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I have a 2001 Honda Civic EX. 5-speed standard, stock.
_General Driving Question_
What is the proper way to drive this vehicle in-city?
How many RPM should I be pushing before I shift gears?

Thanks!

Reasons for this question:
In forth gear alone, I can easily reach 80mph before hitting 5,000rpm. The high rpm ratio makes me wonder if I'm supposed to reach 5,000 out of 8,000 on all gears before shifting. Cruise control, 8,500rpm available, and high hoarse power mean that in-city, this car is a caged beast.... and that's not good for any beasty... they need to be unleashed once in a while! The proper environment for this machine(IMO) is a high-speed interstate highway over 200miles. But My question pertains to which of gears 2 through 4 I should be utilizing most in-city.

 
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If you want to satisfy your lead foot then shift later. If you want better gas mileage then shift earlier.


THAT is more of a caged beast than your civic.

 
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DUDE... its not a caged beast with 105-127 hp... lets not get crazy here. Cruising around town, i shift around 3000 RPMS... on the freeway, in 5th gear, going 80, it will be go higher and higher

 
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yeah 3000rpm for normal driving, higher if you need more power. these are mainly built as hi-revving engines.

 
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What you have to ask your self is how much gas do I want to burn and how long do I want my car to last. the lower rpm the less gas you use and your prolonging the life of your car.

 
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If you put your car in 5th gear while doing 25mph you are actually making your engine struggle more. Because when doing that your putting as much gas as you can into the engine forcing it to climb from a low speed to a faster speed at a high gear. It all really depends on how much your pushing the gas pedal. Thats why there is is gears to choose from mainly just choosing the correct gear for your speed.

 
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If you shift based on RPM, you're doing it wrong. Shift based on sound from the engine and response from the gas pedal.

 
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Your owners manual if you have one lists the recommended shift points. I believe they are 2nd-15mph, 3rd 29mph, 4th 39mph, 5th 52mph.

Not 100% on that but general rule of thumb is every 10mph shift!

 
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AND one more thing... your talking about not even getting 5 grand out of the 8 grand you got?... Do you want to destroy your motor?.. because my 02 civic shows the redline starts are 7 and ENDS at 8.... Why the heck would you want to get your RPMS to 8 grand, unless you think you are an extra in Fast and the Furious. There are 3 basic things to destroy your engine that will cost you big bucks...ONE is driving with no oil, TWO is letting your motor overheat... AND 3 is .... OVERREVVING !!!!!..

 
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Don't get all jumpy. I drove a Festiva before this Civic. Festivas aren't exactly for the Gran Prix, so I'm quite used to driving slower. I appreciate the guy that referred me back to my information manual and the guy that said basically "Play it by ear," that's what I'm used to. My brother is a sports car fan and suggested the higher revving and revving by number. So Against his advice, I ask other Civic drivers how best to drive this model.
But I find it odd and somewhat laughable that in the later years, the redline stops 500rpm before my model.- A discussion for another thread.