6-speed guys: at 35mph, what gear are you in?

Usually 4th maybe 5th if it's slightly down hill. 6th and sometimes 5th at 35 on flat ground starts to lug and kill mpg. If I was on stock tires I would be in 5th more often at that speed.

 

Ha, that's exactly why I stay in 3rd at 35mph. The noise the engine makes at around that 2,200rpm mark keeps me mindful of my speed. If I shift into 4th, I'm almost certain to go 40mph+ and I don't need another speeding ticket.

 

3rd gear for me and I'm sitting just above 2000 rpm. Lots of torque making getting around easy and decent engine breaking.

I'm on 32" tires.

 

Probably 4th, definitely not 5th. The engine doesn't like being under 1,500 RPM but I suspect power loss due to 6000' elevation/thinner air is to blame for that.

I tend to sit in 4th a lot in the suburbs.

Though it also depends if I'm coming down to 35 mph from a higher speed or coming up to it from a lower speed. Probably 4th if coming down and 3rd going up depending on how long I'll be at 35.

 

Nope, I've had 7 others before this one. It's not like sustained travel at 2,200rpm is hard on the drivetrain. Hell, it's higher than that in 6th gear at 70mph.

As an aside, in 13000 miles, my truck has never once seen the tach above 4,000rpm so I don't think it leads too rough a life. ;-)

 

+1

 

With VVT-i you can lug the motor at very low RPMs without pinging or other adverse effects. Sure you should downshift if you are climbing a hill or need to accelerate quickly but for cruising on relatively flat roads, the motor (at least in my truck) seems perfectly comfortable humming along just over 1K RPM.

I wouldn't advise this on a 1st generation 22-R though

 

Been driving a manual transmission since I learned to drive 18 years ago. There's no rule of thumb and what gear you use for a given speed depends on a lot of factors. After you've driven a vehicle for a length of time you get a feel for which gear works best at what speed.

With that said, I usually shift my Tacoma at the following speeds:
1-2 at 15 mph
2-3 at 25 mph
3-4 at 35 mph
4-5 at 45 mph
5-6 at 55 mph

I have no issue with regularly revving mine full throttle up to 4-5k RPM when I'm getting on the highway or horsing around, I mean that's one of the reasons I got my truck with a manual transmission in the first place. The power starts to drop off after a certain point so it's not worth going all the way to red line before you shift.

 

I get pinging when I lug mine if I leave it in 3rd as I bounce over a speed bump in my apartment complex and accelerate after that when I'm going probably 5-10mph.

 

LOL, yeah I personally don't get it, but whatever. Even with sustained driving at 50mph, I'm still not in 6th.

 

At 50mph on flat ground I cruise in 6th.

 

i rarely use 6th unless I'm cruising for long periods of time

 

I rarely use 5th. It's so close, most times I just shift straight from fourth to sixth.

 

COuld be 4th 5th or 6th, flats roads and near sea level in SNJ, i usually lug in the highest gear possible if im holding constant speed. it depends on the road

 

I try to avoid ever lugging my engine.

 

Same here

 

After reading through this thread, it makes sense why my mileage is so shit. Some of you guys are 6th gear @ 35?? Geez Us. I like to live my life 1/4 mile at a time so I keep it 3rd gear @ 35

 

If I put mine in 6th at 35, my engine would be below idle and die. Lol. @ 50mph, in 6th, it is barely over 1K. I doubt 5th would even keep the engine spinning at 35mph....Hmmm

 

Just for S&G, I put it in 6th yesterday on a long stretch of 35mph. I mean, it works, but it sure didn't seem happy. If it's a stretch without any stoplights I'll do 4th gear, but if there are stoplights, I choose 3rd so I can punch it if the light turns yellow.

 

3rd! I see no reason for anything else