Nina,
My daughter bought a new Saturn this year and the sales lady indicated that
she personnally ignores the shift lights and that it is a fuel economy
indicator only. Makes sense to me as I rarely shift gears at under 3500 to
4500 rpm in my MG depending on what I'm doing at the time. I used to take
it to 5500 when it was new but after 135,000 miles on the engine I take it a
bit easier.
Dave 72 B
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nina Barton" <ninab@scoresheet.com>
To: <mgs@autox.team.net>
Sent: Friday, November 10, 2000 12:43 PM
Subject: somebody explain shifting and RPM to me
Hi List,
I have always driven my MGB, and other cars, in the following
manner. Start from stop, rev up to what seems an appropriate level
(usually 3500 or so in the BGT), shift, rev up to somewhere around the same
level, shift again, etc. I recently had problems with the troop carrier (a
93 Saturn) which turned out to be that the bulb on the dash showing optimal
shift for premium gas mileage had burned out. I didn't know it was there,
as the previous owner had taped over it. It has now been uncovered, and
besides being a pain in the a**, I notice that it suggests that I shift
from first to second around 3000 Rpm, second to third at 2500 Rpm, and
third to fourth at 2100 Rpm. Why? It seems like I'm not going fast enough
in the car when the shift light comes on, much of the time, and it goes
against my whole driving style. If one of the knowledgeable people on this
list could explain why lugging your engine is good for the car, I'd like to
know. Thanks, Nina
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