which gear?

Gday

Im just conducting a poll on which gear do you use when travelling at 60km/hr.

I use 6th, but often wondered if is ok.

There's no option for 4th gear. Both are too high in my opinion. No point in lugging the engine.

Can't speak for the Nav as mine is an auto but for me it doesn't matter what vehicles I've driven I always use top gear as often as possible. Driving a 5 speed I'd nearly always skip 4 and go straight into 5, on a half decent down hill I'd even skip 2. In the small trucks fully loaded I'd only ever skip 1 and 5 and of course anything bigger there is plenty of options of which cogs to skip but I've never been one to use every cog in the box on bitumen no matter which vehicle I'm driving.

None of the above! I use 4th. I save 5th for 70 - 90km/h.

6th ? i wish i had 6th.

but @ 60kph i use 4th, but then again i'm just a lowly D22 driver.

Sorry I don.t know how to change the poll and add an exta choice.

Only reason I'm in 6th is that it is overdirve and to me the engine isn't labouring. But from what I have obtained already others use 4th @60km/hr, interesting.

What im really trying to find out! is running the Navara 6th@60km/hr causing a build up of black soot that comes out of the exhaust? Maybe I should of added in the poll does your D40 blow black soot too? and need a lesson on putting polls up lol.

To my way of thinking the over drive gear is always the better option if it's not labouring. If you can drop the revs and maintain the same speed by using the extra cog then why maintain the higher revs and higher fuel usage.

I've never found any vehicle diesel or petrol that labours at 60kph in top gear but then different people hear and feel different things, our cars are all different (even when they are the same) so what's right for one may not be right for another. If you're not hearing or feeling any labouring then I wouldn't be overly worried about 6th gear at 60ks.

Mine also doesn't blow black soot but if it did in less than 12 months Nissan would be seeing me a whole lot more than they are.

An engine should be kept in its peak torque range for greatest efficiency. Lowest revs doesnt necessarily equate to lowest fuel usage. For example, around town there is lots of on and off throttle work due to the vagaries of traffic flow. The accelerator will need to be pressed much harder in order for the vehicle to have any degree of acceleration in 6th gear, yet barely tickled for acceleration to take place in 4th gear. Lots of accelerator pedal movement and the engine computer tries to dump lots of diesel into the engine, and for that acceleration period, the economy goes out the window. And because the vehicle is accelerating slowly, the acceleration period lasts longer. And due to the fuel being unburnt, the soot comes out. SLightly oversimplified, but basically that's the theory.

A wise old man once said to me "Son, just because you have all those gears, doesn't mean you need to use all of them all the time".

Given the original question was "traveling at 60" that indicates that the vehicle is at or close to a constant speed therefore acceleration and deceleration is at a minimum. Traveling in stop start traffic where there is a need to be on and off the loud pedal isn't traveling at 60 and in most cases the number of gears used will be governed by the lenght between stops.

Sure the harder you put the foot down the more fuel you use any layman knows that but based purely on the words "traveling at 60" fuel economy does not go out the window because you are maintaining a speed at lower revs in a higher gear.

Everyone has their own theories on such things and it's all good and well but traveling at 60 in top gear on a bitumen road is not going to hurt your car which was what the original question was. There is no single rule that covers related speed to a gear selection, as a driver you should be able to pick if your vehicle is protesting at your gear selection and if it's not then keep driving. Weight, tyres, shocks, road conditions (and others) are all factors which will have a bearing on gear selection and will make each vehicle on the road feel different at different speeds so even answers from different drivers may not suit everyone.

A older man once told me. "It's your car look after the bloody thing and pay attention to it because you're footing the repair bill when you don't." Of course the old man was my old man but as far as sayings worth heeding goes it's up there near the top.

anything under 60 I am in 4th, anything over I go to 5th, unless I am going to be doing that speed for a fair while I would stay in 4th at bang on 60.

I tried to do a whole tank keeping the revs right down low like that to see if was more economical but it didn't make any difference to the milage so I don't worry any more.

I always try to cruise around 1800-2000 rpm. so I would be in 4th.

4th@60,any higher gear and you lose zippyness in the traffic.

great post. i was wondering the same today. ive been using 5th at 60 while towing. revs are about 1600 rpm. guess prob best to use 4th.

4th for me but anything much over 60 i hit 5th

Thanks for your replies.

5th @ 60 for my 6 speed box

Definitely 4th @ 60km, i agree with navarian on this one, if you have to suddenly put the foot down the engine would just labour unless you drop back to 4th gear.
Everyone's driving styles are different, my mate's a mechanic and he gives his diesel heaps, when i question his driving he just says "nah mate they love to rev" saying that i wont let him borrow my car in a hurry

my mate lovesto use top gear and all the cars he has had and has done a gear box in all of them and thats 4 in 6 years not good at all.

my theory is you always want to conserve the throttle but you want to keep the revs at the right range - keep that combination and you will be safe. but i have found with my new tyres - bf mud terrain - and went to 75 series profile, i have dropped that extra couple hundred revs so 4th gear would be my preference these days at 60km - but who does 60 anyway?

Out of interest...on my way to work this morning I dropped into 6th gear at 60km/h in usual morning traffic....about 1100 or 1200 rpm....no way thanks. Way too low for me. Engine felt like it was lugging. Dropped back to 5th and it felt okay. I might spend more time in 5th at 60 from now on.