# High rpm 96 lude

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/high-rpm-96-lude/83958>\
**Category:** General Discussion\
**Created:** [February 28, 2014, 7:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/high-rpm-96-lude/83958 "2014-02-28T07:27:57Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Vancil\_prelude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/9de0a6/32.png) [@Vancil\_prelude](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Vancil_prelude)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 7:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/high-rpm-96-lude/83958/1 "2014-02-28T07:27:57Z")

</div>

I have a 96 prelude 2.2 vtek is it bad to drive at 4000 rpms highway cause i have no 5th gear

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![oldtimer-11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e79b87/32.png) [@oldtimer-11](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldtimer-11)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 7:35am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/high-rpm-96-lude/83958/2 "2014-02-28T07:35:16Z")

</div>

No, just wastes some gas and puts a little more wear om the engine.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Vancil\_prelude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/9de0a6/32.png) [@Vancil\_prelude](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Vancil_prelude)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 7:45am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/high-rpm-96-lude/83958/3 "2014-02-28T07:45:04Z")

</div>

K thanks cause i drive highway so im at 4 to 4500 rpms for bout a hr a day

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![oblivion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3ab097/32.png) [@oblivion](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oblivion)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 4:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/high-rpm-96-lude/83958/4 "2014-02-28T16:16:02Z")

</div>

I thought they stopped making ludes after the 70s…

I would try to keep your highway speed no higher than the legal limit to minimize wear. It’s definitely not great to be running high RPMs for long periods of time. I would also use the thickest oil recommended for your car and change it frequently. If you drive like this on a daily basis, it will eventually take its toll on your engine I think. I’d consider getting a salvage yard transmission and swapping it out if you plan on keeping the car. The gas money you save will probably pay for the transmission swap in less than 6 months.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Tony\_Carlos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Tony\_Carlos](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tony_Carlos)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2014, 2:22am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/high-rpm-96-lude/83958/5 "2014-03-01T02:22:56Z")

</div>

Don’t look at the RPM as an absolute number. Consider it as a fraction of the redline.  
If your new cruising speed is about 60% of redline or less, you are not doing much harm other than the above-mentioned gas usage.  
If you are running at 70 or 80% of redline, you are really pushing the engine harder than is best for it. You will eventually shorten it’s life, so consider what your long term plans are for this car.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2014, 2:51am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/high-rpm-96-lude/83958/6 "2014-03-01T02:51:03Z")

</div>

I don’t like the idea of a junkyard Prelude transmission

In my area, almost all of the Preludes led an extremely hard life

As such, I would expect a junkyard Prelude transmission to also have had a hard life