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General Driving Guidelines

718 views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  Beatwrx 
#1 ·
All,

I would call myself a competent driver, so use that as a baseline (spirited, but been driving for some time and know "how to drive").

I was hoping to get community feedback regarding how to properly drive a WRX. I have owned 8 vehicles ('94 mustangGT, '96 ranger, 2011 mini S, '96 acura gsr, '04 impreza OBS,) and have listed all that were standard (manual/stick) transmission. Each one certainly had their quirks and individual nuances, but I knew and learned them, and was able to drive each of them well.

My 2009 WRX is currently being tuned by Eric (torqued performance) for stage 2 + gs ebcs. During this process, I just wanted to ask the community for their input for good driving habits for our vehicles.

Things like:
-how to properly engine brake (rev match like normal, or avoid it altogether)
-what is "tip in" and how you do it
-when to get on the throttle and get into boost
-proper speed for coasting highway driving (I usually stay between 80-85mph on the highway)
-optimal engine speed for fuel economy
-how to properly do a 3rd gear pull (do you mash the throttle to the floor at 2500rpm, or gradually push the pedal in)

If you have any other ideas to comment on, go for it. I'd like to avoid general maintenance guidelines (oil change intervals, fuel type, spark plug type/interval, tuning considerations, etc.) in this post because specific info can be found elsewhere and it's the owner's responsibility to do their part and find the info themselves. I just wanted to get a consolidated "community input" on what everyone has learned. I won't be the last new-to-me WRX owner.
 
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#2 ·
Most of these things are applicable to any car.

-how to properly engine brake (rev match like normal, or avoid it altogether)
Engine braking isn't compulsory, but it does improve fuel consumption and reduce overall stress on brakes, particularly in a downhill section.

-what is "tip in" and how you do it
If you mean "tip-in" as in "tip-in enrichment," that's not a phrase that should be in the average driver's vocabulary. What do you think you are asking here?

-when to get on the throttle and get into boost
I also don't understand this question. If I take it at face-value, my answer would be "when you want to accelerate."

-proper speed for coasting highway driving (I usually stay between 80-85mph on the highway)
Not trying to be a dick, but my answer to your question is "the speed limit or the flow of traffic"

-optimal engine speed for fuel economy
For your car, 45-55mph in top gear will net the best fuel economy. Between 55 and 70mph the economy will slightly diminish and above 70mph the economy will sharply reduce.

-how to properly do a 3rd gear pull (do you mash the throttle to the floor at 2500rpm, or gradually push the pedal in)
NEVER stab at the throttle, particularly below 3000 rpm. Slowly roll-on.
 
#3 ·
Not gonna lie, man, this was a pretty funny read...and no, you weren't being a dick. lol

If you mean "tip-in" as in "tip-in enrichment," that's not a phrase that should be in the average driver's vocabulary. What do you think you are asking here?
I have heard/read/come to the understanding that tip in is the point building up to going full throttle where you would gradually dig into throttle as opposed to an "upsettingly quick" pedal action. could you expand on that?

I also don't understand this question. If I take it at face-value, my answer would be "when you want to accelerate."
If going from a coasting/cruising scenario to accelerating, should there be multiple pedal points ('coasting' into 'steady throttle' into 'accelerating'). the better question would be is there a throttle build up before accelerating?

Not trying to be a dick, but my answer to your question is "the speed limit or the flow of traffic"
definitely laughed at this...just curious if there was an engine speed that was a ""happy place""

For your car, 45-55mph in top gear will net the best fuel economy. Between 55 and 70mph the economy will slightly diminish and above 70mph the economy will sharply reduce.
just what i was looking for. Thanks!

NEVER stab at the throttle, particularly below 3000 rpm. Slowly roll-on.
the nature of this question was for logging purposes. Eric (TP) wants a 3rd gear pull from 2500rpm to 6000rpm/redline. Just wanted to figure out a "healthy" way to do this for the purpose of tuning.


Thanks for all the input!! And if I'm wrong/mislead, great, you guys can correct me. I don't mind being called an idiot.
 

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