skip shifting?

[Dragcamaro]

Anyone got a specific technique theyd like to share? I like to go 1st to 3rd at a little under 20, then 3rd to 6th at a little under 40. My average mpg was at 28, and after a week of grandpa-ing around and using that technique im averaging 30.8

(all according to my sonic, ill do a top off/vs mileage check next time)

anyone else?

 

[rdss]

I use all the gears shifting at 1,800-2,500 and get 30.5-33 mpg all city. If I skip a gear it's 5th gear in the city.

 

[ShadowRS]

I shift at low rpms if I can. For instance, I shift at or under 2k at all times. Usually if I am accelerating up a hill or on to the highway, I will run out 3rd or 4th and just skip 5th. Depends all on the situation, you just gotta learn what the car likes.

 

[brownbear64]

I vary between driving like a bat outta hell and shifting at 2-2.5k using all gears, only using 85 octane (CO regular) and I've gotten 37-41mpg using mileage/ gallons method opcorn: has to be fairly accurate since over the lifetime it's gotten 37.1 and keeps rising

 

[ShadowRS]

Yea, driving like I do Im getting 33 in town... I cruise at 30mph in 5th gear. If I need to go up a hill, ill put it in 4th. Use the shortened gearing to its advantage.

 

[Stew]

I do this all the time. Most of the time I'll go 1, 2, 3, 6. I'm usually getting between 38 and 39 MPG with a good mix of highway driving and spirited acceleration. I find all the gears useful depending on the speed limit of the road and particular road conditions but usually when I'm doing brainless commuting I try to get in 6th as soon as possible and leave it there.

 

[Swordsmith]

If I am trying to get good MPG, I never skip a gear, because I'm shifting up as soon as I can... logically, that's not the time to skip a gear, I'm already risking clunking in just the next higher gear. Go up to 1800rpm or so in a gear (or even lower if I can stand it), shift so I'm at 1300rpm, creep up to 1800 again, repeat.

If I am in a mood to push for maximum accel, I don't skip gears either, I'm sticking to each gear as long as it still delivers high torque, up around 5500 or so, then shifting so I land in the sweet spot of the next up gear, 3000 or so, repeat. No way I want to skip a gear, landing me in 1500 of the one after that.

I -do- skip gears... I go 1 2 3 6 quite often, skipping 4 5 and 6, because by the time 3 tops out I'm already well over the speed limit even on a Texas Interstate.

 

[ChrisJ]

If I am trying to get good MPG, I never skip a gear, because I'm shifting up as soon as I can... logically, that's not the time to skip a gear, I'm already risking clunking in just the next higher gear. Go up to 1800rpm or so in a gear (or even lower if I can stand it), shift so I'm at 1300rpm, creep up to 1800 again, repeat.

If I am in a mood to push for maximum accel, I don't skip gears either, I'm sticking to each gear as long as it still delivers high torque, up around 5500 or so, then shifting so I land in the sweet spot of the next up gear, 3000 or so, repeat. No way I want to skip a gear, landing me in 1500 of the one after that.

I -do- skip gears... I go 1 2 3 6 quite often, skipping 4 5 and 6, because by the time 3 tops out I'm already well over the speed limit even on a Texas Interstate.

This is kinda the only time I skip a gear also, when merging onto an interstate and trying to get into whatever lane I want I'm often in 3rd or 4th. Well once I'm at speed why use 1 or 2 more gears so I just go to 6th.

Otherwise I use all gears always.

 

[rcmn0022]

This is kinda the only time I skip a gear also, when merging onto an interstate and trying to get into whatever lane I want I'm often in 3rd or 4th. Well once I'm at speed why use 1 or 2 more gears so I just go to 6th.

Otherwise I use all gears always.

I use the same technique, the car likes RPMs so why waste it by skipping gears when trying to accelerate quickly. But then you get to the top of 4th and realize that you are above any known speed limit and skip up to 6th.

I've got around 40.8 MPG around the city babying it around like it had been powered by a weed eater engine. There's no way that i would drive that slowly every day but it was good to know that it can pull crazy numbers through the city if you wanted.

 

[Insanika]

I skip 5th when I am leaving town from work, usually because I'm in performance mode and revving and rocketing across the highway intersection from the stop sign and I'm at 65-70 in 4th, so I just hop up and over to 6th, set the cruise, eat my one cake donut with sprinkles and drink my OJ and pray I don't fall asleep lol.

 

[RS Turbo]

I am a 1,2,4 6 shifter and am usually into 6th at 30 mph

 

[sonic13rs]

I am a 1,2,4 6 shifter and am usually into 6th at 30 mph

Same

 

[Anthony]

I shift depending on the road. Sometimes I skip 3rd and 5th and other times I'll skip FIRST and just ride 2 and 4. Always depends on the road.

 

[AJH]

I will do the 1,2,3,4,6 shift, that is the one that feels best to me.

 

[Isambard]

5th gets skipped a lot getting on the highway. 4th gets skipped a lot getting to cruising speed on surface roads. I hardly ever downshift to 5th from 6th; I usually go right to 4th, especially if I have coasted down and need to get back up to speed.

I roll stops in 2nd whenever I can because I hate the 1-2 shift in this car

Lifetime mpg is like 32.3, been averaging 33.5 lately. I do very little stop and go driving.

 

[Moxie]

5th gets skipped a lot getting on the highway. 4th gets skipped a lot getting to cruising speed on surface roads. I hardly ever downshift to 5th from 6th; I usually go right to 4th, especially if I have coasted down and need to get back up to speed.

I roll stops in 2nd whenever I can because I hate the 1-2 shift in this car

Lifetime mpg is like 32.3, been averaging 33.5 lately. I do very little stop and go driving.

This. But my lifetime mpg is 35 and I average about 37.5. I downshift into 5th if I can stand it, but I rarely can, and I stay out of 1st at absolutely all costs. The 1st to 2nd shift in the Sonic is like my own personal hell.

 

[Swordsmith]

This morning I had to do a hard merge from a right hand turn at a stop sign onto an uphill with traffic moving at 55. So that was a new one for me, 1, 2, 6. Third fourth and fifth? Who needs 'em?

 

[Isambard]

This. But my lifetime mpg is 35 and I average about 37.5. I downshift into 5th if I can stand it, but I rarely can, and I stay out of 1st at absolutely all costs. The 1st to 2nd shift in the Sonic is like my own personal hell.

Some days I wish I had gotten the LTZ for fuel economy but oh well, I like the RS. It's not a huge fuel economy discrepancy.

And that 1-2 is freaking ridiculous, even worse in the RS. My buddy was like, "Why do you keep short-shifting out of first?"

YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW MAN. YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW.

This morning I had to do a hard merge from a right hand turn at a stop sign onto an uphill with traffic moving at 55. So that was a new one for me, 1, 2, 6. Third fourth and fifth? Who needs 'em?

Skip ALL the gears!

 

[Moxie]

YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW MAN. YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW.

Hahahaha. IT'S SO TRUE. I can't imagine it being even worse on the RS. I so miss the days of being able to start in 2nd in my GTI... I really loved the idea of the RS, but the price and the tiny dip in fuel economy convinced me to be responsible and stick with the LTZ. Even though all the money I saved I'm slowly putting back into the car anyway. Oh well. No regrets. :banana:

 

[sx sonic]

Hahahaha. IT'S SO TRUE. I can't imagine it being even worse on the RS. I so miss the days of being able to start in 2nd in my GTI... I really loved the idea of the RS, but the price and the tiny dip in fuel economy convinced me to be responsible and stick with the LTZ. Even though all the money I saved I'm slowly putting back into the car anyway. Oh well. No regrets. :banana:

I often take off in 2nd just to avoid the 1-2 shift, which in my LT is annoying but tolerable... Well until cold weather comes and it won't hardly go into 2nd.