Shift points on a 2.4L

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I consider myself a pretty easy driver, rarely reaching 3K rpm to accelerate. Usually i find the car shifts to 2nd a 2,500 rpm, 3rd at 2200 rpm, and the other two usually around 2,000 rpm. I consistently am cruising at around 1,400-1,600 rpm. Is this "bad"? I hear lugging the engine isn't good so just curious. Engine is a 2014 2.4L earth dreams
 
I've never had an automatic that would lug the engine. I can certainly shift my Jeep too soon and cause lugging, but both my autos shift at appropriate times. Unless it feels or sounds like lugging, you're fine.
 
Originally Posted By: lawman1909
I hear lugging the engine isn't good so just curious.

Lugging is something that's really only possible with a manual transmission. An auto tranny will never lug an engine, unless maybe when it's broken.
 
Average 4 banger likes 2-4k in most cases. Not all are rev happy.

Lugging is not an issue with modern engine controls. Best efficiency is with throttle open and hold the revs down, but you can't do that with most slushboxes...
 
Not a whole lot you can do about it anyway.... it's an auto... but...

Check for a lockout button, or OD button etc.

My Honda Odyssey has a lockout button, which blocks out 4 and 5 gears. I use it in the city, as it keeps the revs a little higher, and avoids the constant downshifts when you go from light cruise to heavier throttle.

My wife NEVER uses it, and I don't think it really matters to the engine or tranny...
 
Some autos sure do seem like they are lugging. I've been in a couple MK6 Jettas and they like to hold the revs down, even when going up a hill. Many Hondas have "grade logic" that will hold the revs higher until you reach the top of the hill to prevent lug. I'm pretty sure with the newer its the programing for max mpg shift often and keep the revs low.
 
Originally Posted By: gregk24
I've been in a couple MK6 Jettas and they like to hold the revs down, even when going up a hill.

Were they TDI?
 
You will not be able to lug the engine in the traditional sense with an automatic- furthermore, modern technology such as direct injection and knock sensors eliminate the biggest dangers of lugging an engine, namely detonation / pre-ignition.

Sure you add stress to the bottom end by loading the engine at low speeds, but to call that "bad" for the engine would be a bit of a stretch. Certainly no more so than full throttle at higher RPM's..
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: gregk24
I've been in a couple MK6 Jettas and they like to hold the revs down, even when going up a hill.

Were they TDI?


No, the 1.8 TSI and the 2.5 5 banger. The 1.8 TSI with the 6 speed auto seems to be more aggressive in getting to the highest gear asap.
 
Originally Posted By: gregk24
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: gregk24
I've been in a couple MK6 Jettas and they like to hold the revs down, even when going up a hill.

Were they TDI?


No, the 1.8 TSI and the 2.5 5 banger. The 1.8 TSI with the 6 speed auto seems to be more aggressive in getting to the highest gear asap.

Well, any turbo engine has plenty of torque down low, so keeping the revs low is perfectly understandable.

As for the NA 2.5, that engine also has pretty good torque down low. Very different from a typical 4-cylinder Honda engine.
 
Originally Posted By: lawman1909
I consider myself a pretty easy driver, rarely reaching 3K rpm to accelerate. Usually i find the car shifts to 2nd a 2,500 rpm, 3rd at 2200 rpm, and the other two usually around 2,000 rpm. I consistently am cruising at around 1,400-1,600 rpm. Is this "bad"? I hear lugging the engine isn't good so just curious. Engine is a 2014 2.4L earth dreams


It's perfectly fine...and pretty much exactly the way our '08 CR-V operates. Honda's K24 has good low-to-mid range torque for a 4-cylinder engine. And I have the "older" version of this engine with 160 lb*ft @ 4,000 rpm. The Earth Dreams engine has 181-185 lb*ft @ 3,900 rpm. It'll cruise around at 1,500 rpm all day long.
 
Low-rpm, high-torque operation is where you get good fuel economy. If Honda has programmed its automatic to keep the engine at low rpm while cruising, give them credit for having verified that it's not damaging to the hardware. I expect that the Earth Dreams powertrain is optimized for fuel economy, and not high vehicle performance.
 
By the way, a 2014 CR-V does not have the Earth Dreams engine...at least according to Honda's website. It has the port-injected version, with 185 hp @ 7,000 rpm and 163 lb*ft @ 4,400 rpm. The 2015 CR-V, with the direct-injected Earth Dreams engine, has 185 hp @ 6,400 rpm and 181 lb*ft @ 3,900 rpm.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: lawman1909
I hear lugging the engine isn't good so just curious.

Lugging is something that's really only possible with a manual transmission. An auto tranny will never lug an engine, unless maybe when it's broken.

I'm actually surprised how much NVH manufacturers will allow to keep an engine from downshifting these days. Especially with the variable displacement motors. I'd never regularly run my mtx vehicles at the low rpms in top gear with the level of grumbling that my parents CRV produces, or the V6 vans at work will do, I also read here about the MDS pickups from Ram and GM doing the same thing.
The upshift light on my Focus when viewed with the throttle position and max load percentage gauge on the scanguage, gives me an idea of what the ford engineers figured was the max amount of lugging would be tolerable and its quite noticeable too.
I'll run it down to 1400rpm but only for a few moments to pull 3rd gear around a street corner and never get the NVH that some automatics will produce.
 
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: lawman1909
I hear lugging the engine isn't good so just curious.

Lugging is something that's really only possible with a manual transmission. An auto tranny will never lug an engine, unless maybe when it's broken.

I'm actually surprised how much NVH manufacturers will allow to keep an engine from downshifting these days.

Now that you mentioned it, I remember renting an Altima 2.5 with a CVT last year. That thing was running at such low RPMs, when I gave it gas, it sure did sound like it was lugging. Heck, the whole interior seemed to fall into resonance. But just because it sounded like lugging, I can't actually confirm it was lugging.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: lawman1909
I hear lugging the engine isn't good so just curious.

Lugging is something that's really only possible with a manual transmission. An auto tranny will never lug an engine, unless maybe when it's broken.

I'm actually surprised how much NVH manufacturers will allow to keep an engine from downshifting these days.

Now that you mentioned it, I remember renting an Altima 2.5 with a CVT last year. That thing was running at such low RPMs, when I gave it gas, it sure did sound like it was lugging. Heck, the whole interior seemed to fall into resonance. But just because it sounded like lugging, I can't actually confirm it was lugging.


This is a known issue with the new Altima CVT
 
The 300 rental I had last year was similar...the 8 speed was always in the highest possible gear for the road speed, and the engine would constantly run at around 1000-1300 rpm. Okay for cruising at a constant speed, but you could hear the "boom" in the exhaust/engine if you tried to squeeze a little acceleration out of it. The car was very nice but the powertrain programming was simply maddening.
 
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
I'm actually surprised how much NVH manufacturers will allow to keep an engine from downshifting these days. Especially with the variable displacement motors. I'd never regularly run my mtx vehicles at the low rpms in top gear with the level of grumbling that my parents CRV produces, or the V6 vans at work will do, I also read here about the MDS pickups from Ram and GM doing the same thing.


That's interesting...what year is your parents' CR-V? Is it a 2010+ model? My in-laws' 2011 CR-V definitely has different transmission programming than our 2008 does. My in-laws' will lug the engine at around 1200-1400 rpm where ours won't. It's funny how different our two CR-Vs drive for being the "same" car.
 
It'd be nice to have manual control. Yesterday I had a nice long highway drive. Cruise control would have been nice, but I found it kept unlocking the convertor and occasionally downshifting. So I didn't use cruise. And it stayed in top gear and locked. As it should have.

Once in a while I will put my foot in it. It will rev high in the first couple gears, then rapidly shift the next two. Sometimes it will decide to hold longer in a lower gear than I want.
 
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