Metro Owners: Optimum shift points for P&G

[93Cobra#2771]

Guys, I've only had my 96 Metro for a couple of months, and am just learning how to effectively P&G with it. I got pretty good with the Escort, but am impatient to teach myself on the Metro.

I figure a fellow Metro owner here has some pretty good pointers on speed/shift points, so why reinvent the wheel?

So, what speed do you guys upshift, and what speeds do you P&G at typically?

And, just for the heck of it, has anyone effectively disabled their daytime running lights without running one click up on parking brake or grounding out the parking break switch?

[metroschultz]

Good Morning,
I have a 1993 Metro with the Xfi cam and a Swift tranny.
The goal with these two was best FE.
The Xfi cam has less horsepower but more bottom end torque.
The Swift trans has a tall top gear due to the lower ratio final drive.
So that being presented;
...I shift out of first as soon as the car is rolling. (the torque from the cam lets me)
...Out of second into third when the engine sounds right. (I have no tach, I listen for the engine to quit sounding "loaded") Usually around 10 to 20 MPH.
...now here is where I get imaginative, If I am head down a straight road (highway or byway) I roll to fourth. If I am in town I grab third.
On the highway I run in fourth till 45 MPH and then Fifth.
In the city I use third momentarily, (depends on traffic also), From 10 to 15/20 MPH. Then fourth momentarily from 15/20 to 25 MPH and ride fifth through town at anything over 25 MPH.
I use fourth on the highway to gain speed quickly so I don't hold up traffic too much. (big city, 400,000 cars on the road any day)
In town I shift up fast for lowest RPM and traffic moves so slow on the streets they don't really notice that I have no acceleration.
My commute to work is about 60% highway and 40% city for 14 miles one way.
I hope this help you. When I get my "Guino" installed (built first), I may change my habits. This seems to work best for now.
MetroMPG may have some better info. (He has more instrumentation than I).
Schultz out

[99metro]

I have a 1999 Chevy Metro 3/5. It didn't have a tach or trip odometer, so I got an instrument panel with both off ebay and installed it (plug and play). Basically, I am into 4th at about 22 mph and into 5th at 35 mph. I keep the RPMs pretty low. I did experiment and found that if say shift into second, pop the clutch in, wait til the speed drops 5 mph less than the "pop-in" speed, shift to the next gear and so on, that I only lose 1/2 of the mpg than shifting on through the gears. I don't do this often, since I really don't have the patience! I usually travel around 50 mph, even in the 65s.

P&G I do only in 5th gear. I do mine between 40 and 55-60 mph. I just push the clutch in at 60 and let it coast down to 40. Anything less than 40 and I have a problem accelerating at a reasonable pace.

It seems to me one could install a simple switch in series with the e-brake switch to turn off the lights. I haven't taken the e-brake apart to see. One click does it for me though.

[93Cobra#2771]

Considered a switch on the brake circuit, but it would still light the brake light in the dash.

Interesting on your shift points, I always feel I'm lugging the motor too much.

Two things I really need to do is a kill switch and possibly a scangauge. I'm really flying in the dark without good instrumentation.

[Frank Lee]

As far as fe measurement goes, instrumentation is probably a good thing (I don't have any). But as far as P&G goes I don't think you need anything.

Back when I P&G'd I did it like Metro99- 5th gear only. So, I'd go up to 55 or 60 then glide down to as slow as the car would stand 5th gear operations- about 20 mph. More glide, less starting and stopping than, say, 40 to 55 P&Ging.

[99metro]

I'll have to give 20 mph a try. Today I averaged 61 mpg with no wind P&Ging over 60 miles. If it wasn't for all the stoplights (12+) I'm pretty sure I could get over 65 easy. It was a perfect FE day out here in Northern Colorado.

[Frank Lee]

I have Tempos, which really like low rpm ops. Don't know about Metros.

[93Cobra#2771]

Hardly any part of my regular driving area is flat- almost everywhere has some type of mild or moderate slopes. I live in the hills of east Tn.

So I have to be careful with p&g and pick and choose where I do it.

One thing I have noticed is my escort glided much further than the metro. The six hundred pound weight difference is the reason I'm sure. Escort is 2200# and geo is 1600#.

Geo doesn't have much low end power but the steep gearing makes up for it.