I was at a car show w/my dad and he started talking to this guy about gas mileage. The guy has a kia rio cinco 5 speed manual. He said he tries to miss as many shifts as possible to save on gas. I think that missing shifts on purpose isn't going to save you gas. Is this guy actually saving gas or is it just something that he thinks will save him gas?

 

Had an uncle that used to do that on his '53 Chevy. It had the 3-speed on the column. He would pull out in first and get up to about 5 mph and drop it into third. That straight six would ping and chug and spit and buck. Sometimes he would pull out in second and ride the clutch until he got some speed. I don't know if it saved him any money because I'm sure it wasn't good on the head gaskets and clutch, but it drove me nuts.

 

Doesn't sound right to me. Seems it would use more gas doing it that way as it would bog down the engine. Best way to conserve gas if you're that worried is to leave it parked at home and get a bicycle.

 

That's an urban myth. Just as if you took off in a dead stop from 2nd gear. That isn't good on the tranny either. The price of gas these days will make anyone try anything to try to save gas as much as possible. I'm sure it doesn't do any good to the fuel injection system either.

 

The KIA guy was higher than a kite:

 

i used to go high in first, shift to 3rd
why
cause im lazy in town shifting and around city traffic

 

That might save gas if you're going down hill.

 

I tried that with my '77 GMC pickup, straight 6, 3 on the tree. Never made a difference. I read an article in the local paper yesterday that was interesting. Back in the day when my pop drove a ?1963 Chevy II wagon, he wouldn't buy a/c because it "wasted gas". We drove around with the windows down. Nowadays, they say with the advanced electronics and so forth, it's the same whether you run a/c, or put the windows down. With the glass down you get wind drag wich negates any savings. BTW - Proven on Myth Busters Leaving the tailgate on a pick-up down can actually decrease gas mileage. It causes turbulence behind the cab. With the gate up, the passing air deflects off the floor of the bed and sails right over the gate. Honest!

 

I agree with you Deb.
I never skip shifts. It's too much fun listening to the sidepipes and shifting with the short shifter that I just put in tonight.