2.5na driving style (revs)

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tombardier

tombardier

Well-Known Member
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Location
F.O.D, UK.
I just wanted to know peoples opinions on the difference between mine and my girlfriends driving styles. In our 2.5na, I tend to drive one gear above the one she'll drive in. For instance, I quite often pull away in 2nd, or if I'm doing over 25, I'll be in 4th, she'll be in 3rd until about 35. If I'm going up a hill (not too steep), I'll be in 4th until the engine can't keep it up, then change down, but she'll be thrashing it in 3rd all the way, the engine roaring hehe.. As soon as I'm doing 35, it's up to 5th, she does 50 in 4th...

What's better for the engine? It's unfortunate that the gear ratios on my '88 90 seem to invite one extreme or the other. I hear that's why people go for disco transfer boxes?


Cheers. Tom.
 
same as mine, she seems to think it's got a multi valve engine that needs it's nuts reved off to get any power

slowly she is learning about low down grunt
 
These engines are more powerful at lower rev's - she is effectively reducing it's life.

They have a combustion chamber up in the head which has a small hole which links it to the cylinder - if you try and get gases in and out of this quickly - you are fighting a loosing battle because of these pumping loses.

I agree pull away in second unless it's on a hill then you it's a balance between needing to use 1st and using the clutch too much.

I would encourage getting up the gears quickly in a 2.5NA - they are a little underpowered but you need to live with it. I did many happy miles in my NA and it was a good engine, I ONLY changed because the injection pump was playing up.

I would be in 4th almost as soon as I hit 30 and would leave it there even as low as 20 if I was in the city and didn't need to get off the mark quickly.
 
but how many miles did you get out of your 2.5na? ;) that's the question!

edit: q. aimed @ hughesy btw :)
 
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NEVER pull away from a standing start in second gear.

ALWAYS start her moving in FIRST GEAR.

Second year is TWICE as high a gear as first gear, and so you WILL be wearing out the clutch up to FOUR TIMES as much every time you start off.

That's the way it is.

CharlesY
 
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tombardier said:
but how many miles did you get out of your 2.5na? ;) that's the question!

edit: q. aimed @ hughesy btw :)
Click to expand...
I didn't have it for long but sold it to a mate of mine who still has it. It had done about 160 000 miles and was a great little engine. Still is in fact. Used to get about 25mpg out of it in a 110 truck cab and like I said before, thrashed the arse out of it everywhere.
 
good to hear hughesy.

I hear what you're saying charlesY. Another thing that annoys me about my girfriends driving is that she makes the engine roar whilst she's puling away and lets the clutch slip for quite a few seconds while she's pulling off.. i'm sure i'm better on the clutch than she is ;) I also practice getting the revs right so that i'm only pushing the clutch in for a very small amount of time between gears normally. I don't want to damage the gearbox, so i'm a bit shyer of doubleclutchng than i am in my lagune which has a tacho :) I do it just for fun in the laguna when i'm using that
 
i drive same as you, i fink its women tht tend to stick in 1 gear everywhere until the engine noise is too loud then they change haha!!! soz for the sexist comment but thts how my girlfriend drives her car and how her mum drives... just an observation! good post
 
My mother had a Mini Traveller - one of the very early ones with no synchro on 1st gear, and damn little in any of the others.

Mum didn't like changing gears. So as there were four gears, her plan was to wear them out in order starting (obviously) with first gear. You can see the logic. They were numbered in the order in which they were to be worn out. She went to the shops and back all the way in 1st gear every time. The Mini could manage about 25 mph in first gear. A bit noisy, but who cares? After a few months first gear wore out and didn't work - so she then used second gear everywhere.

At 10 months it got a new (actually a Gold Seal unit) gearbox under warranty.

Six months later that failed and was replaced.

It went on like that till the car was changed!

The next one had baulk ring synchro and we more or less persuaded Mum to change gear once in a while.

48 years of driving, no crashes, no points. How many of us can say the same?

CharlesY
 
Ive got a 2.5N/A and always change up as soon as possible. Ive always changed up as soon as possible in every car ive owned.
 
tombardier said:
.... my girfriends driving is that she makes the engine roar whilst she's puling away and lets the clutch slip for quite a few seconds while she's pulling off...
Click to expand...

2.5NA doesn need any rev's to take off (unless you are on a STEEP hill); all it needs is clutch up, start to move, a few revs more clutch right up and open up throttle.

She is probably doing that because she isn't all that sure about the vehicle or actually is useless at clutch control.

Tell her to practice taking off with NO throttle until she is confident about it. Unless you need to be quick of the mark this is the best way to keep your clutch in good nick.

Once she is good at it she will be off the mark just as fast as when she revved away.

A lot of women do this - I won't comment - they think they are good drivers.
 
CharlesY said:
48 years of driving, no crashes, no points. How many of us can say the same?
Click to expand...

Quite common, never been involved in any accidents but probably caused hundreds!

You see quite a few drivers that have had an unblemished record for 70 years, attempting to drive the wrong way up a motorway, or manouvering into a parking space bouncing off the rev limiter with enormous amounts of clutch slip.

Not having a go at your mum in any way, it's just that a clean driving licence for X amount of years doesn't automatically mean you're a good driver :)

At least, that's what I tell the insurance companies when I tell them I've got three points :D
 
i would allways suggest let an engine run freely ie.not reving its nuts off [pointless in N/a] nor labouring [try this on abicycle to see how your engine would feel !:eek::eek:]
 
always use 1st gear to pull away.....easier on clutch/engine etc....then as with most engines use as higher gear as poss to save wear on the engine....but believe me in the long term......pull away in 1st
 
CharlesY said:
My mother had a Mini Traveller - one of the very early ones with no synchro on 1st gear, and damn little in any of the others.

Mum didn't like changing gears. So as there were four gears, her plan was to wear them out in order starting (obviously) with first gear. You can see the logic. They were numbered in the order in which they were to be worn out. She went to the shops and back all the way in 1st gear every time. The Mini could manage about 25 mph in first gear. A bit noisy, but who cares? After a few months first gear wore out and didn't work - so she then used second gear everywhere.

At 10 months it got a new (actually a Gold Seal unit) gearbox under warranty.

Six months later that failed and was replaced.

It went on like that till the car was changed!

The next one had baulk ring synchro and we more or less persuaded Mum to change gear once in a while.

48 years of driving, no crashes, no points. How many of us can say the same?

CharlesY
Click to expand...

Nice one CharlseY :D
 
jzcktv said:
Nice one CharlseY :D
Click to expand...

Yes, but there's always someone (who has had a few crashes in all likelihood) who comes out with "Never had a accident but probably caused hundreds" statement.

I treated that as it deserved - with contempt.

In her youth in Sweden my mother was a skiing champion. No doubt some modern ski-expert will say my mother probably caused hundreds of innocent skiers to fall on their arses.

Same thing.

CharlesY
 
CharlesY said:
Yes, but there's always someone (who has had a few crashes in all likelihood) who comes out with "Never had a accident but probably caused hundreds" statement.

I treated that as it deserved - with contempt.

In her youth in Sweden my mother was a skiing champion. No doubt some modern ski-expert will say my mother probably caused hundreds of innocent skiers to fall on their arses.

Same thing.

CharlesY
Click to expand...


Ski Hog:D:D:D:D
 
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