What's your RPM?

When you are in normal, around town driving, what rpm do you normally run at?

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Between 3 & 4 rpm

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Same here, I drive between 3-5k.. And yes that is fairly spirited.

Three to Four thousand too

shoot, I thought the big one was MPH..I've been hittin 60!! 3-4k

1-3k

Sometimes 7000-8000, just 'cause I can. . More often around 3000. -td

3 - 5k

28-35

3217 to 3229, more or less...

Pretty much the same, 3-4k, with the occasional spike to 7k at least once per drive.

Quotes source post: 8753313

When stopped the engine is obviously at idle. When moving and if the engine is warmed up and up to temp from 1K to redline. While I do not hit redline that often around town or on the freeway it gets hit once in a while. But most of the time 1K to 4K with 5K less often and 6K even less often than 4K and redline, well once in a while... Sincerely, Macster.

hi, after warm up 2.5K+. always less than redline!

3-4 But I always try to get the revs up at least one time during the trip. Make all those pieces and parts fly together and keep the bearings round.

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+3000-4000

depends....commuting -2k-3k (most of the time...no need to burn more gas than needed on the way to/from work), enjoying the car- 3k-4k (running errands, backroads coming home from work)....really enjoying the car- 4k-5k (weekends, bad days, anytime looking for a smile)

Under 3k, you have very limited room to slow down without down shifting so I usually keep it around 3k RPM. This way you can slow down to 2k without down shift and also have some room up to 4 or 5k to pass, again without doing much shifting work. Don't get me wrong I love switching gear but 3k is the sweet spot, for engine sound as well as power.

Deleted. Posted to the wrong thread.

These engine do not like being under 3k rpm. Especially cold or anything more than part throttle. I would never go heavy on throttle under 4K. 3-4K cruising. 👍🏼

Do you guys that are 3-5k ever get out of second gear around town? 35 mph street I’m in third gear, 45 mph would be fourth gear. But to stay above 3k would only be second and third, which seems like a waste of gas and extra noise for no benefit. Out of town I get it, but what is everyone’s normal engine speed around town, in normal traffic and suburbs? Daryll

Quotes source post: 8753313

In the first 5 min, or until I get up to temperature, I normally shift at 3k. Once warmed up I average around 4k.

Under 3k till full operating temp. Then always over 3k. Unless leaving from a dead stop or a parking lot🤘

2850 rpm @ 75 mph cruising to work. Increase when passing through ghetto

So, when I hear "normal, around town" driving, I think suburbs - 25 - 45 mph speed limits, school zones and the like. Obviously, even highway driving (55 speed limit where I come from) puts serious limits on how we can drive our cars. For me, it's keep it under or at 3k rpm until warm, so for the most part I'm in the 2500 - 3k range (1st, 2nd & 3rd gear) - 2k - 2.5k in first or second gear is not bad, as it's not a "steady cruise" state (which is what I believe JR & CN recommend against). On the highway I generally try to keep it between 65 - 72 mph (a little quicker if traffic is light and generally moving quicker - usually 75 mph or slightly higher - but I never do this solo...too many cops, too easy to get popped) - this usually mean 5th gear on the low end and 6th for the quicker sections. I get better fuel mileage when I keep the rev's between 2500 and 3500 rpm. 3.8 FSI Stage II Track performer 6 speed manual transmission C4

Important note: please state 996.1 or 996.2, and tip or manual, it makes a difference. The 996.2's engine has more low end torque and the tip's 5th gear is lower than the 6th on a manual. My 996.2 tip: while cold, I putz w very gradual acceleration keeping it under 2200. Once warmed up I don't go below 2800, suite spot for me seems to be right at 3K. 3200 seems to be a spot where either the variocam or something changes, so I avoid that if I can. Otherwise, I drive it like I stole it!

Judging by feel, 3K+ seems to be the "happy spot" for these engines (at least for the non-variocam-plus 3.4). The 996 tech experts also seem to say that keeping it at 3k+ is less stressful for the M96 engine. I think it's not a coincidence that expert opinion and engine feel align. Whenever I'm at a steady cruise (996.1, 6-sp, 2wd coupe), I keep it at around 3k or slightly over. To answer a prior question in this thread, this does mean I'm often in second on small side streets and it's not unusual that I'm in 5th rather than 6th on the highway if traffic is below 70. I do think it chews up quite a bit more fuel to keep it at 3K+, because the 996 seem thirstier than you'd expect for a modern(ish) 2900 lb car, but I wouldn't drive it any other way because the car doesn't feel happy below 3k to me. When the engine is cold, I'm definitely gentler with the throttle until it's fully warmed up, but I still keep it in the 3k+ range. If the the experts are correct that 3k+ is less stressful, I suspect that's even more true when cold. I definitely won't rev to high RPM's cold, but I do keep it in the low 3k range.

Does anybody do a pre-drive warmup to bring the engine up to temp b4 taking off? If so, how long do you allow for it - 15mins or more?

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Not specifically for the 996, but in general I believe idling to warm up is not a good idea. At idle, it takes much longer for the engine to warm up, so you are running at cold temps longer and the oil pressure is lower also. If it's going to be warmed up in the garage, I think there is at least some consensus that holding it at a steady 2k or 2500 RPM is much better than idle because it brings up the oil pressure and the engine will warm up faster. I'm not an expert, so I'm happy to be corrected if wrong, but this has been my understanding for a long time for pretty much all cars.

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Just start it and drive off shifting at 3K until engine is up to temp.

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It does get pretty cold here in January, like in the 20's. I start it, idle for about the length of time it takes to sit down, fasten seat belt, then I SLOWLY increase to 2.2K, back to idle, then do it again. Then i head off, starting in 1st and very light on the throttle for about 10 mins, staying about 2.2K'ish during that time. Once I know the eng temp AND oil temp is up there, then I drive it like I stole it!

With the 200-cell cats and Fister mufflers, I try to stay out of the power band in neighborhoods because loud. Otherwise, I prefer the higher rippems.

2700 - 5000. I live in the burbs and my car doesn't see 4th, 5th and 6th unless I am on a highway.

3000 to 4000 in town 3000 very much steady on the highway .

So, I took my new to me 2000 C4 Cab out for a 95 mile drive today, stopping at my local dealer to find out how much they want to gouge me for a back up key. Had a really hard time keeping the RPMs at/below 3k at startup/warmup. 4k is/was no problem but 3k makes me drive in a way I just do not like to drive any MT car. Don't know how you guys keep it under 3k. I guess my inability to do so is at least part of the reason why I'm getting such poor gas mileage from the car. It's rated at 17 combined (15 city/20 hwy) but I only got 14 mph on this combined (about 50/50 city/hwy) drive. That's about what I get in my F250 4x4 7.3L turbo diesel. I routinely get 25mph in my MR2 rag top, 20 mpg in my BMW 335i E90 sedan and 18mpg in my MB ML350 SUV. If I continue to get this type of mileage it would limit the range of the car to around just 150 miles b4 it goes to 1/4 tank (4 gals remaining) when I usually stop for a refill, which would only be a couple of hrs of drive time. I'll have to take it on a longer sustained hwy drive to see if the mileage improves to at least 18mph in which case the range at 1/4 tank would be around 216 miles (or 3 hrs drive time), which is when I normally stop for fill ups and butt breaks. We'll see . . .

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That is interesting. When I have a whole tank of city driving I�m getting right around 18 mpg, my lowest has been around 17.5. I must be one gear higher than you are all the time. Usually my fuel light comes on around 250 miles or a little more. Have gone 300 miles but that was a whole tank on the freeway at a steady 75 mph or so. We also have a BMW 335i but it is an F34 GT, with automatic. Typically it gets around 24 mpg in town, higher when my wife drives it as her work commute is mostly freeway. Daryll

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The 335i F34 GT is a nice ride. Congrats! My 335i is a 2008 pre-LCI E90 auto sedan but it's modified. There's a Cobb tune (increasing HP by about 30% from 300 to 390), Mishimoto intercooler and a complete M3 front end (control arms, sway bar & engine bay brace) w/Koni yellows in front and Koni FSDs in back running on Michelin Pilot Super Sports on M193 rims. Acceleration w/the Cobb tune in it is remarkable and I almost always have my foot in it. Hence, the 20 mpg. I'm sure I could get 25 mpg if I drove it "better."

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In order to shift at 3,000 and have a smooth transition from 1st to 2nd, I have to feather the throttle to engage the clutch perfectly for 2nd gear. Same for 2nd to 3rd. It�s even harder when the AC is in due to the increased drag. It�s really hard to get right, to make a perfect shift, but it�s also so rewarding to do so. Higher RPMs, when the engine is warm, just letting the engine fall naturally is much easier.

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3-5k around town, original ims, 04 C4S cab, 50k miles

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Get a tip, mine makes perfect shifts every time!

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Trying to drive at 3K - finding it hard to do without constantly exceeding posted speed limits. It�s do�able just gotta learn the gearing better. I must admit I love the constant sound of my Fisters and it is much more spirited. Just gotta learn consistency without speeding.

I just don't get the fixation of fuel consumption/mileage...

Heading to work in the morning trying to respect the 3k cold engine limit I am in 6th gear at the end of the on ramp. Once it warms up I can drive more �normally� in the happy rpm range.

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When a light up ahead turns red I let off the throttle and cruise up to it, and in traffic leave a large gap between me and vehicle in front. So I rarely touch my brakes and they last forever, and use less gas and create less pollution.

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Not fixated on it. For me, it's a practical matter, the issue being more about range than $. If I'm on the hwy, I don't want to be forced to refill in just 150-175 miles which would be the case if I continue to only get 14 mpg. Around 200-250 is my preferred range. I also don't like to refill my car that frequently whether on the road or just driving around. Had that problem w/an FJ Cruiser that had a 19 gal tank but only got about 12-14 mpg fully laden and equipped, as mine was, which only gave it a 175-200 mile range b4 a fillup was needed at 1/4 tank. I also took the FJ on some very long off-road treks where running out of gas (and carrying multiple gas cans) was not an acceptable option. Added an auxillary 19 gal tank to solve the problem. That's obviously not an option w/the 996.

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When I�m doing long stretches on the highway, I can easily go 200 miles between fill up, often even more. And that�s with the rpm above 3k. You should be fine.

This is an interesting thread, so over the past few days I've tried to keep an eye on my tach while driving. Not under load I'll run in the 2200-2500 range, if I plan on kicking it down a little or want some quicker reaction time in traffic I'll run it in the 2500-3000 range.

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Thanks! The BMW was a European delivery in March, 2016 - we had a great family trip in Germany and France. Did 1,500 miles before it got shipped home, including about 15 miles up against the speed limiter on the way back to the drop-off (130 mph - all season tires). So far it has been a great car with literally zero repairs - just scheduled maintenance. Hopefully I did not just jinx myself! I rarely check the mileage on the BMW but I did check it on a trip from Columbus to North Carolina and got over 30 mpg running in comfort mode. Your 335i sounds very cool. That must be a hoot to drive! Daryll

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Thanks, that's reassuring. The car's still new to me, hence all of the q's I've recently posted to various threads about it. I plan to do a test drive down to Carmel (about 150 miles one way for me) to see what kind of hwy mileage a get in it. Even at only 14mpgh, it should make it one way w/a quarter tank left. We'll see . . .

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Love the old Fj's, had a "74 and that thing was a tank!

Between 3.500-6.800 rpm

Usually between 3k-5k where possible. Anything under 2.5k with these engines is just a waste, even around town... slow and sluggish! I've been driving my Tip a lot more in Manual mode, no reason not to really. Slightly lower MPG sure, but my commute is about 15 mi/day so not really a big deal.

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Glad to hear this from you and others. Driving between 3-5k is no problem for me in order to let the car warm up b4 hitting it. But trying to keep it under 3k, just seems ridiculously "slow and sluggish" as you say. No reason to own a Porsche (or any other MT sports car) if you're going to (or have to) drive it like that just to "warm it up!"

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Mine is a Tip, but it works just fine in "manual" mode. I mean it will literally run all the way up to redline and only then does it upshift (I found this out at my most recent track day, I was in 2nd and 3rd all weekend, it was bliss!). It will auto-downshift for you depending on how you're driving (which can be annoying, but on track it wasn't an issue) but I mean that's really my only complaint about it, and it being an 'automatic' transmission, they have to implement some safety failsafe of some sort here. Plus, my car has PSE, so it absolutely sings when you floor it! <3 <3