My car has a habit of over doing engine braking or not being quick enough to up the gear even though the car has started going in opposite gradient. The extra torque from lower gears can throw people off. Bad tires and wet weather makes it extra unsafe.
worst habit that will kill an engine is revving it upon start up when the engine is cold and oil hasn't lubricated the motor fully.... the guy across the road from me has already killed 2 motors and the 3rd one is just about ruined too... start the vehicle and let the auto idle/choke do it's job. you don't have to get to full working temperature and some warm-up is better than no warm-up at all.
I watched the guy's daughter across the street doing this when it is below freezing. She gets in the car starts it and immediately stomps on the gas and speeds away. That is why black smokes pours out of the exhaust.
While I agree that there are many cheap components, I have over 310 000 km on a 2022 Elantra and it as given me zero problems. Meanwhile, the cars that they don't build "like they used to" didn't even have a 6 digit odometer because they had no faith those cars would last that long. My $0.02.
You're only tricking the computer Ive tried used the meter and done it with odometer/gas gauge the computer calculates how much gas you burn in a certain time period with the mileage so it's more of an average
I use a manual transmission and love engine braking, good mpg, quick deceleration and it actually helps clean deposits from the engine when downshifting hard, and oh that roaring engine sound when downshifting on a manual trans! Here in Europe we do not like automatics that much and driving a car with a manual gearbox is much more fun!
In the UK you used to have to use engine braking by downshifting in a licence test! If you came to a stop in third or forth it was a fail, you had to be in second! Yanks dont know how to drive Manual .
@@dentray australia is similar, at least in new south wales - to pass the driving test you can't coast or put the clutch in until below 20km/h, and you can't put the car in neutral until you come to a complete stop - so you may be able to stop in third but you have to really watch it, far easier to go right down to second and avoid the issue
On downhill long steep gradients I would advise engine breaking as well as foot braking to avoid brake fade which could over heat your rotors, "disc's" and brake pads which can lose breaking efficiency and be dangerous.
Great list but the number one killer of engines is short trips where the engine does not reach operating temperature. Condensation gets in the oil, dilutes it, causes sludge, and pffft need new mill
I've always used the engine braking effect with only minimal use of brake pads without causing any problems. I can't see it puts any more strain on your engine and transmission than any other kind of driving. Also its short journeys that mainly cause carbon to build up not low revs.
Interesting video. The biggest issue is the engineering behind new engines. They are designed for high horsepower. The way to get longevity and good fuel economy is with sufficient torque low in the revs. I custom ordered an 89 Mercury Grand Marquis with the 5.8 litre V8 and the heavy duty towing package. The performance axle ratio was 2.73:1. With this the car was rated for 6,000 pounds of trailer. Horsepower was "only" 215 at 4,600 rpm. Torque, however, was 390 lb/ft at 2,200 rpm. With a power band of 2,400 rpm, the 4 speed heavy duty AOD transmission was able to stay in overdrive without lugging. On the open road the car returned 40 miles to the Imperial gallon, or 34 miles to the US gallon. In metric terms, it was 7 litres per 100 km. There is nothing like that out there now
Large displacement normally aspirated engines which typically made maximum power & torque at lower revs, were ideal for cars in those days, for good reliability when travelling long distance across the North American continent. Nowadays, stricter exhaust emissions & lower fuel consumption regulations have forced auto manufacturers to downsize engine displacement, using forced induction to help maintain power & torque. Thus, we now see V8s gradually giving way to V6 turbos which deliver similar power & torque at higher revs, but may not be as reliable.
Not true. Modern engines are designed for both 'best economy' AND 'best power"--just not at the same time. They are smaller, have fewer cylinders, variable valve timing and use turbos to boost power. Turbos by their very nature don't work at low speeds--only at the high end. That's where old V8s have the advantage.
#2 is what I've warned my partner about. Her Prado's transmission will cost $10k to replace; her brake pads about $240 for all four. Allowing your cruise control to brake the car downhill is both ineffective and damaging. Low rev problems are fixed by driving a manual.
Changing oil regularly and using cylinder injector cleaners such as Marvel Mystery Oil has major benefits. I'm talking from experience. My Fords all went over 200K before I sold them.
Thanks for pointing these things out. I've been driving for more than 40 years (scary thought...), mostly sticks, and I picked up a few things I didn't know. (Too embarrassed to say which ones... ;) )
When you see a light turn red, let up on the gas (I don't think that's _excessive_ engine braking) and gently use the brakes to come to a smooth stop. (Back when Dad, OBM, taught me how to drive, if I kept feeding fuel to the engine when I was going to have to stop, he would sarcastically say "give it gas till the light". I got the message, and still use that phrase when someone makes the same mistake.)
*Excellent advice !* *"give it gas till the light"* seems to be the norm these days. They roar off the second the light turns green, without checking cross traffic. After all nobody ever runs a red light, eh? Then hard braking at the next light. On the highway they tap-dance between gas & brake pedals. Modulating use of the gas pedal is the least stressful, for both vehicle & operator. Yeah, "operator", not driver. *Driving* is a *_learned_* skill via courses, not automatically acquired by passing a rudimentary test, yet they all think they are "great drivers". Bing, bam, boom, about 1000 crashes a day in a large province with only a population of 5 Million. (do the math ! )
When he taught me to drive and he saw my use engine braking, my father asked me which are easier and cheaper to replace - the engine or the brake-pads!
Sometime back are read where letting off the gas while driving now and then helps bring up oil to the cylinders and this helped the rings to seat properly during break-in. Why would this be harmful under normal driving conditions? Can you help me out on that?
1 - Do not always run on low RPM's 2 - Do not use excessive engine braking. EXCEPT when downhilling a 500m high mountain !!! I downhilled Mont Tremblant with a Toyota Tundra (the best truck i ever driven) quasi exclusively on engine braking, 4Low diff and shifting low ( 1 or 2 ), having an eye on RPM. My brakes remained cold all the way down. 3 - Do not run on quasi-empty gas tank. 4 - Do not shift between R and D while the vehicle is still rolling...Obvious ! 5 - Shift down on accelerations. I'd add these few ones: 6 - Most important: Do not follow manufacturer's oil change schedule. 10000km between oil changes is too long. Change your oil at each 5000 km or every 3 months. An oil change cost is nothing compared to an engine overhaul. 7 - On cars with timing belts: Do not neglect your belt changes. A broken belt will ruin your engine heads / valves / pistons. 8 - On cold winter days, start your engine for only about 15 - 30 seconds and thereafter, start driving your car SLOWLY. This will engage your transmission, making its oil gradually warming-up along with your engine. Only after, you may drive at higher speeds. 9 - Manual transmission car: Do NOT hold your shifter with your closed hand. Instead, use one or two fingers to shift with just minimal force. This will help your gear synchronisers do their work without excessive strains. Also you will have the pleasant feel of your synchronisers do their work. This is a little added part of manual transmission driving pleasure. 10 - After a heavy snowfall: Shift in and put VERY little gas and stop (put brakes on) as soon as your car stops (even a few cm or inches). Shift reverse and repeat the same procedure taking care to prevent tire slippering. Repeating the same procedure over and over will make your car's inertia help the tires make their traces in the snow.
My stupid car with an 8 speed automatic transmission is programmed to keep the engine at low revs. It doesn’t shift down soon enough and constantly lugs the engine. For example, it shifts up to 7th gear at 40 mph and runs at between 1000 and 1500 rpm. I know they do this to increase gas mileage, but it is very infuriating. When I go around a tight corner at 30 mph and then try to accelerate there is absolutely no power because the car is still in 6th gear. This is the manufacturers fault and I will never buy another car from that brand.
The automatic transmission should have what is known as the kick down feature, where the gearbox automatically shifts down 1 or 2 gears to allow the engine to rev up into the required power band when it detects that the driver has floored the gas pedal in order to accelerate from a low speed.
@@nayirmada5124that should happen but things never work properly these days. I've learnt to avoid buying vehicles built after 2002 and the bus I regularly ride gives me concern at how long it takes to shift into a lower gear when going up the hills , it's of course a diesel automatic , I've asked and I'm told that their buses do have long life.
@@nayirmada5124true, but with these multi speed transmissions, going from 6th to 5th, or even 4th, doesn’t help. I question the logic of anything over 5 speeds.
I think the biggest problem with low RPM driving is lugging the engine. At 30 mph on the level in town my engine is running at 1200 rpm. That's not a problem.
@@herbertdiaz4318 "All city driving" at 1,500 rpm or lower can't be good. I live in a low speed limit city, too (25 to 35 mph) and purposely take my car on the freeway at least once each week for 50+ miles of higher-speed driving to help fuel detergents clean valves and injectors (port injection) and to fully heat up oil to burn-off engine oil contaminants.
@@herbertdiaz4318 It's probably not doing it a lot of good. In the days when the owner's handbook gave some useful information, the Jaguar Mk 2 handbook, 1966 version, said that you should, once run in, take the car onto the freeway and drive for at least 30 minutes, preferably one hour, with the revs at 5,000 or just above. You'd be doing around 120mph, but we lived in Germany at the time and we had autobahns. 😁 We've got much better oils these days, but I still think it's a good idea. Mind you, 120mph can make you unpopular with the police, depending on where you live.
Here in Europe we use mostly manual transmission and specially Nissan had an issues with a specific manual trans fitted to their 1.4 - 1.6L engines (1990-2007) that would shatter the 5th gear if driven under 80km/h and that still is a very common problem that many people still do not about and end up with a blown up trans while trying to save fuel.
@@battlegroundone That is classed as "coasting" and is regarded as bad driving technique and may even be contrary to some countries' highway codes. I tend to stay in top gear as I approach a junction, and then press the clutch down once I reach the point that the engine would stall (though it won't while the wheels are still driving the engine on overrun), in the last few yards before the stop/give-way line, until I can determine which gear I will need to accelerate away from the junction - eg 2nd or 3rd if I see that I will not have to stop for a car on the road I amd joining, or 1st if I see that I will need to stop. I've driven about 180,000 miles in my present car (a 1.6 HDi diesel with 6-speed manual) and I'm still on the original clutch - unless it had a new clutch in the first 18,000 miles before I bought the car as an ex-demonstrator from a main dealer garage, which is highly unlikely ;-) The engine still goes very well and I still get over 50 mpg (UK gallon, so about 40 mpg US).
Not a transmission thing it's the engine which has a problem with constant low rpm & I'd argue if the Injectors are rarely fully open it can be a problem & most performance cars will chock up a die if constantly driven like this
Using the pedal on the right like it should be will keep a steady flow of traffic to get every one home safe and the high beams are for people to see better going your direction if there is cars coming the high beams should be turned off
Agreed other than down shifting to slow down (auto or manual ive always done this ,many different makes & models for the last 25 years of diving ,never broken a transmission. Just my experience
I agree with all except the point about low fuel. The fuel pump “sucks” the fuel out of the tank at the same location regardless of the level so it doesn’t suck the “crud” out any more when it’s low than it does when it’s full. It used to when you had a reserve so you switched to a lower tap in the tank but not for a long time.
With more fuel in the tank, the gasoline sloshing around in less likely to pick up the sediment. You can test this by filling a small coffee cup or other drinking container and then adding a tablespoon of dirt. Then take a drink after stirring it. Do the same again with half the amount of the same liquid and the same amount of dirt. Take a drink after stirring. Tell me which one did you have more dirt in your mouth. 😁
What I've heard elsewhere and here is that the pump is cooled by the fuel - it needs at least a gallon and something or it will burn out or have a shorter life.
Add excessive idling and too much city driving to that list. If you live in the city and never leave, it’s a good idea to take an hour road trip every few weeks on the freeway.
I coast frequently and used to drive on low fuel quite a lot and drive short trips frequently. I have a 2008 Pontiac G6 GT with 155000 miles and never had to replace the fuel pump, no transmission problems, no engine problems. I guess I'm lucky.
I fill up my tank and drive until the little red fuel pump comes on, then do it all over again. Lots of idling in big-city rush hour traffic. I don't think about engine revs, never have; all I do is change the oil religiously every 5000 miles and keep everything maintained. 377K miles on my 97 Corolla so far and still a daily driver.
The challenge here in Canada is our frequent incredibly low speed limits, it's near on impossible to not to run a car on low revs when the maximum speed limit is 30 or 50kph on a lot of the roads where I live. I appreciate the advice on engine braking, but with an auto you don't always have that choice, beside which, new brakes cost around $1000 a time, which ain't cheap either (although still cheaper than the transmission). The other points raised would seem to be mainly bad driving habits, which I do not adhere to. Informative video though, thanks.
Yup. When I drove in Japan on a highway, the speed limit was only 70 but only one lane each way! And it was a TOLL road!! In Toronto there are some streets with 3 lanes both ways (6 in total) and the speed limit is 40 or 50. Insane.
I would: 1. before using HIGH rpm explained proper ENGINE and TRANSMISSION WARMING 2. before proper ENGINE WARMING explained necessity of frequent OIL CHANGE 3. teach about winter impact on ENGINE 4. finish ENGINE topic first before starting new (TRANSMISSION)
My car has a metal belt driving the gearbox . Never heard of such a thing until buying it. The revs stay at 2000 no matter what you do. Runs just fine.
Number 3. ... .. I disagree about sucking up all the crud in your fuel tank. It makes no difference to the fuel pick up pipe where your fuel level is. Crud would be sucked up wherever regardless of your fuel level and the fuel pick up pipe is at a fixed position, low down inside your fuel tank? Maybe you assume crud floats? I doubt it. Low fuel or fuel starvation might bust your fuel pump though. 👍
I really do need your advice on my small car am using on the traffic for taxi 🚕... AM having a problem on my car keep jacking and making lot of nice from the front tier
On manual cars you are not supposed brake with your clutch thats not what engine break means!! Match the engine speed before you downshift and yes on most cars its not much off a breaking effect but ratherr replacd breaks than clutches
I've done 'excessive engine braking' for years. ex... I had a brand new 1985 T-Bird and did excessive braking AND coasting in neutral whenever possible for better mileage. The transmission FINALLY failed at just over 136,000 miles (in 11 years).
I had same 1985 T-Bird in 8 cylinder. That was an automatic gear shift handle so how did you engage the engine to do braking? Second, did you change transmission fluid/filter ever 30-40k miles? I did and transmission lasted until I gave it away at 313,000 miles.
You’re probably talking strictly about automatics. It’s the first time I hear someone telling me that engine breaking is bad. Everyone else is highly recommending it in a stick.
They are building them to fail. Low compression ,drinks oil , don’t change the oil unless a light comes on,don’t check air pressure unless a light comes on . Not setting the parking break. Setting the parking brake,before releasing the brake pedal,holds the weight instead of the motor mounts.Dumbing down people.😢 Giddyupgo and be safe about it😊
So replace the oil every 5k depending on driving habits. And definitely change the oil filter when you feel that it's not as responsive. And repeat Repeat and repeat
Lugging a modern turbo engine is not good.. if your climbing hills or pulling a trailer just keep the rpms up by using a lower gear that way you don't over boost your engine meaning there will be less stress put put on major engine components
Da put the engine braking thing. Am I supposed to always either be pressing the gas or brake pedals? I’m trying to figure out if it’s something I do which it probably is, but it haven’t caused me any problems yet.
Engine braking works very simply: You roll into a traffic light or intersection with the car in gear (not neutral!). All you have to do is take your foot off the accelerator. Really very simple: Every time you let go of the accelerator pedal, the engine brake takes effect as long as you are not in P or N when driving or coasting.
My cars get filled when the yellow light goes on. At that point, there is two to three gallons left. My Honda had over 430,000 miles on the original fuel pump. I can never understand this sludge phenomenon being caused by too low of fuel since the pump always sucks fuel from the bottom of the tank, whether full or not
What is a typical rpm below which you would be lugging an engine: a) for a petrol, and b) for a turbo-diesel? I tend to keep the rpm in my car and my wife's (both 1.6 turbo-diesel - so *not* petrol) between about 1000 and 2500 rpm, changing up mostly at about 1500. I realise that this is low by petrol standards... Both cars do about 2200-2500 rpm in 6th gear at 70 which is a welcome change from a petrol version of my car that I borrowed when my car was in for a service, which was about 4000 rpm at 70 and had exceptionally poor 50-70 mph acceleration in any of 4th, 5th or 6th gear. I was glad to give that car back: the engine was screaming away at motorway speed and was gutless, even if its from-stationary acceleration was shit-hot and took some getting used to! I find 50-70 acceleration (when overtaking a slow truck) far more useful than 0-60 accleration as a measure for real-world driving.
My car at *N* lasted for 10yr...until a service guy broke the water hose, didn't tell me and the engine overheated...then I sold it three years after. N works.
Great advise all around. My wife has been "engine breaking" the brakes on at least two cars already. When they are not used enough, they become oxidized, stuck, and need to be refurbished or even replaced. Quite expensive compared to just wearing down rhe break pads. Myself, I will think about getting some higher RPMs now and then. I tend to cruise at 1500 way to often.
I drive most of the time at 2,000rpms would that be lugging the engine? I don’t see how I’d be going over 3 or 4 consistently on the highway its smooth driving. I wanna make the most of my car.
My modern car has 9 speeds and always wants to shift to the highest possible gear that's fine for gas mileage but then I have no power when I need it. So I use the paddle shifter to keep it in a much lower gear than it would normally or a even better I keep it in sport mode.
I own and drive an old 52 year old car a couple of times a month on short trips on the street. It's a V-8 car with 4 speed manual shift. Am i hurting the motor by not driving at freeway speeds? I do wind first and second a little bit. but at 40 mph i shift into 4th and barely use the throttle. It has 3.54 rear gear so it revs high at freeway speeds.
I wouldn't worry too much about the speed, but you need to take it out once or twice a month and drive without turning it off for at least half an hour or 45 minutes.
I drive a Hyundai sonata 2008. People don't need to buy a new car. It's ridiculous. Maintain but my friend you forgot to mention to never charge up a hill on 4 cylinder engine. It's good to burn oil but not good on timing belt and more. People just need to relax and stop being in a hurry.
Yep, as a new inexperienced driver (many moons ago), excessive engine braking blew a cylinder head gasket. Head gaskets are not too expensive (labour aside), but having the cylinder head block skimmed certainly puts a hole in your wallet.
I've had two CARS 1994 MADZA PROTEEG & now my 94 Olds Cutlass Supreme @ 3.1 & I would always get gas when I'm at 1/2 tank or a tick below that BUT NOT ANY LOWER AND at that time my 1st fuel pump was $600 even then You have to open it up on the highway once in a while to BLOW THE CARBS out was said by then cause doing only city driving doing only 35mph helps some but it needs to get to at least 55mph-65mph once in a while
yep that's about it for driving habits, I do not use eco mode on my car because it keeps the rpm below 1500... it does not make a big difference in fuel consumption between normal and eco mode.... oh! yes change your engine oil at every 3000 miles and the tranny oil every 50 000 miles the n you should be good to go !!!!
If you always drive on low fuel you dont have the sludge and dirt build up in the tank in oposstite of always having a full tank and then once in long time you drive on low fuel levels.
The only time you don’t drive it like you stole it? Is for the first 100-250 miles, don’t use full throttle acceleration! But after that? Driving it like you stole it and it should run fine as long as you change your oil at least every 6,000 miles with full synthetic oil.
As frequently as 6000 miles with a modern engine? My car's service intervals are either 10,00 or 12,000 miles (I forget which - I use the "service" warning which the car displays) so that's when the oil get changed. With a 15-year-old 1.6 HDi turbo-diesel engine in my Peugeot or a 1.6 turbo-diesel in my wife's Honda, should we be getting the oil changed more freqeuntly than the service intervals? Not sure what type of oil, but I think semi-synthetic.
That's why you have to be careful about buying state police cars because they have a lot of idle time. I'll have hundreds of hours of just sitting in a place in an idol with their lights going and they crack their Hood the control the heat but it's hard on the motors. You got to be real careful I buy municipal vehicles
Good point. I seen idiots who thinks they are a car enthusiast, driving their car on empty. My car never sees empty, it gets at least $20 in gas when it's at 1/4 after putting $20 in gas it goes to a quarter tank of gas. Never on empty.
I thing I see & hear is young guys over revving to the point of maximum revving with the car out of gear, or in neutral. Surely this isn’t good? And it’s very annoying in residential areas. 😡
Engine braking is OK on Japanese engines (before 2000s preferably) I have multiple cars (around 20) and owned much more over rhe years and i know what I'm talking about. Cars nowadays can't handle engine braking like cars from 30 years ago or more.
After reading some of the comments, it's disappointing how many don't know the difference between Breaking and Braking.
But that's America today.
Extremely hard braking may cause "breaking" of components. And if something is "loose," please tighten it!
NAILED IT 🎯
'Murica 🥴
Americans in general are poor spellers
This is hart braking..
Most modern transmissions are designed to automatically downshift on steep grades. It doesn't affect your engine mounts or transmission reliability
My car has a habit of over doing engine braking or not being quick enough to up the gear even though the car has started going in opposite gradient. The extra torque from lower gears can throw people off. Bad tires and wet weather makes it extra unsafe.
worst habit that will kill an engine is revving it upon start up when the engine is cold and oil hasn't lubricated the motor fully.... the guy across the road from me has already killed 2 motors and the 3rd one is just about ruined too... start the vehicle and let the auto idle/choke do it's job. you don't have to get to full working temperature and some warm-up is better than no warm-up at all.
your car still has a choke??? I hope that is not a manual choke.
I watched the guy's daughter across the street doing this when it is below freezing. She gets in the car starts it and immediately stomps on the gas and speeds away. That is why black smokes pours out of the exhaust.
My neighbors do this. Start the vehicle for a millionth of a second then floor it 40 mph up the street.
The real issue is undersized engines and cheap components. These cars are not built to last.
While I agree that there are many cheap components, I have over 310 000 km on a 2022 Elantra and it as given me zero problems. Meanwhile, the cars that they don't build "like they used to" didn't even have a 6 digit odometer because they had no faith those cars would last that long. My $0.02.
garbage fuel
@@m.stewart7208 no CNC's back then
take those CNC's away from todays modern car companies and see what they could come up with. No CMM's either
1706 Well stated !
Slowing down with the brakes will kill your mpg. Much better to just let off the gas a couple seconds early
Couple of second ???
You're only tricking the computer Ive tried used the meter and done it with odometer/gas gauge the computer calculates how much gas you burn in a certain time period with the mileage so it's more of an average
Brakes to slow gears to go, I was told that many years ago
@@guyr7351 never driven a standard have you..
I use a manual transmission and love engine braking, good mpg, quick deceleration and it actually helps clean deposits from the engine when downshifting hard, and oh that roaring engine sound when downshifting on a manual trans! Here in Europe we do not like automatics that much and driving a car with a manual gearbox is much more fun!
Totally agree
Great anti-theft feature here in the U.S.
In the UK you used to have to use engine braking by downshifting in a licence test! If you came to a stop in third or forth it was a fail, you had to be in second! Yanks dont know how to drive Manual .
I love a great manual
@@dentray australia is similar, at least in new south wales - to pass the driving test you can't coast or put the clutch in until below 20km/h, and you can't put the car in neutral until you come to a complete stop - so you may be able to stop in third but you have to really watch it, far easier to go right down to second and avoid the issue
On downhill long steep gradients I would advise engine breaking as well as foot braking to avoid brake fade which could over heat your rotors, "disc's" and brake pads which can lose breaking efficiency and be dangerous.
Agree. While coming down from Pike's Peak I had the transmission in first and still had to lean on the brakes.
Lake traveling from LA to Las Vegas also turn off AC when going up steep incline to prevent overheating engine.
Great list but the number one killer of engines is short trips where the engine does not reach operating temperature. Condensation gets in the oil, dilutes it, causes sludge, and pffft need new mill
That is absolutely true and most people do just that.
How short?
I asked them to move the store a mile down the road but they refuse so I drive around the parking lot for 20 minutes
I've always warmed my car up for a minute. I was taught that it was good for the engine and distributed the fluids before driving off.
@@johnarmstrong472 Short where the engine temp gauge does not reach normal operating temperature and stay there for a few minutes
I've always used the engine braking effect with only minimal use of brake pads without causing any problems. I can't see it puts any more strain on your engine and transmission than any other kind of driving. Also its short journeys that mainly cause carbon to build up not low revs.
Short journeys combined with low revs are typical in city driving, leading to carbon buildup.
Interesting video. The biggest issue is the engineering behind new engines. They are designed for high horsepower. The way to get longevity and good fuel economy is with sufficient torque low in the revs. I custom ordered an 89 Mercury Grand Marquis with the 5.8 litre V8 and the heavy duty towing package. The performance axle ratio was 2.73:1. With this the car was rated for 6,000 pounds of trailer. Horsepower was "only" 215 at 4,600 rpm. Torque, however, was 390 lb/ft at 2,200 rpm. With a power band of 2,400 rpm, the 4 speed heavy duty AOD transmission was able to stay in overdrive without lugging. On the open road the car returned 40 miles to the Imperial gallon, or 34 miles to the US gallon. In metric terms, it was 7 litres per 100 km. There is nothing like that out there now
That would have been a great car. I hope you still have it.
Large displacement normally aspirated engines which typically made maximum power & torque at lower revs, were ideal for cars in those days, for good reliability when travelling long distance across the North American continent. Nowadays, stricter exhaust emissions & lower fuel consumption regulations have forced auto manufacturers to downsize engine displacement, using forced induction to help maintain power & torque. Thus, we now see V8s gradually giving way to V6 turbos which deliver similar power & torque at higher revs, but may not be as reliable.
That's awesome thanks fer sharing man
Not true. Modern engines are designed for both 'best economy' AND 'best power"--just not at the same time. They are smaller, have fewer cylinders, variable valve timing and use turbos to boost power. Turbos by their very nature don't work at low speeds--only at the high end. That's where old V8s have the advantage.
40 mpg out of a 6 liter petrol, thanks for the laugh, hilarious.
I really like this video. I am 56 years old and have made some these mistakes until today. I am a subscriber now for sure. Stunnig video!!
#2 is what I've warned my partner about. Her Prado's transmission will cost $10k to replace; her brake pads about $240 for all four. Allowing your cruise control to brake the car downhill is both ineffective and damaging. Low rev problems are fixed by driving a manual.
Agreed, and that is one of the reasons why I will never get rid of my 5 speed manual !!
Changing oil regularly and using cylinder injector cleaners such as Marvel Mystery Oil has major benefits. I'm talking from experience. My Fords all went over 200K before I sold them.
Great advice ! Thank you. I'm guilty of a couple of the mistakes you mentioned. I'm changing that today.
Straight to the point, very informative, short and concise. Just subscribed 😊
I just learned about driving at low RPMs and not to do it all the time. I have a standard transmission and I thank you for this advice.
Thanks for pointing these things out. I've been driving for more than 40 years (scary thought...), mostly sticks, and I picked up a few things I didn't know. (Too embarrassed to say which ones... ;) )
When you see a light turn red, let up on the gas (I don't think that's _excessive_ engine braking) and gently use the brakes to come to a smooth stop. (Back when Dad, OBM, taught me how to drive, if I kept feeding fuel to the engine when I was going to have to stop, he would sarcastically say "give it gas till the light". I got the message, and still use that phrase when someone makes the same mistake.)
I do the same thing. On my 4-speed car, I let off the gas and take the car out of gear and just stop using the brakes when I get close to the light.
*Excellent advice !*
*"give it gas till the light"* seems to be the norm these days. They roar off the second the light turns green, without checking cross traffic. After all nobody ever runs a red light, eh? Then hard braking at the next light. On the highway they tap-dance between gas & brake pedals. Modulating use of the gas pedal is the least stressful, for both vehicle & operator.
Yeah, "operator", not driver. *Driving* is a *_learned_* skill via courses, not automatically acquired by passing a rudimentary test, yet they all think they are "great drivers". Bing, bam, boom, about 1000 crashes a day in a large province with only a population of 5 Million. (do the math ! )
@@2011Azure A green light means, "LOOK, then go when safe." A YELLOW light does NOT mean, "PUT IT TO THE FLOOR!"
When he taught me to drive and he saw my use engine braking, my father asked me which are easier and cheaper to replace - the engine or the brake-pads!
And you answered...
My Dad taught me the same thing, and how to do my own brakes!
I had never heard of the term "engine braking" and do it on big hills thinking it caused LESS wear on my car!
Engine braking at freeway off-ramps (and a slight deceleration) will double the life of your brakes.
Brakes are a lot cheaper than engine parts!
Great content bro big ups this will minimize that driving habit most car users do when they hit on the road.
Sometime back are read where letting off the gas while driving now and then helps bring up oil to the cylinders and this helped the rings to seat properly during break-in. Why would this be harmful under normal driving conditions? Can you help me out on that?
Thnx for the warnings !
1 - Do not always run on low RPM's
2 - Do not use excessive engine braking.
EXCEPT when downhilling a 500m high mountain !!! I downhilled Mont Tremblant with a Toyota Tundra (the best truck i ever driven) quasi exclusively on engine braking, 4Low diff and shifting low ( 1 or 2 ), having an eye on RPM. My brakes remained cold all the way down.
3 - Do not run on quasi-empty gas tank.
4 - Do not shift between R and D while the vehicle is still rolling...Obvious !
5 - Shift down on accelerations.
I'd add these few ones:
6 - Most important: Do not follow manufacturer's oil change schedule. 10000km between oil changes is too long. Change your oil at each 5000 km or every 3 months. An oil change cost is nothing compared to an engine overhaul.
7 - On cars with timing belts: Do not neglect your belt changes. A broken belt will ruin your engine heads / valves / pistons.
8 - On cold winter days, start your engine for only about 15 - 30 seconds and thereafter, start driving your car SLOWLY. This will engage your transmission, making its oil gradually warming-up along with your engine. Only after, you may drive at higher speeds.
9 - Manual transmission car: Do NOT hold your shifter with your closed hand. Instead, use one or two fingers to shift with just minimal force. This will help your gear synchronisers do their work without excessive strains. Also you will have the pleasant feel of your synchronisers do their work. This is a little added part of manual transmission driving pleasure.
10 - After a heavy snowfall: Shift in and put VERY little gas and stop (put brakes on) as soon as your car stops (even a few cm or inches). Shift reverse and repeat the same procedure taking care to prevent tire slippering. Repeating the same procedure over and over will make your car's inertia help the tires make their traces in the snow.
Like from me! Thank you very much for taking the time to share these tips!
Great advice and always learning
I'm pretty hard on (automatic) cars, drove some old ones too, but I never had to have an engine replaced...
My stupid car with an 8 speed automatic transmission is programmed to keep the engine at low revs. It doesn’t shift down soon enough and constantly lugs the engine. For example, it shifts up to 7th gear at 40 mph and runs at between 1000 and 1500 rpm. I know they do this to increase gas mileage, but it is very infuriating. When I go around a tight corner at 30 mph and then try to accelerate there is absolutely no power because the car is still in 6th gear. This is the manufacturers fault and I will never buy another car from that brand.
The automatic transmission should have what is known as the kick down feature, where the gearbox automatically shifts down 1 or 2 gears to allow the engine to rev up into the required power band when it detects that the driver has floored the gas pedal in order to accelerate from a low speed.
@@nayirmada5124that should happen but things never work properly these days. I've learnt to avoid buying vehicles built after 2002 and the bus I regularly ride gives me concern at how long it takes to shift into a lower gear when going up the hills , it's of course a diesel automatic , I've asked and I'm told that their buses do have long life.
@@nayirmada5124true, but with these multi speed transmissions, going from 6th to 5th, or even 4th, doesn’t help. I question the logic of anything over 5 speeds.
Remap
@@REALtuppennyblueyeah I'm sure a good tuning shop could reprogram and do wonders for your trans and make you happy in the process
I think the biggest problem with low RPM driving is lugging the engine. At 30 mph on the level in town my engine is running at 1200 rpm. That's not a problem.
In my case do all city driving and my engine doesn't go above 1,500 rpm . is that hurting it in the long term or not ?
@@herbertdiaz4318 "All city driving" at 1,500 rpm or lower can't be good. I live in a low speed limit city, too (25 to 35 mph) and purposely take my car on the freeway at least once each week for 50+ miles of higher-speed driving to help fuel detergents clean valves and injectors (port injection) and to fully heat up oil to burn-off engine oil contaminants.
@@herbertdiaz4318 It's probably not doing it a lot of good. In the days when the owner's handbook gave some useful information, the Jaguar Mk 2 handbook, 1966 version, said that you should, once run in, take the car onto the freeway and drive for at least 30 minutes, preferably one hour, with the revs at 5,000 or just above. You'd be doing around 120mph, but we lived in Germany at the time and we had autobahns. 😁 We've got much better oils these days, but I still think it's a good idea. Mind you, 120mph can make you unpopular with the police, depending on where you live.
@@roadie3124 With the higher rpms in modern engines, a quick speedup gets the RPM way up there, a bit of red line helps clean things out.
Interesting video. If I ever buy a car with an automatic transmission, I will keep these suggestions in mind.
As you know, you're gonna have very few (or no) choices, going forward.
Driving consistently at too low an RPM might be an issue with a manual transmission but I don’t see how it could be a factor with an automatic.
Here in Europe we use mostly manual transmission and specially Nissan had an issues with a specific manual trans fitted to their 1.4 - 1.6L engines (1990-2007) that would shatter the 5th gear if driven under 80km/h and that still is a very common problem that many people still do not about and end up with a blown up trans while trying to save fuel.
@@MehdiS-music why not put it in neutral
@@battlegroundone That is classed as "coasting" and is regarded as bad driving technique and may even be contrary to some countries' highway codes. I tend to stay in top gear as I approach a junction, and then press the clutch down once I reach the point that the engine would stall (though it won't while the wheels are still driving the engine on overrun), in the last few yards before the stop/give-way line, until I can determine which gear I will need to accelerate away from the junction - eg 2nd or 3rd if I see that I will not have to stop for a car on the road I amd joining, or 1st if I see that I will need to stop.
I've driven about 180,000 miles in my present car (a 1.6 HDi diesel with 6-speed manual) and I'm still on the original clutch - unless it had a new clutch in the first 18,000 miles before I bought the car as an ex-demonstrator from a main dealer garage, which is highly unlikely ;-) The engine still goes very well and I still get over 50 mpg (UK gallon, so about 40 mpg US).
Not a transmission thing it's the engine which has a problem with constant low rpm & I'd argue if the Injectors are rarely fully open it can be a problem & most performance cars will chock up a die if constantly driven like this
It could be with a manual mode and shifting with the paddles.
Thank you! I am guilty of running on low rpms. Will try to hit the highway once a week moving forward.
Don't overdo it.
Once your car is at operating temperature, turning it close to (not in) the red zone once a month is enough.
Using the pedal on the right like it should be will keep a steady flow of traffic to get every one home safe and the high beams are for people to see better going your direction if there is cars coming the high beams should be turned off
Wow, such great advice, very smart, very accurate, I never knew!
The last one is the worst. 'Lugging the engine in top gear' probably the worst out of the rest of them combimed
Agreed other than down shifting to slow down (auto or manual ive always done this ,many different makes & models for the last 25 years of diving ,never broken a transmission. Just my experience
Awesomely Put!!!!! PERIOD 👍
I agree with all except the point about low fuel. The fuel pump “sucks” the fuel out of the tank at the same location regardless of the level so it doesn’t suck the “crud” out any more when it’s low than it does when it’s full. It used to when you had a reserve so you switched to a lower tap in the tank but not for a long time.
With more fuel in the tank, the gasoline sloshing around in less likely to pick up the sediment. You can test this by filling a small coffee cup or other drinking container and then adding a tablespoon of dirt. Then take a drink after stirring it. Do the same again with half the amount of the same liquid and the same amount of dirt. Take a drink after stirring. Tell me which one did you have more dirt in your mouth. 😁
What I've heard elsewhere and here is that the pump is cooled by the fuel - it needs at least a gallon and something or it will burn out or have a shorter life.
@@9a8c Nah! Fuel level makes no difference to where the crud ends up, at the bottom of your fuel tank where the pick up pipe is.
The pump's longevity is extended by the cooling effect of gasoline.
@@chancergordy The pickup point is on a float so that it takes fuel from the top.
Great info! (egh have seen many none gearhead drivers!)
Im going to send this to my partner she thinks im telling her how to drive ,Cheers Mate 🇦🇺
Thank you sir for the video
Driving always at low RPM will grenade your engine. Worse if you drive less than 5 miles
Add excessive idling and too much city driving to that list. If you live in the city and never leave, it’s a good idea to take an hour road trip every few weeks on the freeway.
I coast frequently and used to drive on low fuel quite a lot and drive short trips frequently. I have a 2008 Pontiac G6 GT with 155000 miles and never had to replace the fuel pump, no transmission problems, no engine problems. I guess I'm lucky.
I fill up my tank and drive until the little red fuel pump comes on, then do it all over again. Lots of idling in big-city rush hour traffic. I don't think about engine revs, never have; all I do is change the oil religiously every 5000 miles and keep everything maintained. 377K miles on my 97 Corolla so far and still a daily driver.
My Audi A2 from 2003: Aluminium Chassis, 430.000 km, first engine, first transmission, first clutch.
The challenge here in Canada is our frequent incredibly low speed limits, it's near on impossible to not to run a car on low revs when the maximum speed limit is 30 or 50kph on a lot of the roads where I live. I appreciate the advice on engine braking, but with an auto you don't always have that choice, beside which, new brakes cost around $1000 a time, which ain't cheap either (although still cheaper than the transmission). The other points raised would seem to be mainly bad driving habits, which I do not adhere to. Informative video though, thanks.
Yup. When I drove in Japan on a highway, the speed limit was only 70 but only one lane each way! And it was a TOLL road!! In Toronto there are some streets with 3 lanes both ways (6 in total) and the speed limit is 40 or 50. Insane.
I would:
1. before using HIGH rpm explained proper ENGINE and TRANSMISSION WARMING
2. before proper ENGINE WARMING explained necessity of frequent OIL CHANGE
3. teach about winter impact on ENGINE
4. finish ENGINE topic first before starting new (TRANSMISSION)
My car has a metal belt driving the gearbox . Never heard of such a thing until buying it. The revs stay at 2000 no matter what you do. Runs just fine.
Good content.
Number 3. ... .. I disagree about sucking up all the crud in your fuel tank. It makes no difference to the fuel pick up pipe where your fuel level is. Crud would be sucked up wherever regardless of your fuel level and the fuel pick up pipe is at a fixed position, low down inside your fuel tank? Maybe you assume crud floats? I doubt it.
Low fuel or fuel starvation might bust your fuel pump though. 👍
I think the only downside to running low fuel levels is the electric fuel pumps are cooled by the fuel.
1:34
Which parts of the engine are more damaged when I use the engine brake than at full throttle?
I really do need your advice on my small car am using on the traffic for taxi 🚕...
AM having a problem on my car keep jacking and making lot of nice from the front tier
The engine braking-its still ok to close the throttle and apply the brake pedal when in gear to slow down/stop?...
On manual cars you are not supposed brake with your clutch thats not what engine break means!! Match the engine speed before you downshift and yes on most cars its not much off a breaking effect but ratherr replacd breaks than clutches
I've done 'excessive engine braking' for years. ex... I had a brand new 1985 T-Bird and did excessive braking AND coasting in neutral whenever possible for better mileage. The transmission FINALLY failed at just over 136,000 miles (in 11 years).
I had same 1985 T-Bird in 8 cylinder. That was an automatic gear shift handle so how did you engage the engine to do braking? Second, did you change transmission fluid/filter ever 30-40k miles? I did and transmission lasted until I gave it away at 313,000 miles.
Running your car with minimal fuel in the tank can overheat the fuel pump causing it to fail prematurely, that's it
How does one constantly drive under 1500 revs?
Might be that thing that button says eco-mode in my car, was going to try it sometime … maybe ...
Yeah,,, it's done quite frequent by especially older drivers or those with compromised visions.
I had a Roadmaster that stayed around 1400 at 70 mph on the level.
My car always stays around 1200 rpm. So I get 58 mpg highway.
The low fuel ⛽ habit damaged my pump no lies.
Good points.
worst driving habits is driving beyond your limit. it can kill you and your car. not to mention you're putting others in danger.
Good job
You’re probably talking strictly about automatics. It’s the first time I hear someone telling me that engine breaking is bad. Everyone else is highly recommending it in a stick.
#4 mechanics do that all the time...infuriates me, including shifting to Park when the car is still moving.
At 64 I drive/cruise like a Lil ol Lady 😊. My Toyota's run Forever 😁
They are building them to fail. Low compression ,drinks oil , don’t change the oil unless a light comes on,don’t check air pressure unless a light comes on . Not setting the parking break. Setting the parking brake,before releasing the brake pedal,holds the weight instead of the motor mounts.Dumbing down people.😢 Giddyupgo and be safe about it😊
So replace the oil every 5k depending on driving habits.
And definitely change the oil filter when you feel that it's not as responsive.
And repeat
Repeat and repeat
You change your oil filter every time you do an oil change
thankyouuu very much buddy
Lugging a modern turbo engine is not good.. if your climbing hills or pulling a trailer just keep the rpms up by using a lower gear that way you don't over boost your engine meaning there will be less stress put put on major engine components
Good point for special use - but modern auto trans will do just fine for non-towing everyday use.
Da put the engine braking thing. Am I supposed to always either be pressing the gas or brake pedals? I’m trying to figure out if it’s something I do which it probably is, but it haven’t caused me any problems yet.
Engine braking works very simply:
You roll into a traffic light or intersection with the car in gear (not neutral!).
All you have to do is take your foot off the accelerator.
Really very simple: Every time you let go of the accelerator pedal, the engine brake takes effect as long as you are not in P or N when driving or coasting.
What really worries me is how little you can know about your car and how it functions.
This makes you a good and welcome customer in workshops.
Low fuel kills the fuel pump with time. The pump depends on fuel to keep the pump cool.
My cars get filled when the yellow light goes on. At that point, there is two to three gallons left. My Honda had over 430,000 miles on the original fuel pump. I can never understand this sludge phenomenon being caused by too low of fuel since the pump always sucks fuel from the bottom of the tank, whether full or not
The concept of lugging is a difficult one to explain to some persons.
What is a typical rpm below which you would be lugging an engine: a) for a petrol, and b) for a turbo-diesel? I tend to keep the rpm in my car and my wife's (both 1.6 turbo-diesel - so *not* petrol) between about 1000 and 2500 rpm, changing up mostly at about 1500. I realise that this is low by petrol standards... Both cars do about 2200-2500 rpm in 6th gear at 70 which is a welcome change from a petrol version of my car that I borrowed when my car was in for a service, which was about 4000 rpm at 70 and had exceptionally poor 50-70 mph acceleration in any of 4th, 5th or 6th gear. I was glad to give that car back: the engine was screaming away at motorway speed and was gutless, even if its from-stationary acceleration was shit-hot and took some getting used to! I find 50-70 acceleration (when overtaking a slow truck) far more useful than 0-60 accleration as a measure for real-world driving.
I told my husband if he continued to shift before a full stop, I was divorcing him! True story!
So, you’re single now?
My car at *N* lasted for 10yr...until a service guy broke the water hose, didn't tell me and the engine overheated...then I sold it three years after.
N works.
Great advise all around. My wife has been "engine breaking" the brakes on at least two cars already. When they are not used enough, they become oxidized, stuck, and need to be refurbished or even replaced. Quite expensive compared to just wearing down rhe break pads.
Myself, I will think about getting some higher RPMs now and then. I tend to cruise at 1500 way to often.
I drive most of the time at 2,000rpms would that be lugging the engine? I don’t see how I’d be going over 3 or 4 consistently on the highway its smooth driving. I wanna make the most of my car.
My modern car has 9 speeds and always wants to shift to the highest possible gear that's fine for gas mileage but then I have no power when I need it. So I use the paddle shifter to keep it in a much lower gear than it would normally or a even better I keep it in sport mode.
My manual shift Nissan XTrail SUV tells the driver to shift down to a lower gear if the engine revs are too low for the gear ratio selected.
Another reason not to go below 1/4 of a tank of gas is that your fuel pump is cooled and lubricated by the gas itself
I own and drive an old 52 year old car a couple of times a month on short trips on the street. It's a V-8 car with 4 speed manual shift. Am i hurting the motor by not driving at freeway speeds? I do wind first and second a little bit. but at 40 mph i shift into 4th and barely use the throttle. It has 3.54 rear gear so it revs high at freeway speeds.
I wouldn't worry too much about the speed, but you need to take it out once or twice a month and drive without turning it off for at least half an hour or 45 minutes.
I drive a Hyundai sonata 2008. People don't need to buy a new car. It's ridiculous. Maintain but my friend you forgot to mention to never charge up a hill on 4 cylinder engine. It's good to burn oil but not good on timing belt and more. People just need to relax and stop being in a hurry.
Yep, as a new inexperienced driver (many moons ago), excessive engine braking blew a cylinder head gasket. Head gaskets are not too expensive (labour aside), but having the cylinder head block skimmed certainly puts a hole in your wallet.
I've had two CARS 1994 MADZA PROTEEG & now my 94 Olds Cutlass Supreme @ 3.1 & I would always get gas when I'm at 1/2 tank or a tick below that BUT NOT ANY LOWER AND at that time my 1st fuel pump was $600 even then You have to open it up on the highway once in a while to BLOW THE CARBS out was said by then cause doing only city driving doing only 35mph helps some but it needs to get to at least 55mph-65mph once in a while
yep that's about it for driving habits, I do not use eco mode on my car because it keeps the rpm below 1500... it does not make a big difference in fuel consumption between normal and eco mode.... oh! yes change your engine oil at every 3000 miles and the tranny oil every 50 000 miles the n you should be good to go !!!!
How do you increase the RPM in an automatic car? I know how to do it with a stick shift.
Shift to any gear lower than D. You may also be able to switch off Overdrive
Modern engines are designed and built to run at lower Rpm's. Driving at low gear for too long is what's killing them!
You should clarify when you say transmission. Are you talking manual or automatic?
If you always drive on low fuel you dont have the sludge and dirt build up in the tank in oposstite of always having a full tank and then once in long time you drive on low fuel levels.
The only time you don’t drive it like you stole it? Is for the first 100-250 miles, don’t use full throttle acceleration! But after that? Driving it like you stole it and it should run fine as long as you change your oil at least every 6,000 miles with full synthetic oil.
As frequently as 6000 miles with a modern engine? My car's service intervals are either 10,00 or 12,000 miles (I forget which - I use the "service" warning which the car displays) so that's when the oil get changed. With a 15-year-old 1.6 HDi turbo-diesel engine in my Peugeot or a 1.6 turbo-diesel in my wife's Honda, should we be getting the oil changed more freqeuntly than the service intervals? Not sure what type of oil, but I think semi-synthetic.
That's why you have to be careful about buying state police cars because they have a lot of idle time. I'll have hundreds of hours of just sitting in a place in an idol with their lights going and they crack their Hood the control the heat but it's hard on the motors. You got to be real careful I buy municipal vehicles
On the fuel gauge isn't it E for ENOUGH and F for FINISHED?
Good point. I seen idiots who thinks they are a car enthusiast, driving their car on empty. My car never sees empty, it gets at least $20 in gas when it's at 1/4 after putting $20 in gas it goes to a quarter tank of gas. Never on empty.
Dam, my rpms are too low.
Check your oil and quit using ethanol.
I thing I see & hear is young guys over revving to the point of maximum revving with the car out of gear, or in neutral. Surely this isn’t good? And it’s very annoying in residential areas. 😡
Good to now
Engine braking is OK on Japanese engines (before 2000s preferably)
I have multiple cars (around 20) and owned much more over rhe years and i know what I'm talking about.
Cars nowadays can't handle engine braking like cars from 30 years ago or more.
Normal cars have good oil pressure at idle .
I have to disagree with the low rpm driving if that was a problem I would have never made it to 324,000 miles on my current vehicle
What is your car?
Also remember this..."A redline a day keeps the mechanic at bay and keeps the carbon away!" Redline is there for a reason people. Use it daily.