Merging onto a freeway

[Natty]

I was just trying to get a general concencus.
How high up do you take the gears when merging onto an interstate?
I was riding with my friend, shifting at 3k as I usually do and he commented "You know, by the looks of this car, I would have thought it was faster." &nbsp;<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/hmmm.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':hmmm:'>
Do you ride each gear up, or do you shift casually?
Jeff

[One-Eighty SX]

For me i jus drive my mom around in her civic which was mine. When &nbsp;i am entering the highway im noramally in 2nd gear jus pushin it further up to redline. Also depends on ur traffic situation as well too. So I sometime redline it or shift at 5500 to 6500k rpm then i shift normally cuz im already up to speed wid the traffic which is normally 70-80 mphs

[240 2NR]

A freeway on ramp would probably 6k in each gear. &nbsp;It's a rare chance to be required to accelerate to speed. &nbsp;Generally I'll take it to about 70mph in third and grab fourth as I find a lane. &nbsp;I just love the sound of a nice long pull in third. &nbsp;It's just such a fun gear. &nbsp;It just sucks that all the on ramps near my house are uphill. &nbsp;All the ones at school were downhill and a lot more.....um....fun <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'>

[HippoSleek]

I'm usually at highway speed at the exit of the cloverleaf. &nbsp;What shifting? &nbsp; <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/whatsthat.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':whatthe:'>

[240 2NR]

Cloverleaf? &nbsp;What's that? &nbsp; <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'>

Out here we've got mostly straighline ramps. &nbsp;I miss the on and off ramps from NY that snaked through the terrain. &nbsp;I don't miss the ones in the city that had potholes that could eat your front end.

[basemies]

i'm usually in 3rd, whether it's a cloverleaf or straightline ramp. &nbsp;2nd is too slow for cloverleafs, hopefully the sr tranny has a slightly longer 2nd gear that will take me to 60 mph for cloverleafs.

[uiuc240]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (basemies @ Sep. 06 2002,3:17)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">i'm usually in 3rd, whether it's a cloverleaf or straightline ramp. 2nd is too slow for cloverleafs, hopefully the sr tranny has a slightly longer 2nd gear that will take me to 60 mph for cloverleafs.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
The only gear in the SR tranny that is different is 5th. &nbsp;.838 instead of .759. &nbsp;The difference is that with the SR, redline is at 7500 rpm, so 2nd is good for about 62 mph. &nbsp;Enjoy!

Eric

[DSC]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (HippoSleek @ Sep. 05 2002,5:04)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I'm usually at highway speed at the exit of the cloverleaf. What shifting? <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/whatsthat.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':whatthe:'></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
What he said...

I take 3rd all the way up to speedlimit...then i merge shift...3>4>5.

[whateverjames]

don't you hate it when you get that feeling when you're in third going up the onramp ready to punch it only to find someone is at the very end doing 35mph?? then you have to drop it down to second and fly around them. if you can't pass, you have to slowly get in the slow lane and pray you don't get hit.

i stay in third gear as well. i haven't driven my car in a week. i'm driving it tomorrow on my half day of work. woohoo saturday, less traffic and more room to open it up.

[piratepete420]

Sometime i put in in 5th at 40mph and accelrate all the way to 70 before the end of the ramp in top gear, just to say 'wow, this car has torque'..... And other times I go to 6k (6.9 k is just overkill <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'> ) in every gear, and merge at 90-100 mph, passing some cars in the merging lane.

[guidot]

Tonight was an excellent example. &nbsp;Pulled off the clover and hit 70 before merging (no traffic, tourists have all left, yay!<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'> &nbsp;and a grand am BLOWS by me. &nbsp;I don't normally do this, but I had a wicked shitty night, and I wanted to see how fast he was really going. &nbsp;I juiced it and hit ~110 and he noticed and slowed right down (prob thought I was a cop). &nbsp;Good stuff I'm telling ya. &nbsp;
Anyways, round here the limit is 55 so we dont get to go real fast... &nbsp;<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/hmmm.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':hmmm:'>

[Alias]

It depends on the ramp/trafic/highway. One of our ramps has a separate lane for people crossing town. The oneside is curvy, the end is long and strait. I take the v=curves at 85 and hit 110 merging. Then I get to practice heal/toe as I hit the exit ramp.........

[SilviaDriver]

dang..everybody revs high for freeway..i shift at 2.7k for every gear, even coming into freeway..reving all the way up to 5500 or 6500 is only for racing, which is on the track

[whateverjames]

the road is my track <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=';)'> &nbsp; i just don't like being below 3k merging onto the highway. it can be done. but i'd rather waste a little gas and rev it high. so in case someone is doing 70 in the slowlane, i won't become road kill.

[mbmbmb23]

Why do some of you people shift below 3k? &nbsp;Thats below the KA's 3-4.5k powerband. &nbsp;How do you people pass other cars on the freeway if you shift that early? &nbsp;How do you get enough speed to merge?


-m

[silvia240]

i usually shift around 2.5 to 3k everytime and i have no problems passin people and mergin on to the highway. &nbsp;But unless the onramp is steep and the traffic is gettin thick, then i slam the gas to about 5k and that is all i need.

[mazdog240]

well what do ya know, I thought my grandma was the only person who shifted below 4k.... <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'>

[Sil80girlie]

I don't think I ever shift that low unless I'm shifting into 5th on a slow moving highway. &nbsp;I normally shift around 5k I guess....I pay more attention to the sound of the car than I do the needle on the tach. &nbsp;[When I say normally, I mean in my mazda 626 (which I guess is now my daily driver)...still waiting on bodykit for the 240, so I STILL haven't taken it to the streets yet <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':('> &nbsp;The only thing my mom said to me about the tach when teaching me how to drive was "don't keep it in the red for too long"....so that's how I've always driven <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>

[uiuc240]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Sil80girlie @ Sep. 08 2002,11:01)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I don't think I ever shift that low unless I'm shifting into 5th on a slow moving highway. I normally shift around 5k I guess....I pay more attention to the sound of the car than I do the needle on the tach. [When I say normally, I mean in my mazda 626 (which I guess is now my daily driver)...still waiting on bodykit for the 240, so I STILL haven't taken it to the streets yet <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':('> The only thing my mom said to me about the tach when teaching me how to drive was "don't keep it in the red for too long"....so that's how I've always driven <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
something else people forget is that oil pressure and water cooling efficiency is better at 5k than it is at 2.5k. &nbsp;what's REALLY bad is when people lug their engines at 1.5k in 4th gear at 25 mph. &nbsp;that's OK if you're on partial throttle, but if you floor it to try and pass or merge, that's really stressful on the engine. &nbsp;there's on like 20-25 psi of oil pressure then. &nbsp;one more thing, wrapping out the engine once a day or more is good for the plugs and the injectors. &nbsp;<img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>

Eric

[AKADriver]

It all depends on my mood... &nbsp;I'm never in a hurry to merge on my drive to and from work (empty highway, reverse commute). &nbsp;On both drives I have one straight ramp and one cloverleaf. &nbsp;One of the cloverleafs is awesome, incredibly tight, I'm in 3rd gear if I'm taking it mildly. &nbsp;It's also reducing radius, and via newbie mistakes I've gotten both my FWD cars sideways on it. <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':D'>

If I'm in a good mood, I wind the car out in third. &nbsp;If I'm not, or I have traffic in front of me, I shift at 3k.

[nrcooled]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (uiuc240 @ Sep. 06 2002,5:12)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (basemies @ Sep. 06 2002,3:17)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">i'm usually in 3rd, whether it's a cloverleaf or straightline ramp. 2nd is too slow for cloverleafs, hopefully the sr tranny has a slightly longer 2nd gear that will take me to 60 mph for cloverleafs.</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
The only gear in the SR tranny that is different is 5th. .838 instead of .759. The difference is that with the SR, redline is at 7500 rpm, so 2nd is good for about 62 mph. Enjoy!

Eric</td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'>
Don't forget that 3rd is good for 90mph <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/inlove.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':love:'>

I use the on ramps as a good excuse to wind it out in a couple of gears and scare the bejesus out of people not expecting my car to come screaming by

[tnord]

5-6k

under 3 grand? that's just plain lunacy. you'd get rear ended round these parts, and given the bird by me.