quickest gear?

klf2007

Guest
fr 170 tdi owners.
i cant decide which is the quickest gear at 60 (cruising in 6th) when over taking!

do you

a) in 6th and use the torque?
b) in 5th compromise torque and revs
c) in 4th using revs
d) rev the tits out of 3rd and change up quick?

i think c)
what do you lot think?
 

neo265

Full Member
Oct 25, 2004
180
0
The quickest gear would be the lowest, perhaps 3rd at 60mph. Gearboxes and final drives multiply engine torque, what matters is what torque is at the wheels.
 

klf2007

Guest
diesel runs out of puff tho at 70 but for 10 mph feels like a rocket.
 

klf2007

Guest
my personal pref from standing start
1st 25
2nd 45-50
3rd 70
4th 100
5th arrested
 

neo265

Full Member
Oct 25, 2004
180
0
Heres a rouge guide.

Assuming your engine outputs 220 lbft @ 4000 rpm.

Gear - Ibft at wheel

1 - 2695
2 - 1347
3 - 1001
4 - 750
5 - 525
6 - 437

You can see how much engine torque is multiplied.

For comparison, a Civic Type R doing 65mph in second gear @ 8000 rpm is putting down nearly 1300 lbft of torque through the wheels.
 
Last edited:

klf2007

Guest
do u use the red line much? im happy to go to 4800/4900 rpm. when engine is hot tho.
 

JonoUK

Active Member
Apr 29, 2007
385
0
North Yorkshire
diesel runs out of puff tho at 70 but for 10 mph feels like a rocket.

Does it? Mine doesn't.

if I'm doing 40-59 (ish, i'm not that anal about it) I'll use 3rd. 60 and above just stick it in 4th and go all the way up to 4500rpm or thereabouts.

By that time I'm well past whatever was in my way, so just tend to stick it in 6th and slow down a bit.
 

klf2007

Guest
sometimes i think theres a flat spot in 4th when you drop down a gear? on occasions ive found it can take off in 5th/6th in lower revs. i might try and time each gear from 60-90 to see if there is much difference.
 

klf2007

Guest
maybe calculated from 4400 revs but if your foot stayed on the gas pre 4400 revs you surely would be carrying momentum. i prefer going past the red line in 2nd and 3rd gear.
 

phil_monk

Active Member
Aug 19, 2007
166
0
depends what mood I am in.

If i am in a racey mood, ill drop to 3rd and let the revs go all the way to 7K

but if im just cruising, ill drop to 4th or leave it in 5th, basicly short shift.
 

mik

irregular participant
Jun 26, 2001
3,012
0
Glasgow UK
Visit site
maybe calculated from 4400 revs but if your foot stayed on the gas pre 4400 revs you surely would be carrying momentum. i prefer going past the red line in 2nd and 3rd gear.

Momentum allows you to maintain speed once you remove power - it doesn't help you to accelerate.

FR makes peak power at 4200rpm.
Torque at this speed is 212lbs.ft

I haven't seen a dyno trace, but If you rev to 5000rpm, then (by definition) you can't be making more than 170bhp, which means you can't be making more than 178lbs.ft of torque. Probably significantly less than this. It's therefore extremely unlikely that this is faster for you - you'd be better changing up just after peak power rpm.

See the guide on the main site HERE to help explain.
 

thebears

VIP Member
Apr 19, 2004
165
0
At 60mph in 6th i would say you are well out of the peak torque range. Mine doing about 1,750 revs at that speed and is really sluggish.

Unless i'm up at 70+ i wont really use 6th!
 
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