How often do you redline your car ?

RobAMerc

How often do you guys red line the engine ?
I am not talking about hitting the limiter now just blowing the cobwebs out of it.

rebel.ranter

A poll would be the way to go for this one?

I would calling it "streching the legs" of the car, so to speak. Every couple of weeks I would do a bit of brisk driving, holding on to the gears for a bit longer than normal.

unkel

Regularly - It happens in my normal driving

Poll!

I redline all the time, i.e. every time I overtake

Owen

Every day pretty much. That's what it's there for.

RobAMerc

All the time - In every gear.

rebel.ranter wrote:

A poll would be the way to go for this one?

Jaysus your keen - give me a chance.

Your wish.....

prospect

All the time - In every gear.

Only when the engine has fully warmed up.

fletch

Yeh once the engine is good and warm, I would have no qualms about redlining it.

Villain

All the time - In every gear.

Used to do it all the time in my first Suzuki but my Opel Astra bottomed out at 5500rpm which was no fun and my Legacy is Automatic so while I get can it to 6000rpm when I have it set to power it changes gear after that.

unkel

Regularly - It happens in my normal driving

I voted "all the time in every gear". But this is not true for the 5th gear, which I have never redlined...

jhegarty

Every once in a while - Its good for it

I don't ever do it... but has never stopped me speeding.....

JHMEG

When the engine isn't fully warm the ECU limits the RPM to about 6,000. Not that I would go past 4,000 when it's cold anyway. When warm it's limited to 8,500. It sees the limiter every day that I drive. If 8,500 was bad for the engine the limit would be lower.

R.O.R

Every once in a while - Its good for it

Voted never as I'm always a bit worried about breaking something in my own car, but if I'm not in my own car.......

They say that Hire cars are the fastest cars in the world, but that's only because they've never driven an ex-lease car that's coming back from a customer for a trade sale ;-)

quarryman

All the time - In every gear.

very rarely do it.

always wondered what effect it would have on the car. Assuming you do it once or twice a day what damage would it cause? Increase the liklihood of a blown gasket? (My knowledge on cars is limited).

SouperComputer

Depends on the car for me. They usually get a daily "clearout" at some stage. The beetle has never seen the redline as long as Ive had it, has good bottom grunt, runs out of puff 5400ish and redlines 6400 IIRC. The Taurus doesnt hit peak torque until 4500, so that you have to work a little harder.

Elessar

Quite shocked at the replies. I never go over 3000rpm in my polo, no need to, anything higher sounds like the engine will just explode.

Plus the red line is red for a reason.

unkel

Regularly - It happens in my normal driving

Elessar wrote:

the red line is red for a reason.

Yep. To tell you it's time to switch up a gear

tc20

All the time - In every gear.

Recently bought a 00 Accord auto (2.0), so am still getting used to it. Has a nice snarl to it, for a 4 pot..

The other car is a 72 Merc W114, more suited to leisurely cruising, tho it has a nice 6cyl thrum . . .

RobAMerc

All the time - In every gear.

tc20 wrote:

The other car is a 72 Merc W114, more suited to leisurely cruising, tho it has a nice 6cyl thrum . . .

Any pics ? maybe pm so we dont go off topic.
Also it does not have a rev counter if i'm right ? Hard to know if your red lining !

Owen

Elessar wrote:

Quite shocked at the replies. I never go over 3000rpm in my polo, no need to, anything higher sounds like the engine will just explode.

Plus the red line is red for a reason.

So you're the car I'm stuck behind every morning on the way to work!

tc20

All the time - In every gear.

^ PM sent

Lord Nikon

All the time - In every gear.

Sometimes, not all the time, it costs me too much, and I like my mpg guage to the left not the far right. Mostly when overtaking though.

i'd like to see the replies to this in the Modified Motoring sub-forum

Santa Claus

To the lads who chose "all the time"....best of luck selling a car anytime in the future on adverts (aren't public polls great!)

commited

I redline all the time. It's a company car

Gerry

I'd take it over 5k every day, and into the red most days. Some days, it has been in there quite a bit though
I assume the redline is defined here as "into the red", but not as far as the limiter.
On my saab the hatched red starts at 5500 rpm, solid red at 5750, and at 6000 the fuel gets cut, which means its not a great idea to hit it when overtaking
The power is tailing off after 5500 anyway, so theres not much point. But I have done quite well on private airstrips against more powerful cars where the owner changed gear at 4000-4500 rpm.

Most people who've bothered to respond to this thread have a sensible approach towards revving the engine. I suspect this isn't an accurate representation of Irish drivers though.. most of them prefer to labour the engine, and are afraid of it exploding if its revved past 3k.

If you aren't into cars, fair enough. I think you should know or be instructed to rev the car sufficiently to avoid labouring the engine. This will help preserve the investment you've made in your a-b machine.

If you are "into" cars, and don't like revving the engine, sorry, you aren't really into cars.

mike65

Every once in a while - Its good for it

Never, cos I've never needed to and, b the engine would proberly explode. When I get the new timing belt (and kit) fitted I might treat myself!

Mike.

Rovi

I voted 'Regularly', in that the electrickery runs it to the red line before shifting the autobox up to the next gear when partaking of spirited overtaking and the like.
Speed limiter prevents it hitting the red in top (5th).

mik_da_man

I don't do it "all the time" but do it every day.
I don't go bouncing it off the limiter but why only use up to 3500 RPM when your engine can easily go to 6000+ ??

It's like buying a bar of chocolate and only eating 75% of it in case the last 25% might make you sick!

Mik

l33t-krew

Regularly - It happens in my normal driving

tbh its just different cars.

My peugeot for example shows 4k as been redline and the car dosent feel right going high so I change at 2.5-3k.

My MR2 however redlines after 6k and only goes solidly red at 8k.

I rev it high but not extortiantly. It says in the manual, loweve revs are worse for the car than high revs

So I will rev when im in the mood (and I only drive the car when im in the mood) at 5-6k

I love that car

Shame I have to sell it :eek:

Captain Slow IRL

All the time - In every gear.

I haven't redlined my current car - no power after 5k anyway! I'll open it up every so often, to clean the exhaust out though;)

colm_mcm

Regularly - It happens in my normal driving

No harm, wouldn't be hopping it off the rev limiter or anything, but would be up there when overtaking.

zilog_jones

All the time - In every gear.

I have no rev counter in my Fiesta so don't know where the redline would be - what I get instead on the instrument panel is a silhouette of a car, possibly to remind me that I am driving a car (though the silhouette in question looks more like an Escort...).

It's a pushrod too, so I'd say it wouldn't be very high.