I read on this board that someone said it wasn't good to do that. But wouldn't doing so save gas?

 

My take on this, lostsol, is that by shifting the S2000 at lower RPMs you are actually depriving the car (and yourself) of much needed and all important VTECs.

You see, without VTECs the S2000 is very, very, very sad . Much the same way as neglecting to pay attention to your children!
For those who are more concerned with maximizing fuel economy, I might suggest reviewing the merits of the Insight and Civic Hybrids. Both wonderful cars in their own right, but neither require VTECs for happiness.

 

In Clinton-ese, it depends what the meaning of "good" is. If you keep the rpm's too low, you'll bog the engine. This is a BAD thing, but you wouldn't be shifting at this point no matter what, so that's not really your question. From a performance standpoint, our engines make power at high rpm's, so shifting at low rpm will decrease the amount of power you're using, and therefor your performance. As with anything else, there are tradeoffs, namely in this case economy. The more power you make, the more fuel you use. So like I said...it depends on what you define good as.

For normal driving, shifting at a relatively low rpm is a good way to save on gas, and reduce wear on the engine. It is a good idea to use your second set of cams though on a regular basis, since non-use of automotive parts tends to cause degredation. If the engine never sees rpm's north of 6k, you won't switch to the high cams, the solenoids won't actuate, etc.

 

So for daily normal driving what is a good rpm to shift at for each gears?

 

I either use the shift points in the manual for most of my driving. But sometimes, I'll hold up traffic if I shift at those points...so I shift at or right below 4K RPM. This shifting results in ~20MPH in first, ~30 MPH in second, and ~40 MPH in third, etc.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Uncle Fester
[B]

I either use the shift points in the manual for most of my driving.

 

Your owner's manual gives you "suggested" shifting parameters. There is no hard and fast rule for what rpm or what road speed you should be shifting. As already stated, you don't want to "tax" the engine too much with a low rpm shift followed by high load acceleration. Also how you shift on level ground would be vastly different from what you would do if you were going UP hill or DOWN hill or if you are on gravel or sand or snow or rain. Get the picture?
Imagine yourself on a mountain bike with multiple gears. Start off "comfortably" from a stop in first. Not long after you get going, shift into second. As long as you are continuing to pedal at a "comfortable" power level, no big deal, right? But let's say you do the same early shift and then immediately apply all the force you can to get that bike going faster - pretty hard work, ain't it? Well, continue up through the gears in this "premature" shifting fashion. As long as you are pedalling (on flat ground) "comfortably", you can do it and not feel like you're working too hard. But after any shift, if you decide you need to "get going" and put all you got into it, it gets pretty "taxing", doesn't it. Wouldn't it have been easier if you had downshifted BEFORE "giving it"? OR, if you were planning to accelerate "briskly" anyway, wouldn't it have been easier if you had pedalled longer in each gear before shifting? Now imagine the same scenario going up a hill or down a hill. You'd change it just a bit for each, wouldn't you?
This is what your engine feels.

 

Here's something easy to remember:

In every gear, a shift up one gear at 4000 RPM takes you back down to 3000 RPM. In my opinion, you want to be above 3000 RPM all the time. If someone turns off and slows traffic, you can return to speed without downshifting as long (as you're still above 2000 RPM.)

If the speed limit is 30 or 35, drive in third gear. 40 or 45, fourth, and so on.

 

for normal driving, i usually shift at around 3.5-4k rpm

but just like xviper said, everything depends.

just drive a little more and you will figure it out.

i don't think cruising at low rpm will hurt your engine much, just don't floor it at low rpm to acelerate.

 

Unless I feel the need for speed ..... I usually shift between 3000 & 4000 RPMs. Mostly closer to 4000.