Is it really okay to drive 33 in 6th?
 

Before you start hating and yelling at me I know it's a sports car not made for mpg, and that's awesome you bang every gear at redline xD

I know other threads talk about it but everyone always just says redline it and stop worrying about mpg so it's hard to get a legit answe.

SO... previous to this only manual car I had was a 1966 mustang with a 289 v8. When I kept low rpm in the car it didn't bog, just usually flooded the carb and I would downshift, romp on it, and clear it out.

With my 370, I just like to cruise and be stealthy. I don't really care for going fast on city roads cause in California it's a bunch of traffic. The manual says 6th gear you can be 33mph. I just want a better opinion. Is it safe? I'm literally keeping my foot in the same spot not accelerating and if I do I'll down to 3rd or 4th. Al the speed limits near me are 40 so people go like 35 of course so I just cruise it.

Thank you all so much for your time for reading and if you respond thanks even more! Have a great day!
-Jake

I think your putting to much strain on the 6th gear by doing that, that's the whole purpose of lower gears to begin with, but I don't think it'll cause any major damage.

It's more of a concern about lugging the engine. The VVEL helps a lot with this but 6th is really ment for high way cruising. I cruise the streets in 5th most the time

I've honestly never used my 6th gear.

As long as you are just "coasting" along, you'll be OK. Shift to a lower gear if you need to accelerate or go up a hill.

I think i'm usually in 4th when i'm going 30. I try to keep it between 2500-3000rpm when I'm staying at a steady speed.

Have a look at this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soJea7xEt-8

:driving:

It's bad practice IMO.

Just read that in my manual. Pretty bizarre if you ask me.
Those engine speeds are WAAAAY too low.
I don't even like to shift into 4th at 33, let alone 6th.

33 mph is 3rd gear for me, way to slow to be in 4th, IMO.

This would be the biggest concern. If you lug your engine you have a chance of doing a lot more damage than redlining it. Alot of people simply do not understand this and the manufacturers are to blame. Recommended shift points that they put in owners manuals are to please the EPA, that's all. They are completely unrealistic.

I remember a friend of mine who kept shifting way too early and I kept telling him that his engine would fail one day. Well, it actually did. He was in 4th going up a hill at an insufficient speed and boom! Blew his engine on his fairly new Ford Escape. If I recall, a broken connecting rod.

I love all the people saying it's bad. 33+ and above is recomended in the owners manual for light or "normal" driving and acceleration.

For normal acceleration in low altitude areas
[less than 4,000 ft (1,219 m)]:
Gear change MPH (km/h)
1st to 2nd 8 (13)
2nd to 3rd 16 (26)
3rd to 4th 25 (40)
4th to 5th 28 (45)
5th to 6th 33 (53)
For quick acceleration in low altitude areas or in
high altitude areas [over 4,000 ft (1,219 m)]:
Gear change MPH (km/h)
1st to 2nd 15 (24)
2nd to 3rd 25 (40)
3rd to 4th 40 (64)
4th to 5th 45 (72)
5th to 6th 50 (80)

I know everyone here is a car racing expert and phd mechinical engineer but read your owners manual. Because of what was true of car's in the 60's and 70's may have changed in the last few decades.

:gtfo2:

This is what i was told, also that our engines are happiest above 4K rpm

LMFAO, true story man, 4th and 5th is all I need.

I've been driving manual transmissions for 40 years. My wife and I currently have a 2016 Mazda3 with SkyActiv technology. They put a 6mt in the car...and it's ridiculous. For one thing, a 6-speed gearbox is only necessary for a supercar with top speeds over 170-180, and secondly, the gearing isn't designed properly. 3rd is too close to 2nd, and mostly useless. The final drive ratio in 6th is fine, but what would be most useful is to eliminate 3rd, and move 4th and 5th somewhere lower than the points where they are now.

The only reason for the current popularity in 6mt gearboxes is purely a marketing thing.

After driving the car for a year, I've learned that most of the time, accelerating to a point between 45 and 55 at a comfortable, fuel-efficient rate goes like this: 1-2-4-6. If I'm accelerating to highway speeds more quickly, then: 1-2-3-6. Every time I shift like this I find it annoying!

If you're driving in a 30-35 zone without your foot in it, just basically idling along, I wouldn't recommend anything higher than 5th. You're not going to hurt the engine without any engine load, and you're not going to be driving far enough to start carboning issues. At that speed, the difference in fuel economy between 4th and 5th would be negligible. In a 30mph zone I'm in 4th, and 35mph is generally where I move into 5th. I realize this is meaningless without RPMs, but you get the idea. There isn't that much difference in gearing ratios from the Mazda3 and the Z.

The Mazda3 is designed for fuel economy, and I've learned how to tweak the accelerator to squeeze out better mileage than the 5-door version is rated for, by watching the mpg computer. (I don't rely on the computer for final tallies, however.) Even though the Z is a completely different animal, the same principles apply.

My two cents...

I generally try to keep it no lower than ~1300 rpm unless slowing down. Even then, if I'm too lazy to shift, I'll accelerate very slowly (~5% throttle if that). Here in chicago it's all flatland so very easy to get away with this. Around 2K rpm is when I start to be more assertive with the throttle. No flooring until closer to 3K or higher.

Putting around town at any thing over 35 is usually 5th gear. 45+ is 6th gear. For reasons unknown, this car (370z/g37 6mt) is geared very short. 6Th gear is really more like a 5th gear. At 60 mph, engine is turning around 2500 rpm. Should be more like 1800-2K rpm. A 7th cog would be welcome.

I've done the 1st to 6th shift before :eekdance:

But seriously though, it's stupid to go that slow in 6th gear - it's an overdrive gear for higher speeds. You're getting worse gas trying to accelerate from 35 mph in 6th gear than if you were in 3rd or 4th gear.

I'll also point out that my Fast Intentions exhaust is deeper and louder when you bog the car with throttle at low RPMs. I've found the perfect RPMs for stealth is right around 3000 in the appropriate gear for your speed with just enough throttle to maintain speed on level ground. Plus much closer to the power band than 1500 RPMs :rolleyes: