[raajks]

I do respect what is posted here. Take those suggestions as well. Driving is an art. It should come to you from your bones. It would take judgement, grace, refinement an attitude. And to top that PRACTISE......Cheers..take it easy

[karthik247]

Driving in schools and driving alone in different IMO. The cars which u drive in schools are tuned so that they don't knock often even if u don't shift down and stuff like that. The best thing u could do is drive in ur car, as much as u can and maybe in a week or two eveytin will work out fine. Everyone has their own driving style, so all this MODE stuff is kinda useless..just stick to ur style

[pratheesh]

Originally Posted by karthik247

Driving in schools and driving alone in different IMO. The cars which u drive in schools are tuned so that they don't knock often even if u don't shift down and stuff like that. The best thing u could do is drive in ur car, as much as u can and maybe in a week or two eveytin will work out fine. Everyone has their own driving style, so all this MODE stuff is kinda useless..just stick to ur style

NO Buddie...objectives wont be same every time.....its time varying and situation dependent.... and also most of the experiments i did was on my car not at any driving schools.....

Well, i tried the first style on my ero Honda splendor (2000 model), amazingly, i got excellent results.
But most of you didn't get my point (it might be because of my poor language.SORRY!!!).
I have asked,"Is it necessary to shift the gear down, when rpm falls and engine have no tendency to knock", and from my experience, it was possible for me to drive the car at lower speeds at higher gears, by giving a very very small feathery touch to the accelerator pedal, though the acceleration will be very low but without knocking. you can try it out yourself.............and you know i got a positive result in my splendor.......well i am gonna do it once more to make sure my findings are true...
But i will tell you one more thing, that the acceleration you get while at higher gears will be very very low, that you cant use it on a city road...
so its practically zero, but my objective was to maximize the fuel efficiency...

Thanks everyone,
Pratheesh Prakash

[bennyv]

Helllo BHPians,

I'm new to cars. I have used a bike (Splendor) for the past 9 years. Recently, I bought a Honda Unicorn bike and a Hyundai Santro erlx car (XO model). I'm already using my car in city; but still learning. And in a city like Pune, you need to be very careful while driving a 4-wheeler; otherwise your new car would be full of dents and scratches.

I would like to know the optimal speeds (ranges) at which I should shift my gears. I have never driven in the 5th gear (difficult in Pune). Could somebody suggest at what speeds I speed up/down gears for optimal mileage and at the same time good for the vehicle?

Thanks,
Benny

[quake6]

Originally Posted by bennyv

Helllo BHPians,

I would like to know the optimal speeds (ranges) at which I should shift my gears. I have never driven in the 5th gear (difficult in Pune). Could somebody suggest at what speeds I speed up/down gears for optimal mileage and at the same time good for the vehicle?

Thanks,
Benny

Hi Benny,
Welcome to TBHP...I also have a santro erlx (XO) too..You should go through the car manual for the speed in every gear.The 'speeds' would differ from car model to car model.
From the top of my head 0-10 km/h for 1st , 10-25 km/h for 2nd , 20-35 km/h for 3rd , 30-50 km/h for 4th and 50 onwards for 5th.
The manual will give u the correct range though.

At any gear driving at the optimal rpm will give you better mileage.
Having said that it doesnt mean that if you drive at the optimum rpm at say 1st and 2nd gear all the time you will get a good mileage because the engine works more in the lower gears(1st, 2nd) then the higher gear.
Idea is to shift to 4th or 5th and try driving in those gears most of the time .

Santro doesnt have a tachometer (to show rpm) so you can go by the feel of the engine or the speedometer. If the engine strains or whines(rpm is too high for the gear) or starts knocking/shuddering(rpm is too low) then its gear change time.
Like someone pointed out earlier as you gain in experience you will know when such a change in rpm will occur and will accrodingly shift up or low before the whining/knocking actually happens.

[revharder]

pratheesh,
the best way to get max fuel economy is to judge the road conditions and other vehicles around your car.
and then try to maximise the use of top gear, and try to drive at a constant speed.

driving at a constant speed is very difficult, mind you, that you'll get traffic, open stretches, flyovers and lots of other things on road.
but to maintain a reasonably constant speed you have to judge your surroundings.

max economy is attained only thru max use of top gear and a constant speed without much variations.

[rks]

Originally Posted by bennyv

I would like to know the optimal speeds (ranges) at which I should shift my gears. I have never driven in the 5th gear (difficult in Pune). Could somebody suggest at what speeds I speed up/down gears for optimal mileage and at the same time good for the vehicle?

The correct advice has already been given to you. I will add only one point. For the Santro you can get to 5th gear when your speed reaches about 50 kmph (actually 45 is quite fine too). So for maximum mileage in the city you should shift to 5th whenever you reach this speed and then try to hold the speed steady at 45-60. Speeding and then braking obviously is not good for mileage. But in the city, this may mean frequent gear changes and consequent wear and tear on the clutch/gear (according to one expert opinion I read). So now I shift to 5th only if I can stay there for at least a minute or more, otherwise I stay in 4th gear even if the speed is 50 kmph -- obviously mileage will drop a little.

[rahul153]

driving style a lot
Excatly wot i did and wanted to knw when i started driving; and thanks to all the posts on T-BHP, i have learned a lot and changed my driving style a lot; and one thing am proud of is, my driving school taught me to honk frequently and now i hav unlearned it, i do follow lane disipline and do not use the emergency signal while goin straight in a junction and always make it a point to dim my headlights for others

[navan49]

Here are some tips for the safe driving. I got it from Ford Driving Skills programme in Chennai. Hope it will help some of our Members and the same is posted here for the safe driving.

[pranxter]

I always prefer wearing a shoes while doing long drives within/outside city, may not be much in relation to improving fuel economy but I find it comfortable and safe. May be its the thick soles compared to that of slippers/floaters, but helps me push the pedals easily.

As pointed by others, I also try to pace the car if am approaching signals / toll in accordance with traffic and distance so that momentum takes it forward.