question about car rpm

[Ylen13]

Is it bad if you max out your rpm all the way right before crossing red line.

 

[tweakmm]

I thought the only way of hitting the redline was to "max out your rpms all the way"

 

[Spac3d]

Define bad.

 

[KingNothing]

Originally posted by: Spac3d
Define bad.

I think he needs to define his concept of "max out your rpm" and "red line" before we get to that.

 

[Ylen13]

My red line starts at 6.5 if i let go of the gas when it get to 6.4 is that bad for the engine?

 

[HannibalX]

It is not a good idea to run the car into the red section of your tach ( or to red line it) on a regular basis. Once in while won't hurt but the engine was not designed to run in that power range. in 99% of cars on the road, NO POWER is being made at the red line anyway, and redlining the engine will not make it go faster. Most street cars have a power band of about 1000-3000 rpm where they make their torque and 2000-6000 where they make their horsepower. Anything above this USUALLY shows an immediate decline in the power band...

 

[KingNothing]

Originally posted by: Ylen13
My red line starts at 6.5 if i let go of the gas when it get to 6.4 is that bad for the engine?

Ummm...no. Why would it?

 

[Ylen13]

Originally posted by: Trinitron
It is not a good idea to run the car into the red section of your tach ( or to red line it) on a regular basis. Once in while won't hurt but the engine was not designed to run in that power range. in 99% of cars on the road, NO POWER is being made at the red line anyway, and redlining the engine will not make it go faster. Most street cars have a power band of about 1000-3000 rpm where they make their torque and 2000-6000 where they make their horsepower.

so basically if i continue doing it would i kill the engine?

 

[Ylen13]

Originally posted by: KingNothing

Originally posted by: Ylen13
My red line starts at 6.5 if i let go of the gas when it get to 6.4 is that bad for the engine?

Ummm...no. Why would it?

i don't know that is why i ask. Someone told me if you rpm close to the red line its bad

 

[KingNothing]

Originally posted by: Ylen13

Originally posted by: KingNothing

Originally posted by: Ylen13
My red line starts at 6.5 if i let go of the gas when it get to 6.4 is that bad for the engine?

Ummm...no. Why would it?

i don't know that is why i ask. Someone told me if you rpm close to the red line its bad

Wait, now I get it. You're asking if it's bad to run your car at those RPMs, even if you're only there for a second since you let off the gas right before redline.

Don't know, I take my car past 5000 rpm (redline is 6000, 1995 Geo Prizm) somewhat frequently. I figure if the engine wasn't meant to go that high they would've put redline (where fuel cutoff begins) lower.

Edit: My car makes peak horsepower at 5500 RPM too.

 

[Ylen13]

Originally posted by: KingNothing

Originally posted by: Ylen13

Originally posted by: KingNothing

Originally posted by: Ylen13
My red line starts at 6.5 if i let go of the gas when it get to 6.4 is that bad for the engine?

Ummm...no. Why would it?

i don't know that is why i ask. Someone told me if you rpm close to the red line its bad

Wait, now I get it. You're asking if it's bad to run your car at those RPMs, even if you're only there for a second since you let off the gas right before redline.

Don't know, I take my car past 5000 rpm (redline is 6000, 1995 Geo Prizm) somewhat frequently. I figure if the engine wasn't meant to go that high they would've put redline (where fuel cutoff begins) lower.

Edit: My car makes peak horsepower at 5500 RPM too.

yes that is what im asking. well i hope i'm not going to kill the car as i do it frequently

 

[HannibalX]

You will put allot of wear on the car by redlining it frequently. You could reduce the life of your engine by half or more. You could through a rod, blow a head gasket, and in some cases with front wheel drive cars I have seen the half shafts COME OUT of the differential... that is BAD.

 

[KingNothing]

Originally posted by: Trinitron
You will put allot of wear on the car by redlining it frequently. You could reduce the life of your engine by half or more. You could through a rod, blow a head gasket, and in some cases with front wheel drive cars I have seen the half shafts COME OUT of the differential... that is BAD.

Proof?

 

[rh71]

I have a fear of even going past 4000RPM with my truck. I wouldn't want to cause a fuel shortage...

Actually, I'm somewhat serious. Heh, I'm so fuel conscious...

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Trinitron
It is not a good idea to run the car into the red section of your tach ( or to red line it) on a regular basis. Once in while won't hurt but the engine was not designed to run in that power range. in 99% of cars on the road, NO POWER is being made at the red line anyway, and redlining the engine will not make it go faster. Most street cars have a power band of about 1000-3000 rpm where they make their torque and 2000-6000 where they make their horsepower. Anything above this USUALLY shows an immediate decline in the power band...

What kind of crack are you smoking today? Must be the real good kind.

No offense, of course.

 

[HannibalX]

The proof is from the auto maker... thats why that sections of the Tach is in RED... read your cars owners manual and it will most likely tell you not to rev the car to red line... most manuals TELL YOU what rpm to shift at, there is a shift light that comes on.

This is really common knowledge when it comes to cars, if you need any more proof call an auto shop and ask them.

 

[Dark4ng3l]

why would you want to do that anyways? Look at it this way if you average lower rpm in any trip your engine will last longer. Of course running you engine always near 5000 rpm(even if redline is at 6500) will be worse for the engine than keeping it near 3500. It's just that close to redline you lose most of you power anyways before you start to get into the realy bad for you engine zone(in the red).

 

[HannibalX]

Originally posted by: Eli

Originally posted by: Trinitron
It is not a good idea to run the car into the red section of your tach ( or to red line it) on a regular basis. Once in while won't hurt but the engine was not designed to run in that power range. in 99% of cars on the road, NO POWER is being made at the red line anyway, and redlining the engine will not make it go faster. Most street cars have a power band of about 1000-3000 rpm where they make their torque and 2000-6000 where they make their horsepower. Anything above this USUALLY shows an immediate decline in the power band...

What kind of crack are you smoking today? Must be the real good kind.

No offense, of course.

Eli shut up you. You are a wanna be mechanic.

 

[KingNothing]

Originally posted by: Trinitron
The proof is from the auto maker... thats why that sections of the Tach is in RED... read your cars owners manual and it will most likely tell you not to rev the car to red line... most manuals TELL YOU what rpm to shift at, there is a shift light that comes on.

This is really common knowledge when it comes to cars, if you need any more proof call an auto shop and ask them.

The section of the tach that is RED is the section that is after the REDLINE. I don't go up in that area, I can't because of the fuel cutoff. So if it were bad for the car to run at that RPM, why would the automaker let you?

Oh, and the shift light found on some cars is supposed to tell you where to shift for optimum gas mileage, not because of any damage that may occur by shifting higher.

 

[mAdD INDIAN]

What car do you drive?

Most econocars in the market today do not really mind being ridden to redline AS LONG AS YOU DO NOT HOLD IT THERE FOR A LONG TIME!

If your only there for a second or less its ok, hell I redline quite often without any side effects. As long as the engine is maintained properly its ok. Also, if you have a car known for a weak auto tranny, it would be nice to add a tranny cooler to it if you do engage in spirited driving quite often. Heat is the biggest killer of auto tranny (apart from dumbasses who think its cool to rev to redline and drop the car in gear - DO NOT DO THIS!).

Oh also, a lot of cars make their peak power maybe 500RPM below the redline so by revving to redlne, when the car (or you) shift gears, the engine will be back in the meat of its powerband.

 

[HannibalX]

The section of the tach that is RED is the section that is after the REDLINE. I don't go up in that area, I can't because of the fuel cutoff. So if it were bad for the car to run at that RPM, why would the automaker let you?

Because its your car and they aren't going to tell you how to drive it. Most cars do have rev limiters now days to keep you from grenading the motor... but redlining constantly is not any better and you get no power from it. The sooner you wreck your motor by driving it hard the sooner you have to buy a new one... another reason to think why they let you go that high in the rpm band.

 

[KingNothing]

Originally posted by: Trinitron
Because its your car and they aren't going to tell you how to drive it. Most cars do have rev limiters now days to keep you from grenading the motor... but redlining constantly is not any better and you get no power from it. The sooner you wreck your motor by driving it hard the sooner you have to buy a new one... another reason to think why they let you go that high in the rpm band.

That's barely true. In my car the power peak is at 5500 RPM and redline is at 6000.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Trinitron
You will put allot of wear on the car by redlining it frequently. You could reduce the life of your engine by half or more. You could through a rod, blow a head gasket, and in some cases with front wheel drive cars I have seen the half shafts COME OUT of the differential... that is BAD.

While I agree that redlining frequently will reduce the life of your engine, I strongly disagree with your general tone and the things you said in your other post.

The redline is the maximum RPM that the manufacturer says the engine is safe to operate at. There is nothing wrong with redlining your engine, it was designed to do it. Just don't sit there all day. Will it reduce the overall life of your engine? Yes. Do you really need to worry about it if you change your oil regularly, etc? No.

What do you mean that the engine is developing no power at redline? It's developing more power than it is at idle. A power band of 1000-3000RPM? Maybe in a diesel! Come on now. Your "2000-6000rpm is where they make their horsepower" makes no sense, since horsepower is a function of torque.

Don't tell me to shut up on a discussion board, man. Refute what I'm saying.

Wannabe mechanic.. Psh!

 

[Vortex22]

I rev my car to the redline at 7000 on occasion, but it never stays there for more than a second (auto tranny).

I usually take it slow and dont go over 3500-4000 though.

98 Civic btw..

 

[HannibalX]

Originally posted by: KingNothing

Originally posted by: Trinitron
Because its your car and they aren't going to tell you how to drive it. Most cars do have rev limiters now days to keep you from grenading the motor... but redlining constantly is not any better and you get no power from it. The sooner you wreck your motor by driving it hard the sooner you have to buy a new one... another reason to think why they let you go that high in the rpm band.

That's barely true. In my car the power peak is at 5500 RPM and redline is at 6000.

Barely??? No its 100% true... if you could see a dyno chart of your engine you would see that at 5500 is peak power, after this the power band DECLINES, as does the torque curve. Peak means max, optimal, etc. If the car was making peak power at 6000 rpm then it would be advertised peaking at 6000, not 5500. There comes a point in an engine where its going TOO fast to be efficient.