Honda Car Forum

I have a 2001 Honda Civic LX 5 speed manual transmission.
At what RPM should I switch from 1st to 2nd?
At what RPM should I switch from 2nd to 3rd?
From 3rd to 4th?
4th to 5th?

"Arctic Wolf" <SpamShield-ArcticWolf@mail.com-SpamShield> wrote in
news:35b10bF4jl7a9U1@individual.net:

> I have a 2001 Honda Civic LX 5 speed manual transmission.
> At what RPM should I switch from 1st to 2nd?
> At what RPM should I switch from 2nd to 3rd?
> From 3rd to 4th?
> 4th to 5th?
>
>
>



You bought this thing used and don't have an Owner's Manual, right?

--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

> > I have a 2001 Honda Civic LX 5 speed manual transmission.
> > At what RPM should I switch from 1st to 2nd?
> > At what RPM should I switch from 2nd to 3rd?
> > From 3rd to 4th?
> > 4th to 5th?
>
> You bought this thing used and don't have an Owner's Manual,
> right?

Wow! Thanks for that insightful input. People like you and your
replies make these newsgroups truely helpful.
Glad to see that people are still contributing their time by posting
useful messages.

I'm assuming you are new to driving a manual transmission. There really is
no straight out answer as to what RPM you should shift to the next gear, you
just sort of feel it as you go. For instance if you are on a level road you
can shift at a lower RPM than if you are climbing a hill or passing another
car. Different cars have different gear ratios adding another dimension to
this question. Basically, as long as you aren't revving the engine (and
definitely not going near the red zone) you are probably just fine.

There are some cars that come equipped with a shift light to tell you when
to shift for maximum fuel economy. It's also useful for the novice to
follow. I guess that your Civic doesn't have this feature.

Unfortunately, I have no idea where you could get a manual for your car. I
hope this was of some help.

Richard


"Arctic Wolf" <SpamShield-ArcticWolf@mail.com-SpamShield> wrote in message
news:35b10bF4jl7a9U1@individual.net...
>I have a 2001 Honda Civic LX 5 speed manual transmission.
> At what RPM should I switch from 1st to 2nd?
> At what RPM should I switch from 2nd to 3rd?
> From 3rd to 4th?
> 4th to 5th?
>
>
>



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"Arctic Wolf" <SpamShield-ArcticWolf@mail.com-SpamShield> wrote in
news:35b63uF4kejvdU1@individual.net:

>> > I have a 2001 Honda Civic LX 5 speed manual transmission.
>> > At what RPM should I switch from 1st to 2nd?
>> > At what RPM should I switch from 2nd to 3rd?
>> > From 3rd to 4th?
>> > 4th to 5th?
>>
>> You bought this thing used and don't have an Owner's Manual,
>> right?
>
> Wow! Thanks for that insightful input. People like you and your
> replies make these newsgroups truely helpful.
> Glad to see that people are still contributing their time by posting
> useful messages.
>
>



Hey, no prob. Always glad to share my immense experience and wisdom with
the unwashed masses.

And to answer your question (now that I know that you cannot just go and
Read The Fine Material), shift below 3K when cold, and with light throttle,
so as not to stress the engine unnecessarily.

When full-warm, shift at anywhere between 3K and 7K depending on how fast
you want to get from A to B. Other than that, there are no set rules at
all, believe it or not.

--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 19:32:45 -0500, "Arctic Wolf"
<SpamShield-ArcticWolf@mail.com-SpamShield> wrote:

>I have a 2001 Honda Civic LX 5 speed manual transmission.
>At what RPM should I switch from 1st to 2nd?
>At what RPM should I switch from 2nd to 3rd?
>From 3rd to 4th?
>4th to 5th?
>
Let me get this striaght.

You have a manual transmission car, and you don't even know when to
change gears? I can tell you're not in the EU, since if you don't pass
the test in a manual, you can't drive em. Must be from North america,
where getting a driving license is automatic, and can be gotten even
if you can't read.

If you don't know when to change gear, there's only one thing i can
sugest.

GO AND TAKE SOME DRIVING LESSONS AND LEARN HOW TO ACTUALLY DRIVE - who
knows, maybe more americans will take this radical advice, and save me
from the hell that is americans driving (the only place worse is
malta, where the local custom is to drive in the shade)

"K`Tetch" <no.email@here.for.you> wrote in message
news:0911v0pp8hemncjungok3da91m7romksdn@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 20 Jan 2005 19:32:45 -0500, "Arctic Wolf"
> <SpamShield-ArcticWolf@mail.com-SpamShield> wrote:
>
>>I have a 2001 Honda Civic LX 5 speed manual transmission.
>>At what RPM should I switch from 1st to 2nd?
>>At what RPM should I switch from 2nd to 3rd?
>>From 3rd to 4th?
>>4th to 5th?
>>
> Let me get this striaght.
>
> You have a manual transmission car, and you don't even know when to
> change gears? I can tell you're not in the EU, since if you don't pass
> the test in a manual, you can't drive em. Must be from North america,
> where getting a driving license is automatic, and can be gotten even
> if you can't read.
>
> If you don't know when to change gear, there's only one thing i can
> sugest.
>
> GO AND TAKE SOME DRIVING LESSONS AND LEARN HOW TO ACTUALLY DRIVE - who
> knows, maybe more americans will take this radical advice, and save me
> from the hell that is americans driving (the only place worse is
> malta, where the local custom is to drive in the shade)
>
I don't think that is fair - everybody who drives a stick now learned to
drive one somehow, and most of the real experience comes from years of
practice. Maybe where you come from there is a problem with people learning
to drive something new on lightly travelled roads (I guess your new drivers
take driving lessons on closed courses somewhere), but here we can handle
that. I assume you don't take professional lessons when you change from one
vehicle to another, or even when changing from one class vehicle to another.
I have only had professional instruction before I got my license and for
lift trucks, although two weeks ago I put more hours on the department's
Tucker Sno-cat than on all on-road vehicles combined. We just aren't as
self-righteous here, I guess.

Mike

On Fri, 21 Jan 2005 05:03:48 -0700, "Michael Pardee"
<michaeltnull@cybertrails.com> wrote:


>>
>I don't think that is fair - everybody who drives a stick now learned to
>drive one somehow, and most of the real experience comes from years of
>practice. Maybe where you come from there is a problem with people learning
>to drive something new on lightly travelled roads (I guess your new drivers
>take driving lessons on closed courses somewhere), but here we can handle
>that.

I, like every other brit, learn on standard public roads. Personally,
i learnt on the streets of blackpool (one of the most popular british
holiday towns) in the middle of the summer season.

> I assume you don't take professional lessons when you change from one
>vehicle to another, or even when changing from one class vehicle to another.

Lessons for each class is required by law in the UK.

>I have only had professional instruction before I got my license and for
>lift trucks, although two weeks ago I put more hours on the department's
>Tucker Sno-cat than on all on-road vehicles combined. We just aren't as
>self-righteous here, I guess.

No, the fact of the matter is, if you don't know when to change gear
in a manual, its clear you've had no instruction in driving one, and
that obviously you've never passed a driving license in one. in the
EU, if you pass a driving test in an automatic gearbox vehicle, your
license is restricted to automatic gearbox cars. My Wife is american,
she's never had any formal instruction in manual's either before we
met. I have given her many hours of instruction in driving a manual on
a closed track, and, despite, or possibly because of, her 15 years
automatic experiance, i still wouldn't trust her to drive safely on a
public road.

When is the right time to change gear, when your experiance tells you
it is.

>
>Mike
>

On 21 Jan 2005 03:39:54 GMT, "TeGGer®" <tegger@istop.c0m> wrote:
>"Arctic Wolf" <SpamShield-ArcticWolf@mail.com-SpamShield> wrote in
>news:35b63uF4kejvdU1@individual.net:
>>> > I have a 2001 Honda Civic LX 5 speed manual transmission.
>>> > At what RPM should I switch from 1st to 2nd?
>>> > At what RPM should I switch from 2nd to 3rd?
>>> > From 3rd to 4th?
>>> > 4th to 5th?
>>>
>>> You bought this thing used and don't have an Owner's Manual,
>>> right?
>>
>> Wow! Thanks for that insightful input. People like you and your
>> replies make these newsgroups truely helpful.
>> Glad to see that people are still contributing their time by posting
>> useful messages.

....It *is* a stupid question.

>Hey, no prob. Always glad to share my immense experience and wisdom with
>the unwashed masses.
>
>And to answer your question (now that I know that you cannot just go and
>Read The Fine Material), shift below 3K when cold, and with light throttle,
>so as not to stress the engine unnecessarily.

I've always adhered to the "3-5" rule: 3500rpm or 35mph, until the
drivetrain is fully warmed.

>When full-warm, shift at anywhere between 3K and 7K depending on how fast
>you want to get from A to B. Other than that, there are no set rules at
>all, believe it or not.

Doesn't it maximize acceleration to shift such that the engine doesn't
significantly pass it's power peak and the next gear (up or down)
picks up at the engine's torque peak?

Around town, and on twisty roads, I always like to be in the fat part
of the torque curve.

On 21 Jan 2005 03:39:54 GMT, "TeGGer®" <tegger@istop.c0m> wrote:
>"Arctic Wolf" <SpamShield-ArcticWolf@mail.com-SpamShield> wrote in
>news:35b63uF4kejvdU1@individual.net:
>>> > I have a 2001 Honda Civic LX 5 speed manual transmission.
>>> > At what RPM should I switch from 1st to 2nd?
>>> > At what RPM should I switch from 2nd to 3rd?
>>> > From 3rd to 4th?
>>> > 4th to 5th?

At the redline, all.

>>> You bought this thing used and don't have an Owner's Manual,
>>> right?
>>
>> Wow! Thanks for that insightful input. People like you and your
>> replies make these newsgroups truely helpful.
>> Glad to see that people are still contributing their time by posting
>> useful messages.

....It *is* a stupid question.

>Hey, no prob. Always glad to share my immense experience and wisdom with
>the unwashed masses.
>
>And to answer your question (now that I know that you cannot just go and
>Read The Fine Material), shift below 3K when cold, and with light throttle,
>so as not to stress the engine unnecessarily.

I've always adhered to the "3-5" rule: 3500rpm or 35mph, until the
drivetrain is fully warmed.

>When full-warm, shift at anywhere between 3K and 7K depending on how fast
>you want to get from A to B. Other than that, there are no set rules at
>all, believe it or not.

Doesn't it maximize acceleration to shift such that the engine doesn't
significantly pass its power peak and the next gear (up or down) picks
up at the engine's torque peak?

Around town, and on twisty roads, I always like to be in the fat part
of the torque curve.