[dazdandconfuzd]

https://youtu.be/zhUI7MWE_Fc

Came across this video by Fortnine (IMO one of the best motorcycle YouTube channels in the world). Though the video is about motorcycles, I believe it applies to cars as well. The video talks about why you should probably use more of the available RPM range as lugging the engine around can result in carbon deposits forming on the piston and valves which can be fatal for the engine. But when you rev higher the temperature eats away at the deposited carbon and "cleans" the engine, although we don't really know to what degree this actually occurs. There's also the added advantage of giving the traction control system more chances to cut off the engine as compared to when at a higher RPM.

I found this interesting because it's a pretty common sight to see people lugging the engine in India to save fuel perhaps? Are you an "I bought the whole tachometer so I'm gonna use it!" kind of rider/driver or do you prefer lower RPMs without the engine screaming?

[GTO]

I drive my cars calmly 80 - 90% of the time and hard 10 - 20% of the time. I use the rev range & frequently hit the redline. Can't resist whenever I see an open stretch.

IMHO, the weekly Italian tune-up makes my car's engines feel freer, revv-happier & sharper than same model cars which have never gone above 2500 - 3000 rpm. I have done back-to-back comparisons. When I bought my Civic @ 7000 km, its engine didn't feel as nice as it did after 10000 km of my driving.

Drive calm when there's traffic. Use the mid-range. Enjoy the periodic / weekly acceleration runs & punchy mid-range bursts. Make the most of the periodic / weekly redlining.

Good for your car. Good for your soul

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgJgSxCFv1A

[Shreyans_Jain]

Lugging the engine is a relic of the Ambassador days when revving essentially meant overheating. Practices from those times have continued as faulty habits lead to incorrect training being passed down from one generation of drivers to the next. This was further reinforced by manufacturer recommended shift points for ideal fuel efficiency, which encourage early shifting and lugging. These habits are very hard to change. Even today, many modern automatic gearboxes are tuned to keep the engine at lowest possible rpms in normal D mode.

I find revving the engine across its rev range every once in a while to be very helpful. Whoever I have taught driving to, I have always encouraged them to explore the entire rev range and to NOT upshift before 2000rpm.

[DriverNo.420]

Italian tuneup indeed works! When I bought my car in 2020, I used to baby it around. Perhaps a bit too much. Always used to upshift before 2000 rpm and skipping a gear sometimes. Didn't help that the car was more suitable for this driving style (it's a ciaz petrol with bs6 K15B) The car used to feel choked when I drove with full load(4 people+a full boot).
Recently while reading through a thread of a Creta's bs6 DPF issues and how spirited driving helps clean the exhaust, an idea clicked in my mind. Why not try it on a petrol car? Then I saw a couple videos about how an italian tuneup once in a while can help improve engine performance and overall health of the drivetrain.

The very next morning I went for a longish breakfast drive thoroughly shifting through gears at rev limiter. When I arrived home, I immediately noticed that the engine sounded smoother and quieter when idling. And indeed I opened the bonnet, valve clatter was gone. It's a win win. While not as good as the City, it's still a Japanese inline 4 and that sound at 6000 rpm did actually put a grin on my face

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by dazdandconfuzd

The video talks about why you should probably use more of the available RPM range as lugging the engine around can result in carbon deposits forming on the piston and valves which can be fatal for the engine. But when you rev higher the temperature eats away at the deposited carbon and "cleans" the engine, although we don't really know to what degree this actually occurs.

1) Well I am not too sure about what RPM would be considered as cutoff for lugging.
2) Everyone must understand that at steady speed, the engine is already performing "comfortably" in whatever RPM it is at (you may choose to call it lugging, I may choose to call it revving). In case engine "finds it difficult" (a better technical term is it is producing lower torque than required), the engine will come to standstill. This is the reason why we twist our wrists or pump the gas pedal whenever we feel the bike/car is losing speed.
3) The point about cleaning away of carbon deposits sounds more of fairy tale than logic since the engine, even at low RPM, is moving ridiculously fast (in terms of air intake, combustion and exhaust)

[PaddleShifter]

I drive my car very less in the city (100km a month or less). Being a mild hybrid, I ensure that I drive it every two days or so. Till the time I owned diesels, I religiously did Italian tune ups twice a month (approx). My father always commented how he found my punto way more responsive than his.

In my petrol car, a 1.5 NA, I have been doing Italian tune up during the first one year (post 2500km ofcourse) but havent done this in a while (petrol in Rajasthan costs way more than DL, UK, HR).

Looks like the Independence day meet in DL-NCR is a perfect time for an Italian tune up on the Delhi-Mumbai expressway.

[Jeroen]

The Italian tune up is a bit of a myth from the olden days. Modern properly maintained engines should have very little deposit build ups. If it does the engine exhaust temperature is hardly high enough to burn them off.

The only way to properly clean an engine, petrol or diesel, is to have a proper engine flush with the proper machinery and cleaning liquids. There are some fuel additives that might help a bit.

There is another reason you want to rev your engine, especially when accelerating or long hauls up a hill or mountain.

At higher RPM the engine delivers same power/torque but at less wear on the crankshaft bearings.

Also, when you are at low RPMs and accelerate your ECU will always need to put more fuel into the engine, but also a richer mix. The richer mix has a detrimental effect on the cilinder piston lubrication. Higher RPMs reduce that effect as well.

Higher RPMs also allow for better engine cooling which is a good thing altogether, especially in warm weather going up hills.

Note, all of the above are minute wear and tear and only show up after very long prolonged (mis) use of an engine.

You are in a too low a gear, if your car won’t accelerate smoothly when pressing the accelerator

Jeroen

[Rocketscience]

While I revv my engines from time to time and am not a sedate driver by any stretch but "Lugging" is a tricky word and varies wildly from engine to engine, I am a firm advocate of using the right gear (and RPM) for right occasions, example:

1- Driving Slowly or in traffic - Upshift at the RPM which is just above the lugging range of engine for max efficiency and no useless wastage of power, no point in revving your engine to 3,000 RPM in 2nd gear when it can very well sit at 1,500 RPM in 4th for the same speed with zero drama and protests.

2- Cruising on Highway - Goes without saying, the highest gear and lowest RPM without lugging the engine.

In my 12 years of driving I have mostly driven Turbo Diesels and the rule of thumb has been upshifting at around 2,000 in most conditions and the next gear then starts from around 1,500 RPM and the engine never protests, recently in our new Petrol Verna (NA) I assumed the same pattern but the upshift indicator suggested upshifting around 1,700-1,800 RPM and I thought this can't be true and must be aggressively tuned towards efficiency and will lug the hell out of the engine as the next gear would start around 1,200 RPM.
I, anyways, reluctantly tried it in light traffic and it totally worked wonders, the engine had zero protests, it even had ample low end torque to cleanly pull from that low RPM and I was surprised.

In the end it varies from engine to engine, too low and it annoyingly vibrates and protests, there is hardly any power and this is where I feel the lugging exists and can be harmful in the long run and I advise everyone to strictly not do that, but above that (in the RPM ranges I mentioned), I don't think so.

P.S - Had recently gone to Bhopal and the cab driver while decent, was upshifting extremely quickly and the next gear were starting from 1,000 RPM and it was Diesel Dzire which doesn't have a good low end torque anyways and the engine was literally crying and protesting, hell he even climbed a bridge like that and that was one very slow climb and the moment there was some momentum around 1,800 RPM, the guy again upshifted!
What was surprising in all this was the car had done upwards of 2,50,000 KMs, it was otherwise in pristine condition from exteriors to interiors and I could never have guessed its mileage, I asked about the engine maintenance he did and he mentioned apart from regular service, just belts twice and clutch just once!

[PGA]

Back in 70's and 80's, our Padmini and Amby used to make atleast 4-5 trips per year to Simla hills, though the cars came back a bit shaken and stirred bodily, I realised engines always felt lighter and more responsive. Similar level of engine lightness could be felt in my 800 when I used to take out for really long drives exceeding 500 kms or more in 90s. Nowadays, highways and traffic doesn't permit that kind of drives and engines are bigger as well and run at lower rpms. Though I practice occasional revving of the engine nowadays but I do get that feel of engine nimbleness unless I go for a longish drive in the mountains. So IMHO to have an effective impact on engine decarbonising/ declotting and internal fit finish one needs much greater running at relatively higher rpms than an occasional revving.

Another observation I have on the engine performance is the way they behave in the summers or the winters. In winters, they give appreciably greater mileage and greater grunt and much more rattle in summers with degraded allaround comparable performance.

[blueather]

Forgive me if I sound like an ignorant.
Does this apply to diesel engines as well? I have a bs6 diesel car. I am not very well versed in this topic.
I usually shift around 2k rpm and don't usually take it beyond 3k rpm as it sounds very harsh.

[airguitar]

Originally Posted by dazdandconfuzd

https://Youtu.be/zhUI7MWE_Fc
Came across this video by Fortnine (IMO one of the best motorcycle YouTube channels in the world). Though the video is about motorcycles, I believe it applies to cars as well. .

Indeed and those that otherwise would now have learnt their lessons if they have a BS6 diesel cars. I was one of those that never liked the noise of over-revving and always used to lug a few years and go, a piece of advice from friend and fellow-bhpian on how over-revving is better than lugging changed all of that instantly. And not to mention now, the same habit has stuck after I got my BS6 diesel car - so yes, great piece of advice.

[HTC]

In fact Ford recommends in it manual for holding the RPM steady at 3k RPM for a minute every week. This is from figo TDCi 1.4 manual.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by HTC

In fact Ford recommends in it manual for holding the RPM steady at 3k RPM for a minute every week. This is from figo TDCi 1.4 manual.

Does it say at what speed or what gear?
Always go by the manual. If it’s not in the manual ignore what the Internet tells you.

Many cars will be doing about 3000RPM when cruising on the motorway, if you are allowed about 100-100 km/h

Jeroen

[SLK_2005]

I drive a BS6 diesel and from the day one I have been driving it using the full rev range. When you shift early, you lose the power and torque which comes beyond 2000RPM .I have done 15000Km on my car and never faced the DPF Clogging issue. IMHO I think driving the car in higher RPMs is better and much more enjoyable than lugging

[shobhit.shri]

Interesting idea, but how to do Italian tune up on an automatic without paddle shifters?