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YACT: manual tranny and long, extremely steep hills

N

NeoPTLD

Platinum Member
I'm driving a 5MT Ford Focus and I took it for a drive along some rather long really steep hills in SW Portland area. This car is fine for average driving conditions, but when it comes to really steep hills I really wished there was a gear between 1st and 2nd.

The hills(Portland OR, hills on the west of I-405 right off of 12th Ave exit) are rather long and they're very steep. The streets have a 25mph limit and for now, let's assume the goal is to cruise along at exactly 25mph. This question is about gearing if the car is to be kept at 25mph, please don't suggest "go 35".

Uphill:
1st gear: engine screams at over 5,000RPM
2nd gear: engine runs just around 2,500RPM and it would clutter

I would use first gear if it was just going up the drive way, but the stretch of hilly road is pretty long and I'm not sure which is the worse for the engine between the slight cluttering or sustaining over 5,000RPM (redline is 6,700RPM)

Downhill:
1st gear: car maintains the right gear unassisted, ocassionally very little gas is needed, engine RPM in excess of 5,000RPM

2st gear: quieter, lower RPM, but will gain speed over 25mph and needs repeated brake application
 
always better to rev than clutter (providing you're not redlining it)...smashes the hell out of the engine cluttering...
 
Leave it in first. You are not going to hurt it unless you pass redline.
 
Originally posted by: NeoPTLD
Originally posted by: SWScorch
put it in 2nd and go slightly over 25 uphill. Keep it in 2nd on the downhill too.
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Did you read what I said?
Click to expand...

I didn't tell you to go 35, I told you to go at such a speed that the engine doesn't clutter, silly 😛 I'd rather have the rpms a little low than revving up near redline any day of the week.
 
ya I'm wondering about the cluttering,

I was thinking its where the RPM doesnt stay still, but goes up and down sporadically at around 2000 rpms?
 
cluttering=knocking as i understand it...just try going up a longish hill in too high a gear and you'll hear it...very, very bad for your engine, when you hear that noise you are knocking the hell out of the big ends i think...
 
Originally posted by: dug777
cluttering=knocking as i understand it...just try going up a longish hill in too high a gear and you'll hear it...very, very bad for your engine, when you hear that noise you are knocking the hell out of the big ends i think...
Click to expand...

How does knocking sound exactly? Im sure I heard it before, but is it really a "Knocking" noise?
 
Originally posted by: BullyCanadian
Originally posted by: dug777
cluttering=knocking as i understand it...just try going up a longish hill in too high a gear and you'll hear it...very, very bad for your engine, when you hear that noise you are knocking the hell out of the big ends i think...
Click to expand...

How does knocking sound exactly? Im sure I heard it before, but is it really a "Knocking" noise?
Click to expand...

a kinda clunking combined with a knocking noise i guess...to me it just screams engine in pain 😉
 
Originally posted by: dug777
Originally posted by: BullyCanadian
Originally posted by: dug777
cluttering=knocking as i understand it...just try going up a longish hill in too high a gear and you'll hear it...very, very bad for your engine, when you hear that noise you are knocking the hell out of the big ends i think...
Click to expand...

How does knocking sound exactly? Im sure I heard it before, but is it really a "Knocking" noise?
Click to expand...

a kinda clunking combined with a knocking noise i guess...to me it just screams engine in pain 😉
Click to expand...

not enough tourqe to pull 'er up?

 
Originally posted by: Toastedlightly
Originally posted by: dug777
Originally posted by: BullyCanadian
Originally posted by: dug777
cluttering=knocking as i understand it...just try going up a longish hill in too high a gear and you'll hear it...very, very bad for your engine, when you hear that noise you are knocking the hell out of the big ends i think...
Click to expand...

How does knocking sound exactly? Im sure I heard it before, but is it really a "Knocking" noise?
Click to expand...

a kinda clunking combined with a knocking noise i guess...to me it just screams engine in pain 😉
Click to expand...

not enough tourqe to pull 'er up?
Click to expand...

yeah 🙁

but you could experience this in a twin turbo V10 diesel Toureg if you really wanted too 😉
 
Originally posted by: dug777
Originally posted by: Toastedlightly
Originally posted by: dug777
Originally posted by: BullyCanadian
Originally posted by: dug777
cluttering=knocking as i understand it...just try going up a longish hill in too high a gear and you'll hear it...very, very bad for your engine, when you hear that noise you are knocking the hell out of the big ends i think...
Click to expand...

How does knocking sound exactly? Im sure I heard it before, but is it really a "Knocking" noise?
Click to expand...

a kinda clunking combined with a knocking noise i guess...to me it just screams engine in pain 😉
Click to expand...

not enough tourqe to pull 'er up?
Click to expand...

yeah 🙁

but you could experience this in a twin turbo V10 diesel Toureg if you really wanted too 😉
Click to expand...

I havn't had that yet in my truck (no replacement for displacement! 😛). I can chug along in 3rd gear at 20 mph w/o a problem. I <3 tourqe
 
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