The final drive is a bit shorter on yours which probably explains some of the difference. Don't think it'll do it any harm, and you have a shift light tooZ4 Beemer said:
Engine braking / Using 6th gear
- Thread starter trailZ4
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Wondermike said:The final drive is a bit shorter on yours which probably explains some of the difference. Don't think it'll do it any harm, and you have a shift light tooZ4 Beemer said:
Why would you want to go from 4000 rpm in 2nd, then straight to 6th, other than an academic excercise?
If driving economically then 4000 is way too high and if driving in a spirited manner you'd use the intermediate gears.
If you want to see what the real gear for any speed should be try an auto. They will get into top at 30mph, but in an instant drop a gear if there is the slightest acceleration or incline in the road. They know the correct balance.
Dav the wheel nut said:
Ok so maybe saying I'm 'obsessed' was exaggerating slightly... To give you an explanation, I've started doing this during my daily commute and it sort of happened by accident as I've been making an effort to drive a bit more economically. I've been trying to drive a bit slower and brake less generally, so engine braking just become part of it. I should point out I don't really bother with this all of the time, it's just on my boring drive to work and back... so I've not had any complaints from passengers.
You're entitled to your opinion but just saying it's a 'pointless exercise' is pointless in itself as you've not contributed anything to the discussion. Everyone else has made some good points about potential effects on clutch / engine etc. and that's why I posted in the first place.
in general driving to save fuel at these prices is a good thing. Driving smoothly without excess acceleration and braking, looking ahead and anticipating is going to be the best way. Whichever way you slow down if it is smooth is good and if you are looking ahead you will not need to make as many changes with either foot or gear change.
This is all fine of course on the boring commute to work. Given that we have bought the car for the pleasure of the driving when we are out for a good old blast then we have just to have accept that the mpg is going to be lower, a bigger hit on the wallet but a big hit on the pleasure centre too!
This is all fine of course on the boring commute to work. Given that we have bought the car for the pleasure of the driving when we are out for a good old blast then we have just to have accept that the mpg is going to be lower, a bigger hit on the wallet but a big hit on the pleasure centre too!
cj10jeeper said:
Yes, agree that 4K rpm is too high for economical driving, but 2nd gear up to 3-4K rpm takes me to the legal speed limit (30ish mph) swiftly, and then I can just drop into 6th and cruise along at that speed in a quiet and refined manner. I don't often do this, but I can if I feel like it.
The car is totally fine in 6th at 30mph - and can easily pick up speed without struggling.The shift indicator can also tell you to skip a gear and go straight from say 3rd to 5th, and I've seen quite often that as soon as you go into 5th it tells you to go into 6th immediately.
The shift indicator will also tell you to change down a gear if the engine starts to labour and struggle a bit, but I never let that happen.
Intersting Z4 Beemer.
To a large extent the Zed is so powerful, so light and the motor has such low down torque (compared to the average car on the road) that most of the rules related to the norms of driving become almost academic.
You can hit the legal limit in 2nd, but cruise in 6th at 30mph, etc.
To a large extent the Zed is so powerful, so light and the motor has such low down torque (compared to the average car on the road) that most of the rules related to the norms of driving become almost academic.
You can hit the legal limit in 2nd, but cruise in 6th at 30mph, etc.
peddy said:
Driving efficiently requires more concentration, as you need to look further ahead and anticipate when you're likely to stop or change direction because of the actions of other drivers and events. I think it could be argued that efficient driving is possibly linked to safer driving?
peddy said:
I can see why you'd think this peddy, especially after I said I was 'obsessed' with engine braking
However I've since pointed out that's it's not such a big deal, it's simply something that's happened while I'm trying to make my daily commute a bit more fuel efficient. I have to agree with what Z4 Beemer said about concentrating on economical driving, it's not disruptive at all and I'd say I'm probably driving more safely now on my commute than I ever have done before. Looking ahead and anticipating braking etc...I'd like to say my slower, safer and more economical driving is purely down to me maturing / improving as a driver, but it's probably just because I'm turning into a stingy old fart :|
cj10jeeper said:
Yeah you're right. Initially it felt wrong sticking it in 6th at the lower speeds but I did find that this wasn't labouring the engine. Obviously as soon as I need to accelerate or there's a slope to deal with it's time to change down, but it the main it seems fine driving along in top gear through villages etc. as it's pretty flat round here.
I was going by my own experience TBH.... I've tried the same and found some of my focus on this and not all on the road, etc.trailZ4 said:peddy said:
I can see why you'd think this peddy, especially after I said I was 'obsessed' with engine braking
I'd like to say my slower, safer and more economical driving is purely down to me maturing / improving as a driver, but it's probably just because I'm turning into a stingy old fart :|
I read all of the posts and they have good points. Basically, I try to anticipate slowing/accelerating traffic and limit my use of the brakes as possible. However, down shifting, as a braking mechanism puts some strain on the engine, clutch, transmission and so on. It's a lot easier to replace brake pads than it is to replace engine parts, clutch and so on. So, I would tend to err on the side of using the brakes as that is what they are designed for. Z4 Pilot
