[ever_green]

I was wondering what peoples theories are on going uphill. In a 4cyl avg passenger car like a corolla I used to hold about 70% engine load at roughly 1700 rpm to get up this hill. I would bleed a bit of speed but apparently this was the best way.

On the Subaru which has more torque and slightly shorter gearing , at top gear its churning 1850 rpm with a locked torque converter on the hill. However with only 55-60% engine load the speed stays constant...like cruise control. I can induce vacuum by reducing throttle to bleed speed and not to fight gravity but I'm scared for pumping efficiencies at 50% load.

So how does one balance pumping losses when dealing with the terrain? What's the best way to deal with hills with a bigger displacement engine? Bsfc sweet spot 'window' is narrow and at moderate engine speeds on these cars (between 2400 and 3200 rpm in closed loop).