We may think we know it all, but it's a neat refresher:
tinyurl.com/23e9y
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We may think we know it all, but it's a neat refresher: tinyurl.com/23e9y
Good site, but I can't see the page where they try and sell you a battery you don't want or need!
;o) as always
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Good advice, apart from driving in the highest gear you can. 37mph in fifth, as they quote = no engine braking, no acceleration.
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The not using aircon saves money is a bit of a generalisation, hope they'll pay for new seals which have dried out cos the a/c hasn't been used.
37mph in 5th?! I cringe thinking of the poor engine as they flog it up that hill.
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I remember the last time I tried to do 37mph in 5th in my 1.9TD Xsara.
*Crunch! Bang! Judder! Crunch! Scrape! Groan!*
It did not like it, and so I stick to 3rd gear around towns. Better performance and engine braking, and fuel economy doesn't appear to have suffered at all.
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The car also tends to drift towards higher speeds, so some experience:
Crunch! Bang! Judder! Crunch! Scrape! Groan! FLASH! FLASH! ... NIP.... groan.
Other advice recently was to keep to 3rd in a 30 limit to avoid this...
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"37mph in fifth, as they quote = no engine braking, no acceleration."
No need for acceleration, no need for braking... What's the problem with being in fifth, then?
If you're going to need to accelerate, be in a lower gear. The biggest problem with being at low revs in a high gear is that if you do need to brake, and if you don't change down, you either drop the revs so low that you can't accelerate to recover speed, or the revs drop to below idling speed if you don't dip the clutch/change down.
If the traffic flow's erratic, being prepared means a lower gear. But if the traffic is flowing freely or the road is empty, why not be in a high gear? Anyway, my MINI Cooper trickles along nicely at 30mph in fifth, and will easily accelerate smoothly away from that pace on the level. But if I want to make brisker progress away from 30 I'll choose a lower cog.
Isn't this all rather a no-brainer??
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I'll differ with you on this, Maxy. Whatever speed you are driving at you should select a gear that will allow you to vary your speed with the throttle. This allows the engine to run at it's most efficient, places less strain on the load bearing components than being over geared, and contrary to what many believe also uses less fuel.
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Also needed for the times when you don't need any engine braking or acceleration because the van on the side road obviously isn't going to pull out at the wrong time nor is the cyclist going to veer out to avoid a pothole etc etc
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I'm afraid that my car will physically not go at 37 in 5th. It'll barely do it in 4th with 30 in fourth starting to dip below idle speed. so it's 30=3rd gear, 40=4th gear and 50=5th gear for me.
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I think the problem is that this is another example of very generic advice, aimed at people who for whatever reason (inexperience?) can't tell for themselves what the car engine is doing, and how to drive in a mechanically sympathetic manner.
The problem with advice like this is that it can't be applied to every single car in every single situation.
Really and truly, the correct advice would be to listen to your car's engine note, and choose the gear yourself in order to allow the car to proceed most comfortably, and in greatest control.
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Absolutely Bazza. I'm not one for labouring engines and if you can't pull away in the gear then it's too high and you need to change down.
And to reassure Tom S, my driving is well attuned to the characteristics of my engines (two cars, you understand) and I aim for max mechanical sympathy.
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Tom I agree as well.couldnt put it better myself.
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