driving at 4000 rpm: what is considering driving this car hard?

hedron · 09-09-2024, 02:30 AM

I have Subaru Impreza 2011 2.5l Premium Manual transmission. Third generation. EJ25 engine? Pretty certain that's the one.

So, tradition says to keep it under 3000 rpms. But tradition isn't always correct in all circumstances. Cars have evolved since this rule of thumb was devised. I'm pretty diligent with toping off the oil, as it does burn a quart every 500-1000 miles or so. Which is kind of annoying, but w/e.

1st gear 0-15mph, 2nd gear 15-25/30 mph, 3rd gear 25/30 - 35/40 mph, 4th gear 40 - 45/60 mph, 5th gear 45/60 - 75/95 mph.

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arse_sidewards · 09-09-2024, 06:15 AM

All my EJ22 cars cruise the highway in the 3000-3500 range depending on whether I want to take the 4.10 car or one of the 3.90 cars and whether I wanna go 70 or 90. None of them are under 200k miles so it can't be that bad for anything.

That said, force on the rotating assembly goes up with the square of RPM. There are two ways of looking at this. The first is that 4k is way worse than 3k. The other is that if the engine can rev beyond 6k occasionally then nothing you do under 5k matters.

Householder · 09-11-2024, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hedron

I have Subaru Impreza 2011 2.5l Premium Manual transmission. Third generation. EJ25 engine? Pretty certain that's the one. tiny fishing
So, tradition says to keep it under 3000 rpms. But tradition isn't always correct in all circumstances. Cars have evolved since this rule of thumb was devised. I'm pretty diligent with toping off the oil, as it does burn a quart every 500-1000 miles or so. Which is kind of annoying, but w/e.

1st gear 0-15mph, 2nd gear 15-25/30 mph, 3rd gear 25/30 - 35/40 mph, 4th gear 40 - 45/60 mph, 5th gear 45/60 - 75/95 mph.

Driving at 4000 rpm by default I find it quite dangerous. So if you can consider it I think you should run 3000 as usual.

sleepyfu · 10-08-2024, 07:27 AM

Never heard of 3000 rpm tradition. Around 4000 rpm is where the torque dip happens, which is probably why it feels natural to shift, and no it's not driving it hard.

Gixhost · 10-08-2024, 06:35 PM

If you are driving and attempting to get the best fuel economy you shift early and attempt to keep RPMs lower. I am not sure if that is what you mean by "tradition says to keep it under 3000 rpms."?

09-09-2024, 02:30 AM	#1
hedron Scooby Newbie Member#: 535911 Join Date: Oct 2023 Vehicle: 2011 Impreza 2.5l Pr	driving at 4000 rpm: what is considering driving this car hard? I have Subaru Impreza 2011 2.5l Premium Manual transmission. Third generation. EJ25 engine? Pretty certain that's the one. So, tradition says to keep it under 3000 rpms. But tradition isn't always correct in all circumstances. Cars have evolved since this rule of thumb was devised. I'm pretty diligent with toping off the oil, as it does burn a quart every 500-1000 miles or so. Which is kind of annoying, but w/e. 1st gear 0-15mph, 2nd gear 15-25/30 mph, 3rd gear 25/30 - 35/40 mph, 4th gear 40 - 45/60 mph, 5th gear 45/60 - 75/95 mph. * Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

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09-09-2024, 06:15 AM	#2
arse_sidewards Scooby Newbie Member#: 532328 Join Date: Dec 2022	All my EJ22 cars cruise the highway in the 3000-3500 range depending on whether I want to take the 4.10 car or one of the 3.90 cars and whether I wanna go 70 or 90. None of them are under 200k miles so it can't be that bad for anything. That said, force on the rotating assembly goes up with the square of RPM. There are two ways of looking at this. The first is that 4k is way worse than 3k. The other is that if the engine can rev beyond 6k occasionally then nothing you do under 5k matters.

10-08-2024, 07:27 AM	#4
sleepyfu Scooby Specialist Member#: 124219 Join Date: Aug 2006 Chapter/Region: NWIC Location: Seattle, WA Vehicle: 2017 WRX (P) Lapis blue	Never heard of 3000 rpm tradition. Around 4000 rpm is where the torque dip happens, which is probably why it feels natural to shift, and no it's not driving it hard.

10-08-2024, 06:35 PM	#5
Gixhost Scooby Specialist Member#: 180111 Join Date: May 2008 Chapter/Region: MAIC Location: Lost in the DMV Vehicle: * 2004.114.3 STi Aspen White	If you are driving and attempting to get the best fuel economy you shift early and attempt to keep RPMs lower. I am not sure if that is what you mean by "tradition says to keep it under 3000 rpms."?