How do you know when to shift gears in a manual car?

Answer 1

Manual Shifting Your owners manual will tell you the appropriate shift speeds for your particular car. However, you may not remember the speed for each particular gear. A good rule of thumb is to shift between 3,000 and 4,000 rpm. If you don't have a tachometer or shift light, then shift when the engine starts to rev really high. (trust me, you will hear it) That's how I do it, hope it helps.

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In practice it come with experience. You don't need to remember speeds or have a tachometer. If the engine sounds as if its running unduly fast for the road speed and the vehicle is moving well, change up. If you're ascending a steep hill and the engine's labouring (it sounds as if it'[s struggling - which it is and it won't do it any good!) - change down!

Corollary - if descending a steep hill change down and ease your foot off the accelerator so the engine acts as a brake - but it will sound harsh as it's being over-driven.