General HIGH RPM Highway

[AntonPascu]

Hi guys

Thank you for openning this thread.
I am concerned about my car RPM on a highway.

I own a Fiat Panda 1.2 Dynamic from 2005. It has 5th gears as you know, but people recommended me to change each gear at 2500 RPM - maximum 3000.

The problem is that when I drive on the highway, with 110-115 KPH, my RPM is 3200 or if I need to overcome another driver, it can go up to 3500 RPM. :bang:

What should I do? It's the car affected in some way or maybe something it's wrong with it?

If any of you know, please let me know.
I would highly appreciate it

 

[A3jeroen]

Not the same, but my 100Hp has to do 6000+ Rpm every once in a while and she (Bellezza Nera) loves it.
Like they say in Germany: Nicht immer, aber immer öfter
I'm sure your 1.2 (also Fire-engine) likes to rev as well.

gr J

 

[rmjbn1]

Hi Anton, and welcome I have a 2004 1.2 Dynamic, and what you describe is completely normal.

At 3000rpm my car's doing an indicated 66mph / 106kph.

So for every 1000rpm in fifth gear it does around 22mph / 35kph (indicated, probably closer to a real 20mph / 32kph).

I prefer to keep it below 3000rpm when the engine is cold. Otherwise it's perfectly fine to exceed 3000rpm, it just uses more fuel.

This engine develops maximum power at 5000rpm.

If climbing a steep hill, personally I think it's better to keep a small engine like the Panda's spinning at 4000rpm+ in 2nd & 3rd gear than try to force it up in top gear at 2000rpm.

On the other hand, if the terrain is flat, it's better for fuel economy to change gear at lower revs, even below 2000rpm

 

[koalar]

The gearing is what it is (unless you take the finale drive out of a post 2010 gearbox. Expensive)

Option 1) live with it

Option 2) slow down


After all they are much quieter at 55 mph than at 70 mph and will return much better mpg


The engine is designed to run to 6000 rpm so 3500 isn't going to harm it.

 

[DaveMcT]

Revving the engine does no harm. It's built for that purpose. The engine makes more power at higher revs and is geared for best economy. Hauling it around by not shifting to a lower gear does far more harm than letting it spin happily in a lower gear.

 

[roverp480]

I think you miss understood the recommendation to change gear at 2500 to 3000 rpm.
This may be best for economy, but the engine is designed to run at twice that and will not be damaged by so doing. Its all a balance between economy and speed . I worked in the motor industry and engines were run for hours on end at maximum engine speed to prove the engine can support that sort of use. Giving it a good rev. actually helps keep the engine clean , running on part throttle all the time does not always help.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

The gearing is what it is (unless you take the finale drive out of a post 2010 gearbox. Expensive)

Option 1) live with it

Option 2) slow down


After all they are much quieter at 55 mph than at 70 mph and will return much better mpg


The engine is designed to run to 6000 rpm so 3500 isn't going to harm it.

In fact making it "lug" - pull hard at very low revs - is probably much more harmful than letting her rev out a bit. I wouldn't be driving around town in first at 6,000 rpm either though! but 3,000 plus rpm on the highway or maybe 4,000 rpm in 2nd or 3rd gear pulling up a steep hill will be fine too. Just check your levels, especially coolant, often. I do mine every week.

 

[isthisagoodidea]

Yeah ..Just change down ...I don't often drive my 1.4 Idea 16 valve over 3500 rpm ...it pulls well in all gears and is very frugal on fuel....My other vehicle is a 2.5 ltr diesel truck and that is thirsty....

 

[DaveMcT]

I've said before that constant slow driving is bad for an engine. My Seicento had never been used outside town to narrow country lanes. Even at 305K miles it had poor performance and poor fuel consumption. A 900cc 40bhp car is never going to be fast but this was spectacularly slow.
After I few months I took a job that meant lots of motorway use. That little engine quickly "free'd up" and became a delight to use (comparatively). Driving it "foot to the floor" was more economical than it had been driving gently.