. It's betting to keep the revs on the high side instead of the low side. Gas mileage is Prius owners!

Strangely, I like gear ratios in Mustang. I'm just trying to understand use cases better.

I've had Cooper S with 6 close ratio gearbox - very good for dynamic driving, engaging, but once you are at interstate for hours, the rpms were a little too high and the cabin noisy. Well, it ended up being so unreliable, I wasn't taking it to long trips anyways...

Bmw e90 328i had 6 gears that were spread out far from each other, but then 5th and 6th very close, 6th gear wasn't even necessary - poor dynamics, very characterless car overall... almost falling asleep experience.

So mustang gives you 5 first gears for dynamics and the last one for quiet interstate cruising. I find it very good combo... It's just, like I said in my original post - feel uncomfortable under 2000rpms with 65mph limit being pretty common for cali. And then I RTFM and it says you can go even lower...

So I guess 6th gear ~1500 is ok for cruising at constant speeds and I should downshift for almost any acceleration.

 

[ENPhoto]

So I guess 6th gear ~1500 is ok for cruising at constant speeds and I should downshift for almost any acceleration.

That's what I do living in flatland Alberta. 1500rpm in 6th for a few hours at a time...downshift to 4th to pass and row back to 5th and 6th.

 

[millhouse]

Strangely, I like gear ratios in Mustang. I'm just trying to understand use cases better.

I've had Cooper S with 6 close ratio gearbox - very good for dynamic driving, engaging, but once you are at interstate for hours, the rpms were a little too high and the cabin noisy. Well, it ended up being so unreliable, I wasn't taking it to long trips anyways...

Bmw e90 328i had 6 gears that were spread out far from each other, but then 5th and 6th very close, 6th gear wasn't even necessary - poor dynamics, very characterless car overall... almost falling asleep experience.

So mustang gives you 5 first gears for dynamics and the last one for quiet interstate cruising. I find it very good combo... It's just, like I said in my original post - feel uncomfortable under 2000rpms with 65mph limit being pretty common for cali. And then I RTFM and it says you can go even lower...

So I guess 6th gear ~1500 is ok for cruising at constant speeds and I should downshift for almost any acceleration.

At 70+mph in 6th you should be A-OK to accelerate as you'll be above 2000RPM. Otherwise, use the gears...shifting is fun.

1500 is fine for cruising. You'll find the sweet spot is 1500-2000RPM for steady state.

 

[seth21w]

And you don't now. Mustangs never have been, and are not now, "Muscle Cars".



You really believe that you will "kill the engine" by driving at low RPMs? Really? For reals???

And you think the manual telling you to shift into 6th at 43MPH is.....what, exactly? Something written in stone? Some sort of rule to be followed at all times?

Honestly, the lack of mechanical sympathy around here is astounding. Like, unless it's a written instruction, it's impossible to figure it out for yourselves. It's like some of you are robots, with no feel or flow to what you're doing.

Look, you shift into 6th at low RPM when you are cruising gently and quietly, relaxed. You shift at 7000RPM when you are out-running the cops at max attack down the road. And then there are a million points of light between those two.....

Shifting, when and how and at what RPMs, is situation dependent.

Im not saying it will kill the engine, and i didnt read the manual on how to shift my car im just going by my years of experience in driving my previous 20 or so mustangs. If you are running 45 and try going up an incline say in cruise or whatever in 6th gear, its going to floor it trying to make it up the hill yes it can burn up a clutch! Especially bad if you have a 3.55 or 3.15 gear

 

[airfuel]

, its going to floor it trying to make it up the hill yes it can burn up a clutch! Especially bad if you have a 3.55 or 3.15 gear

Why do you think this?
The motor is not making anywhere the power at 1500 rpm as compared to 7000 rpm. The clutch will be fine.

Lugging is just bad for the engine.

 

[NoVaGT]

Im not saying it will kill the engine, and i didnt read the manual on how to shift my car im just going by my years of experience in driving my previous 20 or so mustangs. If you are running 45 and try going up an incline say in cruise or whatever in 6th gear, its going to floor it trying to make it up the hill yes it can burn up a clutch! Especially bad if you have a 3.55 or 3.15 gear

I think I understand what you're trying to say;

You will burn up a clutch if you're slipping the clutch to get up a hill at low RPMs. But if you're cruising along at low RPMs in top gear, and need to go up-hill, you down-shift and get some revs and power, you don't lug the engine or slip the clutch.

 

[SJulian10mm]

I try to generally keep revs around 3k before shifting. Never put it in 6th unless on the highway like others have stated.

The nice thing about keeping it around 3K is that its not too loud yet (mbrp cat back) and if needed engine torque and the 3.73s can pull me out pretty quick if needed. However the other night this 350Z was beeing a toolbag so I dropped 2 gears for a sec and was out.

I love toolbag 350Zs, ran into one a few weeks back with this sticker on the back end.

 

[seth21w]

I think I understand what you're trying to say;

You will burn up a clutch if you're slipping the clutch to get up a hill at low RPMs. But if you're cruising along at low RPMs in top gear, and need to go up-hill, you down-shift and get some revs and power, you don't lug the engine or slip the clutch.

Yes exactly, also when if someone is lugging around in 6th gear at lower speeds around 40 look at your vac. Guage since this thread is about the gtpp if you are in the 10- 5 range, your mpg is going to be poor, its better to downshift. On my commute to work i have to run 60 in a 55 to keep it nice and sweet cruise wise in 6th gear 26mpg all day long. Anything below 55 and i disenguage cruise and go to 5th or 4 depending how slow but 5th i can do from 30mph to 55 and then back to 6th.

 

[airfuel]

The only time you are slipping your clutch is at start off.
Who slips a clutch while driving because you are in the wrong gear?

Do they teach manual driving in drivers ed?

 

[Hack]

Driving at 1500 RPM is NOT lugging the engine. Going WOT at 1500rpm however is, but no-one in here is suggesting to do so.

Driving at 1500RPM is not going to cause any undue harm to your engine as long as you're not driving like an idiot.

Even 1/2 throttle at 1500 rpm isn't good for the engine. Probably even 1/3 throttle is a bad idea. You can say the word idiot and act like it's simple, but it gets to splitting hairs how much engine power you can access at a really low rpm without accelerating the rate of wear and essentially lugging the engine. I would rather down shift and stay out of that zone.

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