How fast do you accelerate?

Gageraid · **Posted:** Thu Mar 27, 2014 10:39 pm

I always wonder if I accelerate too slow. The max speed limit in my are is 55mph.
My tachometer usually tops at 2800-2900 while reaching that cruising speed.
Obviously too slow or too fast is bad for mpg.
Overdrive is about 1600-1750 rpms.
Seems like no matter how fast or slow I accelerate, my tank averages and miles per tank are roughly the same.

Thoughts? Please keep all Prius comments to yourself. :lol:

tommudd · **Posted:** Thu Mar 27, 2014 11:03 pm

back roads =two lane blacktop outside of town etc, usually hit 4-4500 at least, 5 out of ten times its more like 5200-5500 I want to get up to cruising speed as fast as possible,
NO LUGGING ALLOWED

Gageraid · **Posted:** Thu Mar 27, 2014 11:08 pm

Thanks for responding, Tom.
That 55mph road is a busy highway, but those are the rpms that feel natural for me.
If I'm accelerating too slow, I need evidence to back that up and would be willing to accelerate faster if it's going to gain me mileage.
Excuse my ignorance, but don't your different gear ratios than mine mean different rpms for accelerating?

Bmxer524 · **Posted:** Thu Mar 27, 2014 11:39 pm

His rpms will read different at the same speed. Like you might sit at 2k while doing 60mph, he might be at 1700 or even 2300 at 60. However, if he had 4.56s with his 32s, he would be closer to stock. Right now I wanna say he sits a little below you at the same speed, probably closer to me with the 245/75-16s and stock 3.73s.

Anyways, I start off a little heavier and ease out of it when I start getting up to speed. 1st to 2nd is normally 3k-4500. 2nd to 3rd depends on if I'm on the highway, or around town. I wanna say highway is usually around 3500 maybe 4k, and 3rd to OD is different as well.

I do love the 2nd gear pull though. Usually around 3k up to 4k or so. I'll definitely start paying more attention for you.

Oh and I also have times where 1st will run to the 5500 fake redline(why does it shift there when floored?) even when I'm only 3/4 throttle.

Gageraid · **Posted:** Thu Mar 27, 2014 11:41 pm

Bmxer524 wrote:

His rpms will read different at the same speed. Like you might sit at 2k while doing 60mph, he might be at 1700 or even 2300 at 60. However, if he had 4.56s with his 32s, he would be closer to stock. Right now I wanna say he sits a little below you at the same speed, probably closer to me with the 245/75-16s and stock 3.73s.

Anyways, I start off a little heavier and ease out of it when I start getting up to speed. 1st to 2nd is normally 3k-4500. 2nd to 3rd depends on if I'm on the highway, or around town. I wanna say highway is usually around 3500 maybe 4k, and 3rd to OD is different as well.

I do love the 2nd gear pull though. Usually around 3k up to 4k or so. I'll definitely start paying more attention for you.

Oh and I also have times where 1st will run to the 5500 fake redline(why does it shift there when floored?) even when I'm only 3/4 throttle.

Jeeeez my 1st to 2nd is waay slower than you. 4K rpm in 2nd, wow. These are the things I think about. :banghead:

Bmxer524 · **Posted:** Thu Mar 27, 2014 11:54 pm

Well I don't use the slow lane on the highway. Around town I sit in 2nd and 3rd. Normally she goes into 3rd around 2000-2500. That's only because I'm doing 30-40mph. Highway is supposed to be 55....I do 70+.

Gageraid · **Posted:** Fri Mar 28, 2014 12:00 am

Bmxer524 wrote:

Well I don't use the slow lane on the highway. Around town I sit in 2nd and 3rd. Normally she goes into 3rd around 2000-2500. That's only because I'm doing 30-40mph. Highway is supposed to be 55....I do 70+.

I still have never found the information I want for acceleration. I've seen other cars that have data on providing answers to questions like this.
Maybe I just need a video showing how I accelerate. I don't think I "lug" the engine, but if I am, I would like to learn not to in order to increase efficiency.

Bmxer524 · **Posted:** Fri Mar 28, 2014 12:05 am

I just gave up on fuel efficiency. I'll get some back when I eventually regear lol. Other than that, I feel like I'll be taking off like a granny. Any harder than I do, I feel like I'll be beating on her. I also hate the whine we get from the torque convertor in 1st gear. The faster you go, the louder it whines :banghead:

It's quiet in every other gear...

Gageraid · **Posted:** Fri Mar 28, 2014 12:08 am

Bmxer524 wrote:

I just gave up on fuel efficiency. I'll get some back when I eventually regear lol. Other than that, I feel like I'll be taking off like a granny. Any harder than I do, I feel like I'll be beating on her. I also hate the whine we get from the torque convertor in 1st gear. The faster you go, the louder it whines :banghead:

It's quiet in every other gear...

Yeah that noise is relevant in every KK I think. I still care about fuel efficiency. Always have, and always will. It's a love/hate relationship, and combining it with have a cool looking KK is a plus. I like having my cake and eating it, too.

Bmxer524 · **Posted:** Fri Mar 28, 2014 12:16 am

Gageraid wrote:

Bmxer524 wrote:

I just gave up on fuel efficiency. I'll get some back when I eventually regear lol. Other than that, I feel like I'll be taking off like a granny. Any harder than I do, I feel like I'll be beating on her. I also hate the whine we get from the torque convertor in 1st gear. The faster you go, the louder it whines :banghead:

It's quiet in every other gear...

Yeah that noise is relevant in every KK I think. I still care about fuel efficiency. Always have, and always will. It's a love/hate relationship, and combining it with have a cool looking KK is a plus. I like having my cake and eating it, too.

Sometimes you can only have part of the cake lol. It's our tranny. The TJs were known for it too. Does your exhaust cover it any? I'll be picking up my girlfriend in about 20min. I have to shower first, but I'll definitely keep an eye on where it shifts.

Gageraid · **Posted:** Fri Mar 28, 2014 12:18 am

The other night I had a tailgater on me. First chance I had, I went full throttle after a stop sign in order to merge to the 55mph zone. Literally left him in smoke. I gotta do that more often cuz that must mean there's some carbon in there, or just the Hypertech showing it's muscle.
Gotta get some gas tomorrow. I'll try to rev a bit higher this tank to see if it changes my results at all.

Bmxer524 · **Posted:** Fri Mar 28, 2014 12:22 am

Worse case scenario you burn a little more gas lol. I jump on it every now and then. My commute is pure highway. I turn off of side streets onto a 55mph highway, everyone does atleast 65mph. Then the 2nd half is a 2 lane highway(technicaly 4? 2 each direction) that is a 55mph zone and I hit atleast 2-3(sometimes 5 or more, there's only 7 of them lol) lights during the day(coming home at night if I'm lucky I'll hit 1 tops), I'm normally getting on it there too to get back up to speed.

Gageraid · **Posted:** Fri Mar 28, 2014 12:29 am

Bmxer524 wrote:

Worse case scenario you burn a little more gas lol. I jump on it every now and then. My commute is pure highway. I turn off of side streets onto a 55mph highway, everyone does atleast 65mph. Then the 2nd half is a 2 lane highway(technicaly 4? 2 each direction) that is a 55mph zone and I hit atleast 2-3(sometimes 5 or more, there's only 7 of them lol) lights during the day(coming home at night if I'm lucky I'll hit 1 tops), I'm normally getting on it there too to get back up to speed.

I'm trying NOT to burn more gas. I honestly think electronic throttle prevents much fluctuation in mpgs during acceleration, but I could be wrong.
Only time I'm on the gas from a dead stop when I'm at a light on that 55mph road.
Timing lights is key. My throttle position usually reads 20-40 when maintaining or during slight changes in speed limits (35 to 40-45 zones).

Bmxer524 · **Posted:** Fri Mar 28, 2014 1:35 am

Alright, around town I shift a little lower. Normally around 2500-3500. Highway is higher. About 3500-4500, sometimes higher. Depends on how fast I'm trying to go.

Gageraid · **Posted:** Fri Mar 28, 2014 8:33 am

Bmxer524 wrote:

Alright, around town I shift a little lower. Normally around 2500-3500. Highway is higher. About 3500-4500, sometimes higher. Depends on how fast I'm trying to go.

I'm still amazed by those numbers. Maybe I'm a slowpoke.

lfhoward · **Posted:** Fri Mar 28, 2014 9:03 am

I did a little experimenting with acceleration when I first got my Scangauge. I remember that a slow acceleration kept the Jeep at lower MPG's longer than a quick acceleration followed by high MPG coasting. I was able to increase my average MPG's on my work commute by 1-2 by not accelerating like a grannie, but not accelerating like a drag racer either. I think I hit about 28-2900 RPM's or so when I take off from a stop. My commute is different from yours though, as the top speed I can get to is about 40 on one stretch, but mostly it is speed limit 30 with traffic lights every few blocks. My best MPG trick on this trip has been to learn the traffic light pattern and choose a speed that allows me to make use of the timing of the lights so I can coast through most of them without having to stop. The key is to keep moving, as starts and stops are the main MPG killer.

huntb · **Posted:** Fri Mar 28, 2014 9:06 am

Gage how old are you? 24? 25? You drive like a 90 year old man. If gas is $3.70 and you drive 100 miles it will only cost you an extra $2.22 if your gas mileage dropped from 17 to 16 mpg! As extra $3.59 if it dropped from 17 to 15 mpg.

Now, I suppose if you drove 500 - 1000 miles a week that might add up. I only go through a tank a week maybe

Gageraid · **Posted:** Fri Mar 28, 2014 9:08 am

I agree with you Lauren. The KK is easy to coast with. Just hang back a few car lengths and you probably won't ever have to come to a complete stop at a light.
I appreciate everyone's input so far. Keep it coming!
About to go do some errands. :JEEPIN:

lfhoward · **Posted:** Fri Mar 28, 2014 10:12 am

I just edited my previous post because I tested my RPM's on my commute this morning. Taking off from a stop, where I am aiming to be around 30-35 mph, my Jeep hits about 2800 RPM before it shifts from 1st to second. This is what I would consider a marginally aggressive takeoff for city driving (at least for me), but not as high RPM's as it would be if I was trying to get up to 55 or 65 mph on a highway. Getting onto the interstate, I often hit 4000-4500 RPM's during the initial acceleration.

Gageraid · **Posted:** Fri Mar 28, 2014 11:25 am

I appreciate your data, Lauren.
Filled up this morning and got 17 mpg. All what I would say is city miles.
Running errands this morning I averaged 18.8 on the ScanGauge2 over the 28.8 miles driven on city roads.
I get good mileage, but all the cold starts and short trips are what kill me.
Over these miles I was accelerating much more brisk than I usually do. Saw 4K a few times, but mostly around 3300-3500 range when accelerating up speed.

How fast do you accelerate?

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