Need advice for driving around town
 

So in the 30,40 and 45 mph zones what RPM's or gear are you driving around town in? I know to accelerate above 4,000 rpm but what about tooling around? My car prior was a corvette and this 2006 boxster 2.7 is totally different.
Thanks!!!

3rd if I’m stopping frequently or have slower drivers ahead of me. 4th if i’m on a long stretch where i’m rolling along. No sense in having more RPMs in places where you don’t need it.


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I was told to keep the rpm as high as possible while around town?? Like 2nd gear at 4,000 rpm and not go into 3rd?? Not correct??

What was the reasoning behind it? I do it basically because running higher wastes more gas from what i’ve been told through friends and such.


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Keeping the RPMs up is for power. During normal driving, that would just waste fuel.

In town driving, 25-32, 2nd gear.
33-43ish, 3rd.
45, 4th.
Generally, anything below 2000 will bog, so I avoid that and try to keep it between 2500-4000 in town.

This is with a 5sp manual 986, so your results may vary.

You were told wrong. Someone has taken advantage of your lack of experience.

Mine never sees 4K rpm almost ever unless I’m in some sort of race or just airing it out for fun.

Here’s something that’s true: in the history of internal combustion engines there’s never ever been one that required “keeping the rpms up.”

Obviously this assumes a driver that can recognize lugging and maybe even lugging induced pinging. Yes, I understand that a Formula 1 engine won’t idle at 900 rpm

If you’re not lugging it, any rpm above that is ok.

Finally, it’s something of a safety thing to have some acceleration in reserve, and with a manual transmission you have to create that. You should be able to tell how to do that and you certainly don’t need to look at your tachometer to do this. In fact you never need to look at your tachometer unless for some reason you’re running it out to redline.

while not accelerating, I generally keep the revs between 2000 and 3000rpm. No need to have the motor zinging around at 4k rpm at all times. The smaller motors lack torque, so a simple downshift is needed if quicker acceleration becomes necessary.

+1
You naturally also need to take into account to what extent you're driving under load (a slightly broader concept than just accelerating vs not accelerating). I don't worry about letting my RPMs drop close to 2000 if I'm just gently cruising on level or slightly downhill conditions. If I'm trying to pick up speed at all, or starting into an upward slope I'll downshift.

I do like the 5 speed in my 2004. My previous car had a 6 MT and the gearing was a little short for around town commuting. To the OP: 45 mph is about the cusp of 3rd-4th for me.

Thanks for the information. I was basing the rpm numbers on the potential IMS issue.
It seems there are less failures on those engines that are run a little bit harder. I won't track the car but was told to run it hard when I can??

I like to keep the revs at 2000 RPM or above. 2000 RPM when under light loads and higher when the load increases. Most city driving, at least when I drive, is light load driving.

I found this...

http://986forum.com/forums/boxster-general-discussions/8070-keep-her-above-4000rpm-shell-thank-you-every-day.html

I don't disagree with the assertion that it's good to reach and exceed that RPM when driving the Boxster. Heck, once warmed up I'm hitting that 7000 mark on a regular basis :D It's a big part of the fun of driving a P-car! But, speaking not as an engineer but as an individual who's now driven this car for over 10 years, I certainly don't see a need to stay above 4000 all the time. It would get annoying and tiresome for one thing. (I'd never get my wife in the car!) And experience has shown me that it's just not necessary.

Mix it up. Go for redline every chance you get--it's a blast. Those higher RPMs are all the more fun when you're not up there all the time. And, geez, don't worry or feel guilty that maybe you're abusing your vehicle if you sometimes drive her gently in in the 2500 RPM range. But definitely don't lug it---we've heard persuasive testimony in the past from someone who knows a thing or two about these cars that doing so increases the odds of IMSB failure.

My gauge is to keep just above 3 k for 1st,2nd, 3rd gear driving. That's 50 and under on the speedo. Same type of driving, shift around 4 k
No science or race proven methodology, just seems where the car responds best for those conditions without screaming down main street at 4500 rpms
I consider 2500 rpms my up shift point