why are my rpms at 3000+ going 65 mph? I’m afraid to push it further with the car sounding like it desperately needs to go into “7th”. I thought 6th gear would be nice cruising overdrive for long distances at 80 mph and 2500 rpm…I’m afraid to drive it 6-7 hours at this level. I’m very much a “listener” when it comes to shifting and this is driving me crazy (but also preventing speeding tickets)
Also- if any 2009 TSX people reading- my manual says to disconnect ipod when the “OK to Disconnect” message appears…well, message has yet to appear so I just pull the plug…is this bad?
3000 at 65 isn’t unusual for a Honda 4 cyl. Honda is famous for making engine that love to rev, you will do no harm whatsoever cruising at any speed you want. If you’re wanting a low rpm cruiser, you’ll need to go with a bigger V6 or V8. NO 4 cyl will turn 2500 rpm at 80 mph.
That’s just the way Honda geared it if you look here
You can see that in 6th gear, for every 1000 RPM the car gains about 23 MPH. So at 65-70 MPH it will indeed be turning around 3000 RPM. It’s perfectly normal for his car and you won’t damage anything, seeing how the redline is 7000 RPM. The engine will happily turn well over 3000 RPM for as long as you want it to.
i just found a string of discussions with the same exact question I had- comments were pretty much in agreement that the car is built to run at high rpms and could go much higher. I just hate the sound of the engine…so I guess I’ll have to turn up the radio.
A side note: I love this car-- traded in a piece of crap Audi A-3 for this. Best decision of my life.
thanks all!
My Supra w/ a 5-speed runs at 3500 rpm at 75. According to the transmission guide, the 5th speed is the only one set as an overdrive. But, the 4.30 gears in the rear axle really set the high-gear RPM speed.
I suspect Acura did a similar thing with your TSX. A seventh gear is not the solution, a taller gear set in the differential is the solution. As best I can tell, Acura uses a 4.765 gear ratio at the differential. With 6-speed close-ratio transmission, it should feel like a rocket blast pulling away from the red light. But, with the 6th gear an overdrive only at 1:0.738, your RPMs will be higher than mine at highway speeds.
Not to worry, though. These engines seem to thrive at higher RPMs. I’ve had mine as high as 85 mph sustained on a road trip through South Georgia (speed limit 70), and the engine never skipped a beat, turning near 4,000 RPMs the whole time.
Yep, the Car & Driver site says it’s at 23mph/1,000rpm in 6th, so 3,000 rpm puts you at 69 mph, 3,500 rpm for about 80 mph. I guess I got used to high rpms, I had a first-gen VW GTI that turned about 3,500 rpm at 70, I think, and not nearly as smooth as the Acura.
Just curious, but is this car a recent acquisition? If so, what were you driving previously?
Going from one make to another can sure affect perception too.
My Lincoln turns about 1700 RPM at 70 MPH and when I drive the old second generation Camaro here (350/TH350 transmssion, meaning 3 speed, no overdrive) that Camaro was screaming in comparison because it was turning 3500 with 3:42 gears. A rear axle swap to 2:56 gears brought those RPMs way down and made it more highway friendly.
I checked today. My 08 Accord 4 cylinder runs about 2500 rpm at 80 mph with an automatic. My 99 Accord turns 3000 rpm at 80 with a 5 speed stick. 3000 rpm at 65 sounds pretty high to me. Even for a 4 cylinder (unless you are taking it to the drag strip),
According to FoDaddy’s chart the thing should run 68.7 MPH at 3000 RPM, as Texases has said.
If you want to dsrive a 4 cylinder with a manual tranny, you must go ahead and enjoy it.
Yeah, looks likes 4 cyl. with automatics can be geared taller because of the flexibility with the torque converter and downshifting. But not manuals, it seems.
The Toyota MR-2 with a 6 speed slap shift is geared significantly lower than the Corolla with an OD automatic and similar engine. The MR-2 is quite responsive when kept in the 3,000 + RPM range.And although the Corolla is heavier the gas mileage is very nearly equal at a constant 75 mph.
There is a misconception that better fuel economy is gained by running the engine at as low an RPM as possible. This makes people worry when their engine is above 2200 or so at highway speeds. It actually depends entirely on the engine. If you run an engine below its powerband, you’re actually being less efficient because the engine isn’t developing as much power as it could for the fuel you’re using, which means you’re using more gas to push the car through the air and up inclines. Your car is fine as it is, and that motor could turn 3000rpm all day and not have any negative consequences from it.