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96CX · 04-02-2014, 01:03 AM

Two questions:

First: I deliver pizza, and every time I pull out of the store parking lot onto the main street, I have a dilemma:

I have to go from 0mph to 35-40.

Is it more efficient to accelerate slowly, hitting every. single. gear. so that I'm in 5th gear asap, and spend 20ish seconds in a long "pulse"?

Or is it more efficient to hit wide-open-throttle for 5ish seconds in 2nd gear up to 35mph, and then immediately skip up to 5th, so as to have as short of a "pulse" as possible, and be cruising (possibly "gliding") for longer?

-----------

Second: When I'm merging onto the freeway, I normally round the corner onto the on-ramp at about 25mph in 5th (top) gear. The on-ramp is downhill, the freeway is more or less level. Is it better to accelerate at wide-open throttle up to full-speed while still on the on-ramp, or is it better to accelerate more slowly, and possibly still be accelerating by the time I've merged onto the freeway?

I want to say it's better to floor it and use the hill while accelerating, but I don't know if maybe it's still somehow better to accelerate slowly without flooring it.

04-02-2014, 01:03 AM	#1 (permalink)
96CX Should I turn here...? Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Port Angeles, WA Posts: 53 Silver Civic - '96 Honda Civic CX Thanks: 1 Thanked 17 Times in 6 Posts	How To: Accelerate? Two questions: First: I deliver pizza, and every time I pull out of the store parking lot onto the main street, I have a dilemma: I have to go from 0mph to 35-40. Is it more efficient to accelerate slowly, hitting every. single. gear. so that I'm in 5th gear asap, and spend 20ish seconds in a long "pulse"? Or is it more efficient to hit wide-open-throttle for 5ish seconds in 2nd gear up to 35mph, and then immediately skip up to 5th, so as to have as short of a "pulse" as possible, and be cruising (possibly "gliding") for longer? ----------- Second: When I'm merging onto the freeway, I normally round the corner onto the on-ramp at about 25mph in 5th (top) gear. The on-ramp is downhill, the freeway is more or less level. Is it better to accelerate at wide-open throttle up to full-speed while still on the on-ramp, or is it better to accelerate more slowly, and possibly still be accelerating by the time I've merged onto the freeway? I want to say it's better to floor it and use the hill while accelerating, but I don't know if maybe it's still somehow better to accelerate slowly without flooring it.