i want your guys opinion....

i have a stick and i was debating where to shift to get the best gas mieldge?... real low like 2500rpsm or rev it up a littel bit so it doesnt bog around 3500rpms..

or is it all about how you press the gas?...

Also what is your opinion on stopping... do you guys use the clitch and down shift or just pop it in nuetral and idle your way to a stop.(using the brakes)?

 

Your owner's manual should have the recommended shift points for economy as well as the best ones for performance.

By all means, downshift when slowing down. It will keep you in control and reduce wear on the brakes (the compression of the engine helps to slow the car down). BTW, in some states, like here in Texas, it's against the law to coast down the highway in nuetral. How they expect us to detect that, they didn't say....

 

Best mileage I would say to shift around 3 grand. Shift too low and you bog, shift to high and you kill your mileage. On stopping I usually downshift, depending on how fast I'm going. Keeping it in gear will aid in slowing you down quicker as well.

 

crazy... teh only time im in nuetral on teh ewya is wehn im right on a exit i pop it in nuetral and coast to the stop sign, but im still learning how to downshift...kinda sketchy.

 

Just curious dusty, but how is coasting down the highway in neutral anymore illegal than driving 100mph on the highway.

 

And by the way the shift points in the manual are insane. Now this is for a 2004 Neon. Probably very similar to what they recommend for your 98 but here goes:

1 to 2: 14mph
2 to 3: 23mph
3 to 4: 29mph
4 to 5: 45mph

Now if I shifted like that it would take me a mile to get up to 45mph. I think shifting at 3 grand is more realistic than that. Shifting at all those speeds is probably right around 2 grand or less.

 

are they joking?!?!?! these gears are so tall, if i shifted into 5th at 45mph i'd probably stall the car. i think i shift into 3rd at around 45 mph.

 

Yes, the SXT has some tall gears. When I drag race I cross the line at 85ish mph still in 3rd gear and I think I'm somewhere between 5-6 grand. Hell, when I'm coastin on the highway at 70mph in 5th gear the motor is only pulllin at 2500 rpm.

 

Where's the redline on the SXT04? Is it different between generations, SOHC, DOHC, etc? Just curious since with an ATX and no tach, I've never had reason to think about it. Thanks!

 

Redline on the tach is at 6500, but I believe it revs to 6750. I normally shift right at about 6300 because thats about where the power drops off.