Your old ford's 1st gear was a granny low gear - most people start in 2nd in those types of things.

And the shift light is programmed to come on for maximum fuel economy, not power. Yes, your engine will make more noise, but no, it's not bad to shift from 1-2 at 3000-3500 rpm to a) get it into the power band, and b) keep it from lugging once you do shift.

When do I shift? Well my only manual tranny vehicle right now is a built 306 cid '91 mustang and I usually shift it at about 2500 or so if I'm cruising around town, but then again it puts more power to the tires than any of the Dodge engines in the Dakota do at the crank in stock form. In that I can actually short shift and still get going pretty fast, but it's also less than 3000 lbs, versus say 4000+ for a Dakota. My Dakota weighs somewhere between 4500-5000 lbs.

In my old Civic hatch I used to shift at about 3500rpm if driving normal, or at redline if I wanted to get going.

 

That's why I want a car as well.
I'm aware of the shift light's point, which is also another reason I try to stay close to it.
I was shifting a bit higher on my way home from work today, I didn't see too much of a difference, but I will keep at it.

 

The lurching is what you feel when you get into the engines power curve. The shift light works off of engine load. You shift by feel, if the shift light comes on then you are running the gears out too far with no acceleration.

 

my 97 dakota the shift light learns how you drive if you shift a certain points all the time the light comes on and tells you to shift but yall are right you just gotta get a feel for the truck and shift when it feels right

 

i also have a 99 sport manual, its a 4x4 and i just put a new flowmaster 40 on it. i think i know what you mean by lurching. here's my advice(i only have mostly basica car knowledge, but am learning quick and LOVE my truck) the shift light is a nice guide if you are driving in optimum conditions, as in no wind, no hills, and if getting on the highway, a long ways till you merge. otherwise its almost pointless. i try to use it when i can so that i can get better mpg, but i usually end up shifting somewhere around 2500, first gear is horrible and only gets me going so i shift out of that pretty early, around 2000 maybe, . for me, the flowmaster actually helps a lot. i dont know about mpg yet but it seems to take away from the "lurching" a little bit, and its loud so you can tell when you need to shift. basically you can shift anytime you want, it will just affect your mpg. i have gone from 12 mpg on my very first tank when i bought it about 5 months ago when i reved it really high because i liked the noise(which really wasnt loud or anything, just new to trucks and i liked having a louder engine) but on my last 5 tanks i have gotten an average of about 17, give or take half a mile. its all about what you want to do and your driving style. it took me a long time to get used to my stick since it is so different then one on a car. any other general questions about your 99 manual i can bet that i have researched so feel free to ask. I used these forums relgiously for general information and everyone was more then willing to help. remember, dont let anyone else tell you how to drive your truck, thats why its yours.

 

Nice to hear from someone who has almost the same truck. I am now doing what you do, 2000 first to second and 2500 for the rest. I don't want to put unnecessary stress on the transmission, which is why i don't try higher. So far the truck has been really good to me, and I want it to stay that way
How much was that Flowmaster, and is it easy to install yourself? I only have basic tools and don't know all that much about the exhaust system.

 

Grinding gears or overloaded truck are the only things that are going to hurt your tranny.

And pay somebody to put the muffler in, you'll have to cut the factory one out and probably weld an extension to fit, but you might be able to slip it in. I don't really trust slip fit though, because you need to have the ends made for it (flared/crimped). Flowmasters don't come with slip fit ends. The muffler itself should run anywhere between $70 and $120 depending on which one you get. I'm guessing that you've got a 3.9L in that thing, so I'd go with a 2.5" pipe.

 

Ok, thanks

 

i paid a muffler shop to install mine since i didnt trust myself to do any welding, and since i found a place to install it cheap i figured it was worth it. i tried a few places and got quotes, but auto max gave me the cheapest price, 136 out the door, they ordered the part and put a chrome tip on for me as well. i personally found it to be worth the money only because i have wanted a louder exhaust ever since i bought it, but as far as performance i havnt noticed a WHOLE lot, however i did just get it done a couple days ago. ill let you know if it increases mpg, but im told our v6's are too restrictive to really get much out of a new muffler. my honest opinion is to shift when you feel the truck needs it, drive with the radio off and your windows down to get a better idea by listening to your engine, i learned to drive a stick in a car that didnt have a tachometer, so i had to learn to feel the engine. dont worry about being hard on your tranny, like horatio mentioned before, grinding gears and overloading your truck are what will really ruin your tranny. it will take time but you will get a feeling for the truck and develope your own driving style. remember that i have almost the same truck so feel free to ask questions, chances are i researched and asked online already.

 

I will call a few places. I wrote down the numbers. How much is too much for that?