What gear do you drive in? (economy issue...)

[talljoe]

Around town doing 60 I sit in 5th/6th. Not sure if I should be doing it as it struggles sometimes.

Since I have been I've gone from 18L/100 to 13-14L/100 though.

[klampy]

try 4th for 60km/h. in my VR which was the last manual iv driven daily, used to sit about 2krpm IIRC. but if your idling around ull be puttin ur foot down harder than if your sitting closer to the peak torque band.

[IGNITIONSV6]

go for 4th as said above. around town will always give you bad economy try downshifting to slowdown too the less brakes you use the better your fuel

[kuzman89]

go for 4th as said above. around town will always give you bad economy try downshifting to slowdown too the less brakes you use the better your fuel

lol wut? downshifting = more revs = more fuel. If your pulling upto a set of lights in a manual and you use the gears to slow down instead of brakes you will use more fuel, unless you mean something else.

btw if your just cruising and the car isn't towing/struggling/going up a hill, 5th/6th gear will be fine.

[ParkwayDrv]

^ What he said, plus a vr is totally different than a ve to compare to.

[SHEENY05]

Sounds weird......in 6th gear my SS ute only sits on 1000 rpm at 80km/h so I would think it would hate 6th at 60km/h

[kuzman89]

Mine sits on like 800rpm in 6th at 60 and doesn't seem to mind it if I'm just cruising. A hill or anything and I've got to take it back

[gts33som]

lol wut? downshifting = more revs = more fuel. If your pulling upto a set of lights in a manual and you use the gears to slow down instead of brakes you will use more fuel, unless you mean something else.

btw if your just cruising and the car isn't towing/struggling/going up a hill, 5th/6th gear will be fine.

It will use 0 fuel using revs to slow down as vacuum is keeping the motor turning. Not fuel..

[TinSnips]

Going from memory, I'm sitting in 4th for the around 60km/h mark - anywhere from 50-70 really - I just find it more comfortable driving that way. I don't use 6th until I'm cruising at highway speeds ie 90+

[kuzman89]

I was of the impression our cars didn't have "clycut"? Holden and GM consider it abuse anyway and I'd rather be replacing worn pads than a trans but if it does work on our cars thats pretty cool.

[astroham]

from as best as i can figure it i try to keep it runniong at around 2000rpm cause then if you go up a hill or something you dont have to put your foot down and its also not to bad on fuel ... so thats 40-50 = 3rd 50 - 60 = 4th 70 -80 = 5th 80+ = 6th

And if you know how to access "engineering mode" there is an item in there called "instant fuel use" and if you take your foot completely off the accelerator you are using no fuel, which i never understood how but gts33som said it runs on vacume ... so there you go ...

also i fail to see how holden would consider this abuse cause if you have an auto, they all do it. and when you have your cruise control on, if you are going down a hill it does it then to

[pjdm1980]

Just buy a automatic gear box!!!
PREPARE TO DUCK FLYING OBJECTS

[kuzman89]

also i fail to see how holden would consider this abuse cause if you have an auto, they all do it. and when you have your cruise control on, if you are going down a hill it does it then to

I'm not familiar with auto's really at all, was talking about manuals and using them to slow down, ill check it out tomorow in the car.

[astroham]

yeah check it out man ... i just like watching the instant fuel usage when you put your foot down it goes to like 60 L/p100

[m1lky]

How do you get into engineering mode?

My vy ss sits happily at 60k in 5th or even 6th. Always in 6th at 100-110k at ~1500rpm don't need to drop for hills just to overtake

I understood engine braking used 0 gas because the wheels were driving the engine so the ecu didn't need to inject any fuel.

[WogBoyz]

I use 4th for 60 and 5th for 80, being in 5th doing 60 its labouring too much

[B-roca]

This thread made me lol, all the random comments just made me giggle.

[Escape-The-Fate]

i use 4th around town anything up to 80k's and only use sixth at 100 or above or it bogs down too much for my liking, still sit on around 13-14 L/100 with a little stick here and there.

[CJY92]

Cruising at 60k-70k can be in 5th but change to 4th for when i need to accelerate or for hill, and 6th gear once i get 80-90k.
Get roughly 620k from a tank with 9.5l/10.5l per 100k fuel consumption.

[greenacc]

If your engine is labouring you are in the wrong gear.

Fuel consumption is a factor of both revs and throttle position. In Higher gears the engine will be doing less revs but need more throttle ( especially going up hills ) than it would if you were in a lower gear, but in the lower gear you do more revs. Going down hills use the highest gear possible to get best economy .... just be mindfull of the speed limit ( and keep watch for cops

[TinSnips]

This thread made me lol, all the random comments just made me giggle.

On another note, I tried engine breaking the SV6 the other day in active select and nearly shat my pants, most likely user error but I just don't trust that shit!

might be a good idea to drop the kids off before going out next time...

[astroham]

How do you get into engineering mode?

My vy ss sits happily at 60k in 5th or even 6th. Always in 6th at 100-110k at ~1500rpm don't need to drop for hills just to overtake

I understood engine braking used 0 gas because the wheels were driving the engine so the ecu didn't need to inject any fuel.

To get into engineering mode you hold the enter button (the same one you use to reset the trip computer etc) then turn your key to the on position ... hold the wheel while your computer checks system or whatever it sais ... then you will enter engineering mode ...

[talljoe]

A friend told me 5th or 6th (if theyre labouring) might put more pressure on the engine components (e.g. crank bearings). You definitely get some vibration down there in 6th.

5th uses significantly less fuel for me going along flat stretches at 60, I think I will keep doing it, it doesn't labour too much. Downchange to neutral for downhill runs and im sitting on good economy.

Might check all this with my mechanic though...

[jace75]

why are you looking for such economy when yo have a V6 or a V8?
if you cant afford to run it you should have purchased a Barina!!!

Why would you also coast down a hill in neutral? isn't the whole idea to be in control of the vehicle at all times?

[RUF-60L]

this isnt england, we dont use hatchbacks as family cars...