Low-rev driving

[Wang]

Does driving in really low rpm help in reducing the consumption of gasoline? I've been driving like this for sometime now, mostly reving it at less than 2000rpm. I even run 40kph already at 4th gear. Im driving an 11-year old civic and am afraid that what im doing will cause damage to the engine/transmission/etc. At, kunyari maluwag yung road, tipong bumubwelo ako ng speed, then drop the gear to neutral, para hindi laging nakatapak sa silinyador.

[niky]

If the car's having a hard time, you're hurting the engine.

Yes, driving at low rpms will help save gas, but if you're "lugging" the engine, it'll lead to accelerated wear and tear.

[alwayz_yummy]

agree.. pero if your coasting on the highway, better FC if you're close to "engine idle speed" thats the secret. now gearing will determine your cruising speed.

most gas cars * 5th gear * 1500-2000 rpm thats 60-80 kmh

focus diesel coasts * 90kph * 1800-2000 rpm

kung country road or city driving, anticipation is the key factor in order to get a good FC

[[archie]]

kunyari maluwag yung road, tipong bumubwelo ako ng speed, then drop the gear to neutral, para hindi laging nakatapak sa silinyador.

going on a steady pace will save gas rather than speeding up then going neutral.

what i do sa highway is a steady pace to 100 km/h then go neutral kung lapit na ko sa exit ko... approx 300 meters (sa sign ako nagbabase)

[Memphis Raines]

I think that the best way is to rev moderately meaning not too low or excessively high like doing jack rabbit starts.

.

[mbeige]

It's all about gearing....

If your car is geared for economy (as in a manual trans) then the 5th or 6th gear would drop the engine speed down close to idle when cruising. But when you're in city driving you'll need a smaller gear ratio so your engine can transfer its power easily to the rear wheels. Otherwise, as Niky said you'll be lugging the engine, which is both mechanically inefficient (wastes fuel) and wears the parts more than it should.

Just get a feel for it, usually it's at the point when minimal accelerator input leads to "just enough" acceleration. If the same accelerator input makes it feel it needs more power, then you're lugging the engine. Same with the opposite, but you're racing the engine that time. So find the sweet spot and use that combination as soon and as often as possible, to save on fuel. Gentle acceleration lang ha, when I say as soon as possible, baka naman you "race" to that speed then switch to cruise mode. Sayang lang tinipid mo if you race to that speed...

Hope that clears it up a bit

[yapoy86]

at 5th gear maintain speed of 60kph to 80kph max shifting below 2000rpm (1500 - 1800 rpm) is also good especially if you are not hauling cargo or carrying peeps.. sure you will have lower FC.. eventhough you maintain speed of 100kph - 120kph bottomline is still you will get to your destination no matter how fast you drive... it is because at the end of the road, all of you will be caught at the same TRAFFIC...

[ghosthunter]

going on a steady pace will save gas rather than speeding up then going neutral.

what i do sa highway is a steady pace to 100 km/h then go neutral kung lapit na ko sa exit ko... approx 300 meters (sa sign ako nagbabase)

Contrary to popular belief... "hyper milers" do speed averaging and get better fuel mileage than steady speed. Example, if you want to go an average of 70kph, you speed up to 80kph then go into neutral and coast your car until it reaches 50/55kph then slowly speed up again to 80kph.

[v6dreamer]

Avoid gunning your engine and anticipate braking on city driving. This principle also apply on highway driving.

[overboost]

Went to Angeles City (Friendship H-way Cut-cut) and Clark Airbase Pampanga last Monday with 700 pesos of gas (Caltex Gold). With an average speed of 80 to 90 kph (1500 - 2000 rpm) at NLEX plus the city driving, I was able to run a total of 205 kms approximately.

Low-rev driving really improves FC.

[XTO]

kaya super tipid ang diesel eh talagang low rev kasi.

as mb said "feel it" different cars differ in terms of gearing. also as niky said, as long as you're "not lugging" the engine it's good. in your case with a civic, ramdam mo naman kung hanggan saang RPM siya magaan for each gear. then dun ka mag stick if you're into tipid mode.

anticipation lalo na dito sa city is needed, sabi nga ni a_y kaya napakaraming factors. lahat dito damay aside sa FC. (brake pads, tire, suspension wear etc)

but it's alway good to give your engine some kick pa minsan minsan para di naman magtampo in case kailanganin mo

[iho250]

quick question! doesn't this driving style will make your engine used to it...so when you try to push your engine once in a while...it will not give you the power you want?...or is that just a myth?

[owyn]

I got the same car and the same concerns what with the insane price of gas these days.

If you bother to look at the car's manual (most people never do), the recommended shift points for every gear is outlined that strikes a nice balance between fuel economy and ability to accelerate.

99 vti = 40-65kph is 3rd gear's playpen. The engine doesn't seem to lug at 1.5K RPM (acceleration is totally dull though) but following what Honda put in the book , the tach needle lands at 1.8-2K RPM at the start of every upshift.

In fact that's the magical point where wheel speed and engine speed is in delicate balance that you can shift without the clutch! ^_^ the engine doesn't drive the wheels nor does the wheels drive the engine (i.e. engine brake.) And in that small window you can knock the gear off (lever would feel soft) or put it in (w/o any grinding.) It's fun to strive to know one's car =)

I'm not recommending clutchless shifting of course, i'm just saying that
the numbers honda put in the book are the 'natural' shift points and my experience confirms that.

I've always logged my FC in a notebook i keep in the glovebox (refilling to full tank, 30 liters minimum everytime for better accuracy) i average 12.4kms/Li. Best run was 13.7, worst run was 10.5 for this year.

HTH.