Changing gear

[LHVRS]

Hi guys, 

 

Just wondering at what point people with a TSI VRS, manual transmission, change up gear? 

 

I've been driving for years and always changed up when it sounded right, around 2.5k revs on most cars but this was also for good fuel economy and on old cars that were well ran in.

 

On most 30 roads I normally end up in 4th cursing at 2k revs but feel like I'm changing up to soon and also missing all the fun of 3 gear in the VRS . Sometime I feel like I could stay in 2nd in stop, start 30 zones as I'm only hitting around 3.5k revs but then think of my petrol and change up. 

 

What are the advantages of staying in a lower gear longer apart from torque and control, is it better or worse for my engine? (4k on clock)  

 

Cheers 

Edited 14 February, 2017 by LHVRS

[ahenners]

Usually around 2k. Sometimes with DSG in manual, sometimes with the DSG but again it's around 2k when warmed up in E or D mode. With DSG it's quick and easy to come out of high gear/low revs to low gear/high revs if required.

 

Edited 14 February, 2017 by ahenners

[Isocrem]

In the main, I'm in 3rd gear in 30 zones. It's an incredibly flexible gear and provides that little extra bit of acceleration sense. If I'm negotiating a tight hazard, going down into 2nd at mid twenties to thirty is absolutely fine. I'm generally a gear or two lower in 30 or 40 zones than I was in my Diesel as there is far less 'engine' braking in the petrol unit. 

 

The car will upshift easilty from 2K, but it depends on the road circumstances. It does like to rev though..

[LHVRS]

4 hours ago, Isocrem said:

In the main, I'm in 3rd gear in 30 zones. It's an incredibly flexible gear and provides that little extra bit of acceleration sense. If I'm negotiating a tight hazard, going down into 2nd at mid twenties to thirty is absolutely fine. I'm generally a gear or two lower in 30 or 40 zones than I was in my Diesel as there is far less 'engine' braking in the petrol unit. 

 

The car will upshift easilty from 2K, but it depends on the road circumstances. It does like to rev though..

I'm driving in the same way but was just wondering if I was putting excess strain on the new engine. I always let the oil warm up before any hard use.  

[Isocrem]

20 minutes ago, LHVRS said:

I'm driving in the same way but was just wondering if I was putting excess strain on the new engine. I always let the oil warm up before any hard use.  

 

I'm not an expert on running in an engine, however 30mph in 3rd Gear is only 2K revs, so I wouldn't call that excessive strain. I would also say it's more mechanically sympathetic than putting it into 4th or 5th at 30 mph then having to brake going down hills, change gear for uphills etc. It's all down to individual road conditions, of course. A nice flat, long straight bit of 30 mph road, sure, put it in 4th or 5th. 

[Ads230]

Having gone from a free-revving N/A 1.6 Fiesta Zetec S to my VRS 230, the addition of the turbo torque and (non-helpful) 'eco driving' green arrows on the maxidot screen similarly made me question whether changing up more often / more frequently at lower speeds was putting strain on the engine. Mine's now at 5500 miles (bought at 4400), and has opened up more in recent weeks which is nice.

 

Personally, I change when it feels right - with a degree of mechanical sympathy. The VRS TSI has more than enough torque to go anywhere at 30mph in 4th... but to be honest, if you're in the nice comfy 'middle zone' between 1k RPM and it sounds like it's bogging to definitely over-revving, should be fine.

 

Would similarly agree with @Isocrem above

Edited 14 February, 2017 by Ads230
quick edit from reply above.

[Isocrem]

6 minutes ago, Ads230 said:

Having gone from a free-revving N/A 1.6 Fiesta Zetec S to my VRS 230, the addition of the turbo torque and (non-helpful) 'eco driving' green arrows on the maxidot screen similarly made me question whether changing up more often / more frequently at lower speeds was putting strain on the engine. Mine's now at 5500 miles (bought at 4400), and has opened up more in recent weeks which is nice.

 

Personally, I change when it feels right - with a degree of mechanical sympathy. The VRS TSI has more than enough torque to go anywhere at 30mph in 4th... but to be honest, if you're in the nice comfy 'middle zone' between 1k RPM and it sounds like it's bogging to definitely over-revving, should be fine.

 

Would similarly agree with @Isocrem above

 

I came from a 2.0 Diesel Mkii Estate and over the 6 Years I owned it, I adapted to that lazy, low rev, high torque style of driving. 5th Gear at low speeds was effortless and the Diesel lump was very good at holding back the car, so no real need to change gears that often.

 

For the first couple of weeks of driving my Petrol vRS, I drove it in the same way, and, as you say it's more than capable of being driven in that 'wafty' fashion, in a high gear. The only difference being is the engine braking is minimal in the Petrol. It's a very flexible engine though. Agree, the gear 'suggestions' are best treated just as suggestions!

[Gabbo]

Absolutely no difference mechanically for the engine.

Remember the vRS is supposed to be a sports model so will have been tested in far more extreme conditions than a city commute as 30mph to drop off the kids.

 

Just drive the way you feel comfortable, stop worrying about your car & just enjoy it.

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

On 14/02/2017 at 12:06, Isocrem said:

In the main, I'm in 3rd gear in 30 zones. It's an incredibly flexible gear and provides that little extra bit of acceleration sense. If I'm negotiating a tight hazard, going down into 2nd at mid twenties to thirty is absolutely fine. I'm generally a gear or two lower in 30 or 40 zones than I was in my Diesel as there is far less 'engine' braking in the petrol unit. 

 

The car will upshift easilty from 2K, but it depends on the road circumstances. It does like to rev though..

 

I detect an advanced 'Roadcraft' driver here, using phrases like 'acceleration sense...'

 

It's an interesting question, this. I used to change up quite early when I first learned to drive. However, I re-trained as a Paramedic a while ago, and as part of that, my ambulance Trust put me through a 5-week blue light response advance driving course, which involves not just 25 days of driver training, but 5 exams too. We're trained in normal ambulances and the rapid response cars too. It's pretty comprehensive!

 

The training is mainly based around the advanced driver training techniques explained in the Police 'Roadcraft' manual. One of the first things that becomes evident, is that changing up into higher gears too early robs you of an element of vehicle control. Acceleration, deceleration and general vehicle response and control is maximised by using an appropriate gear for the conditions. After this training, we learn to leave the gearlever alone a bit more, and it's not unusual to stick in third or even second gear for example, in a 30 limit, depending upon the conditions.

 

It feels a bit wierd at first, having the engine revs quite high whilst driving 'normally' - but we soon see the advantages of it. After a while, we don't go near fourth, fifth or sixth until we are doing some serious mph.

 

Lastly, one of the advanced driver training mantras is using 'brakes to slow, gears to go...' which I find SOME conflict with if I am honest, with my race track experience...I still think that gears are a useful part of the package to help slow a vehicle. But fundamentally, the roadcraft system at least explains the separation of gears and brakes for different desired effects in a vehicle, and the distinction is a useful one to think about.

 

I might suggest that, if you are asking this question and are obviously interested in the subject, that you buy or download a copy of Roadcraft and have a read. It might just challenge your driving habits and encourage you to think about trying some differnet methods? Certainly after all my training, I use many aspects of Roadcraft in my normal day to day driving now.

 

Anyway, I hope this helps!