The shift points in the manual are total B.S. They are for the EPA or some nonsense. Normal shift points should be around 3000 RPMs forget the speeds. If your climing, go to 4K, if your going down hill 2K is OK. For cruising level don't go much below 1800 and don't be afraid to down shift for a hill or to make a pass.

 

Shift whenever you want. Keep it around 2K for best mileage. Take it upto the rev limiter for max performance. The truck doesn't care. The grabby clutch makes smooth shifting nearly impossible. Skipping 1st gear helps smooth things out at the cost of more clutch wear.

 

+1. Ignore Nissan's EPA-biased advice. Learn to listen to your truck. You'll begin to feel where your the shift points are. As others have said, around 3k makes sense most of the time. That said, there is no one best shift point. It all depends on your immediate circumstances.

 

Mind you some of the points mntioned ahead may help lead to an earlier clutch burnout and no nissan will not cover your clutch so save for one now or it will suck when your clutch does go out. Ask me how I know.( Jwt getting installed by Monday )
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The right shift point is an art, not a science. You have to feel it, man and machine become one.

Lots of factors affect at what speed/RPM combination you'll shift:
- rate of acceleration (grandma VS racer): the slower the acceleration, the lower the RPM
- wind speed and direction: strong head wind, shift later, going downwind, shift sooner
- payload: the heavier the load, the higher the RPM
- driving style: economy vs performance
- uphill VS downhill

I shift anywhere between 1000 and 6000 depending on the factors above.

 

This.

 

I tend to shift at right around 2000-2200 for a nice smooth shift and normal driving. If need be ill wind it out to 3K or so. Anything higher than that and ive found the truck is just too jerky. I dont know if its because it's a 6 speed but im still trying to figure it out. I never had this problem with any 5 speeds. I also surmise that the clutch is rather weak. if you really have to stab the gas and wrap it up around 4-5 youve got to make an obvious effort to get the clutch in and hold it for a while before you slip out of gear otherwise it grinds horribly. Any more, ill just skip a gear if I have to really wrap it up. Ive been driving MT's for 15 years or more.

I also tend to start off in 2nd more often than not because 1st gear is so low.

For those who like to go clutchless, 2000 is the sweet spot for floating to gears 2-4. 5-6 are ridiclously low at about 1500. Not bad if you are the only one getting onto the highway with little traffic but you sure dont want to do this during heavy traffic.

Driveline slack is rather pronounced as well and can make you feel like youve done a bad shift.

 

There is enough torque where I rarely go above 3000rpm and regularly shift at 2000 RPM from 4 to 5 and to 6 when cruising.

I had to get some used to because I was driving a 4 cyl 1999 camry before that. I would shift at 2500 to 3500RPM

 

I try to shift at 2k. I get pretty good gas mileage the way I drive and never feel like I am being a slow poke. Limiting the time between shifts is key for shifting at lower RPMs, it allows for less slowdown time (coast) and bogging down the engine. So I shift like I am driving a race car but I act like my redline is 2200rpm.

 

my avg is probably 2-3k also depends on how heavy my foot feels that day rule of thumb, shift gears in relation to speed, 1st 0-10mph 2nd 10-20 mph 3rd 20-30mph etc. etc. but of course thats just for normal driving, n

 

that is the rule i told my GF when i was teaching her.

Back when i drove a manual transmission car i used to wonder why they bothered to install a tach or speedometer. I always knew how fast i was going by the feel of my car.

 

I agree with others, I shift rather low. very rarely do I see 3k or even close. this is normal driving with not too much gear. i'll shift between 2400 and 2600 but it's more of a feeling and not really watching the dial. obviously hills and towing are a different story but for normal driving 3k is way too high for my stock truck. I cruise around 1500 on surface streets and hit 6th gear around 55mph unless I'm merging and need the acceleration. this got me 19.2mpg my last fill up all around town driving which I think is pretty good.

the xterra has a lot of low end torque. I learned to drive MT on a 08 wrangler 6speed and you HAD to shift up at 3k+ and anything below 2k you were going nowhere with that engine and gearing.

I find shifting at much higher rpms harder because it takes so long for the rpms to drop down for engaging the next gear and engaging too quick jolts you forward. I also agree on the very noticeable driveline slack, I don't remember the wrangler ever having that feeling but I only got to drive it occasionally
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I think each gear has its own sweet spot for shifting. From a stop I'll use first to just get her rolling, shifting at about 1800 and quickly get into 2nd and riding that up to about 2500-2800. Thats a pretty smooth transition. I might even just jump to 4th from there to cruise if I'm on a side street. I'd be interested to see where the auto shifts. I know we have different ratios and the extra gear but the gas mileage difference seems so significant it must be revving higher than we do.

 

Low RPM is not always synomym of good fuel economy. If you drive in 6th gear at 30MPH, your RPM will be low, but the pedal will need to be pushed hard to maintain speed.

Independant of RPM, the best gear for fuel economy is the one that requires you to push the gas pedal the least. The gas pedal is a faucet, the more you push, the more is consumed.

 

I would tend to disagree somewhat. The lowest RPM that can meet the power requirement will produce the best mileage for a given speed. Lower RPM's provide lower friction and lower pumping losses. Higher RPM'S with a more closed throttle blade produce more internal friction and higher pumping losses across the throttle blade.

A light touch on the throttle is definatly something to do if you want better mileage, but in a manual equipped vehicle, it's always best to be in the highest usable gear even if you are using more throttle.

A modern EFI engine like we have will maintain an economical AFR all to just shy of WOT. The accelerator pedal is not like a faucet when driving a manual. Rather is really a way to request more power from the engine computer. The computer decides how much to open the throttle blade, how much timing to add and how much fuel to add. Based on feedback from the O2 sensors and knock sensor, it will make adjustments so it will stay within the bounds of a predetermined fuel map. So half throttle at a low RPM will always be more efficient than 1/4 throttle at a higher RPM given the same power demand.

Or to put it more simply, drive in the highest gear possible for the speed you are going. If you can't hold your speed or accelerate as fast as you would like, then downshift.

Old Army

 

Agree 100%, but in an auto bogging down in a gear that dramatically really isnt possible as the transmission would just downshift. For them, I was thinking it would be higher shifting points forcing the driver to press the gas more to get the truck to shift or holding gear too long at higher than optimal RPM for economy.

 

I always thought the "perfect" shift meant shifting without even using the clutch at all. I can only slide the shifter from neutral to 2nd, 4th, and 6th while rev-matching. 3rd and 5th don't go in as smoothly. Obviously with real-world conditions, you might not have the time to feather the throttle just right to be able to slide into gear. Try it out on an open road! It always boggles peoples' minds when you get it to work.

 

Why wouldn't you use your clutch? :scratch:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLw0hAtOik4

 

The loss of MPGs in autos comes from the torque converter acting as a clutch... allowing the engine and transmission to spin at different RPMs (so you can be stopped and the engine doesn't stall). Newer vehicles have torque converter lockup, so over a certain speed it locks and there is no (or extremely little) loss in rotations... which is why you barely see a difference in the EPA fuel economy stickers between auto and manual now.

I don't think floating gears means you hit the perfect shift... it just means you popped it out of gear and put it back into gear when the RPMs of the engine were at the right spot. Perfect shift points (in terms of fuel economy) could be determined by graphing the instantaneous fuel economy vs MPH in each gear. Where each line crosses... that is the perfect speed for the gear shift. The problem is that the graph will change depending on how fast you want to accelerate... so you kinda just have to guess and hope you're close.

 

I just shift by the feel I get from the tranny. Kinda like flying by the seat of your pants.
I also like 56kz2slow's reasoning... Good rules to live by.

 

A lot of good information here, glad i finally started this thread. I don't even look at my speedo or tach anymore. Shifting like I used to is so much smoother and I'm sure its even contributing to less wear and tear on the drive train.

And by "how I used to" I mean to say I have always shifted based on the situation, speed vs. incline or decline and by the roar of the engine. Again, thanks everyone for their input.

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A vacuum gauge will show if you're shifting economically. If it drops to say about 6 or 8 inches when the shift is made, then it should have been left in the previous gear longer.

Shifting without a clutch will put more wear on the syncros. What's cheaper clutch replacement or trans rebuild.

 

Having driven manual transmissions for about 50 or so years, my new Pro4X is a learning experience for me. I've driven ALL kinds of manual transmissions-12 speeds, 18 speeds, duplexs, triplexes, you name it, I can (and have) driven it.
This V6- 6 speed drives me up the wall. Can do really well at low (below 4 K), I usually get about 17 mpg around town. Shifts smooth and pulls real good, hey, I've got a 406 Bronco and the X pulls almost as good. AT LOW RPMs.

Umm, this truck is "drive by wire", that means you have about a 3/4 second lag time on throotle. That doesn't show up until you wind it some. The more you wind it,the worse it gets. It KILLS you on upshifts and downshifts. The lag time on upshifts is terrible, you gots to let off way before you hits the clutch, also, you gotta get back on it before you think you need to. I DO NOT like this, but, the damn truck works. Wonder how long the clutch will last.

I've found even IF you do the go pedal and clutch pedal right, it DON'T sound good. BTW, HTF do you drive a vehicle IF you can't hear what's going on?

OK, just my 2 cents worth. OH, how come all the 4 wheel drive mags do NOT like these trucks? I've done jeeps (no capital letters) and broncos ALL over Colo and Utah and Wy and Idaho and Montana, and my Xterra is a good as I've ever driven. Oh, I do know Sonny Honniger, shot machine guns with hime and his girlfriend for years, so 4 wheeling aint' new to me. Used to do the 4 Wheeler mag and Telleride week.

 

It seems if the first shift is messed up, all shifts in that sequence will be. And I dont feel I am doing anything different... Occasionally there will be a slight clunk or pop when it goes into gear.... Im guessing its nomal i mean the truck only has 2500 miles on it....

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Having driven manual transmissions for about 50 or so years, my new Pro4X is a learning experience for me. I've driven ALL kinds of manual transmissions-12 speeds, 18 speeds, duplexs, triplexes, you name it, I can (and have) driven it.
This V6- 6 speed drives me up the wall. Can do really well at low (below 4 K), I usually get about 17 mpg around town. Shifts smooth and pulls real good, hey, I've got a 406 Bronco and the X pulls almost as good. AT LOW RPMs.

Umm, this truck is "drive by wire", that means you have about a 3/4 second lag time on throotle. That doesn't show up until you wind it some. The more you wind it,the worse it gets. It KILLS you on upshifts and downshifts. The lag time on upshifts is terrible, you gots to let off way before you hits the clutch, also, you gotta get back on it before you think you need to. I DO NOT like this, but, the damn truck works. Wonder how long the clutch will last.

I've found even IF you do the go pedal and clutch pedal right, it DON'T sound good. BTW, HTF do you drive a vehicle IF you can't hear what's going on?

OK, just my 2 cents worth. OH, how come all the 4 wheel drive mags do NOT like these trucks? I've done jeeps (no capital letters) and broncos ALL over Colo and Utah and Wy and Idaho and Montana, and my Xterra is a good as I've ever driven. Oh, I do know Sonny Honniger, shot machine guns with hime and his girlfriend for years, so 4 wheeling aint' new to me. Used to do the 4 Wheeler mag and Telleride week.

Do you experience the loud noise from the rear end (sounds like anyway)? I swear if I dont give it enough gas it lags, if i give it too much it slams into gear... where the 'F' is the happy medium. Man I wish I had bought an automatic, i love this truck but I am a perfectionist and this drives me bonkers!

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Shift points are like pornography. You just know it when you see it (or feel it).

 

The engine has a mass airflow sensor (MAF) and the computer knows how much air it's sucking in. It uses this combined with the o2 sensor on the exhaust to determine the air/fuel ratio (AFR) and adjust fuel trims. On an older car your throttle is connected directly to the throttle blade so you could be in a low gear at wide open throttle (WOT) and be getting terrible mileage. Since the skinny pedal in the X just tells the computer more power, the computer determines how much it can open the throttle blade and does so accordingly. Yes, there is a point where RPMs are so low that the computer will be dumping in more fuel just to keep it from stalling but in general, lower RPMs is pretty much going to be equivalent to MPGs to a point. The computer doesn't just dump fuel according to how much you press to pedal, this would just cause the engine to run "rich", meaning the o2 sensor sees a ton of unburnt fuel and raises the AFR to not waste gas. So unless you shift down and get the engine up in RPMs where it can actually utilize more fuel, the computer won't (at least shouldn't) waste it.

It sounds like you might just be shifting at too high of RPMs, unless I'm in a rush or need to accelerate quickly, I end up going into the next gear at 1500 rpm. At least in my mind the key in a smooth upshift is timing, letting out the clutch as the rpms are falling to match the next gear. A tiny bit of gas helps slow down the rpm drop and getting back on the gas as you let off the clutch. If I make a bad shift there's not too much of a noise, but I think what you're hearing is the slack in the driveline... maybe just turn your music up?
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I've had my truck for over a month and STILL having issues getting a smooth shift every time, nice to hear I'm not alone, just don't want to damage the clutch.

 

Shift it at the redline lol. I have no idea where I shift I rarely look at the tach. If I hit the rev limiter I know I waited a bit too late to shift.