What RPM do you normally/ having FUN shift? 4 cylinder guy question

[CTBMW]

I nearly always shift around 3500. Last week I had to move into traffic and didn't shift untill about 5 grand, second...5 grand again-I liked it!!!
A lot seems to happen over the 3500 rpm range!
I keep oil changed at 2500 mile mark, try to baby the car (138 thousand), but a definite difference in upper RPMS !!!!
"Beating" on the car is not my intent-just wondering where you guys normally shift-and I know it varies.
Any thoughts?
Mel-318 I/ 5 spd.

 

[epj3]

I usually take my 1988 325is to about 5500 rpm when driving really hard.

 

[gbf1lm]

well it depends...at times 6000 but i cant tell u for normal driving bc it depends so much, you cant go stricktly on i shift at this rpms u should feel when teh car u needs to shift depending on teh conditions.

ya my car dont wake up untill 3500

 

[Pink_Floyd]

If I'm in a spirited mood and feel like going fast I'll take it up to 5,500 RPMs. I have an automatic, but after driving it for a while you can get floor it and then get it to shift exactly how you want by moving your foot very slightly to get the correct throttle position to get the computer to change gears.

 

[stormy]

taking it easy somwere around 3,500rpm and driving really hard (racing someone else) 6700upm.....too bad my 5. gear ends there too

i'm somwere around 123k miles....

greetz

oh forgot:

92 euro spec 318iS

 

[grc]

redline baby!

 

[mclarensmps]

lol, well offtopic re: the car, i used to shift my old corolla at 8k RPM when i was in a bit of a mad mood lol, thats a k above its redline, but then i was mad too!

 

[mostwired]

A quick question - when I shifted at 5500 the other day, in 3rd gear, the RPMs would climb all the way from 4500 to 6500, but the SPEED would remain the same. What's up with that?

 

[grc]

if you added 2000 rpm and did not see any increase in mph, then prolly the clutch was slipping? in the higher gears at lower speeds it becomes easier to overpower the clutch. did you notice any funny smell?

 

[mostwired]

if you added 2000 rpm and did not see any increase in mph, then prolly the clutch was slipping? in the higher gears at lower speeds it becomes easier to overpower the clutch. did you notice any funny smell?

There was a funny smell all over! However, it won't probably help - as I was driving by a chemical plant at that time

 

[selavia]

Geez!! My normal shifting speed is anywhere from 2000-2300RPMs. Am I up shifting too fast? Is 3000-3500RPMs the norm for regular driving?

As far as being in a bad mood or "race" shifting. I try not to take it up over 5000rpms.

Am I simply a sissy with my shifting, or am I hurting my engine by staying so low on normal driving.


And dude with the Corolla...awesome, I used to do that with my Camry; although I did have a ct-26 (7 lb turbo) which probably didn't help either, but it was fast as I don't know what. Kept everything else stock, so when I'd race people on the street...and kick their asses sooo bad, they'd be like WTF?!?

 

[grc]

all kinds of factors dictate what your shift RPM will be, traffic, mood, gas gauge, cop behind you. i'm pretty sure all E36's are electronically limited, i hate when i hit the limiter before i shift. i gotta get that limiter increased. put your foot into it and DRIVE.

 

[bmw046series]

Can you wreck your transmission or clutch if you shift at higher rates?

 

[nadroj]

i shift at 3500-4000 normally and when i trying to go fast i shift a 6500, you have to keep the 318's in the upper rpm or they are slow

 

[mjbst111]

it is not bad to run your engine anywhere under the red line. That is why there is a red line. You can wind it out as much as you want, the limiter will keep you from hurting anything. I red line almost every day. I have about 184k. I bounce it off the limiter from time to time too.

As far as shifting too low goes.... If you are driving at too low of a RPM, you may hear a deep wwwwwaaa. Real deep. Lower bass note than normal and it kind of shakes the car a bit. If anyone has heard this noise downshift! With too low of an RPM it hurts you piston rings.

 

[frolf]

for my torque/hp curve i slam gates at about 6k, but it depends on the slop, cause if i'm up hill and pounding on it i let it ride to about 6200, mjbst is right, there is a rev limiter to stop causing damage, continuously bouncing off the limiter is bad, but hitting it just before you shift on accident is no big deal.


its all about feel, and gear, and slope, and and and and...

 

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I also shift around 3500 in regular driving, anything up to red line is fine as far as I am concerned---you are missing out if you don't push it from time to time.