Quote:
Originally Posted by NinetySeven
Back to my family member. He believes that I'm driving my SR5 incorrectly by staying in 1st gear too long. I typically shift into 2nd between 2000-3500 RPMs. I've been driving my 4Runner the same way for 21 years and it's never been a problem, but he's convinced that my cracked cylinder heads are a result of this driving style.
Any thoughts on this? I'm open to changing my driving habits if there's any credibility to this theory. Thanks!
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The '96-'98 had some head gasket issues... So if you missed the signs of that, a cracked head could be possible.
What is his theory on how you should drive?
Generally, I would keep RPMs above 2k RPM if you are accelerating (obviously not possible at the beginning of 1st, but otherwise..). So, shift at the point where the NEXT gear would still be above 2k RPM. The 5vz may be a bit more forgiving than performance engines, so you could drop that a bit for light acceleration/cruising (maybe 1800 RPM?). Working (most) gas engines hard below 2k RPM really hammers on the bearings and is generally a bad idea.
Higher RPM (within reason) for the same rate of acceleration is EASIER on the motor, not harder. The oil pressure is higher, each cylinder ignition event is less violent (more ignition events = less power needed per event), the water pump is going faster (better cooling), less likely to have ping issues, etc.
-Charlie
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'99 4Runner SR5 Auto -
4WD swapped
'89 Camry Alltrac LE 3S-GTE 5spd
'17 Chevy Volt Premier
'16 Honda Odyssey Elite
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