[michaelalex17]

i was driving home today in a very bad snow storm and my 2008 335i was sliding all over, so i put in manual mode and put the car in a low gear so the car wouldnt slide, i drove at about 3,500-4,000rpm in second gear for like 15 minutes. is that bad for the car? my oil temp was sitting around or just under 250, i believe or whatever that number is straight down, or is it like if the car will let you do it, its within its limits, in other words it wouldnt let you hurt it, like how it wont downshift you into the redline. i know like running at high rmp for short times while spiritedly driving is fine but is it bad to hold it at high rpm for an extended period of time? so is this bad for the car? thanks

[Express]

no

[secretsquirrel]

Thats not really high rpm driving. The tranny would be mad at you (or dead) if you had driven around at 6000rpm for 15mins however.

[R1000K3]

3500 to 4000 rpm is not high at all. It is well in the range where the car is expected to be used for any duration.

[Express]

Originally Posted by secretsquirrel

Thats not really high rpm driving. The tranny would be mad at you (or dead) if you had driven around at 6000rpm for 15mins however.

Originally Posted by R1000K3

3500 to 4000 rpm is not high at all. It is well in the range where the car is expected to be used for any duration.

so did you guys get PM's from the OP telling you to stop posting in his threads?

i did. he told me

can you please stop annoyingly responding to my threads. i want a real answer to my question not just someone to say no. thank you

im pretty sure i gave a real, correct answer.

[enrita]

and no perfectly fine to drive like that... lets see if i get a pm

[Brey335i]

Originally Posted by express705

so did you guys get PM's from the OP telling you to stop posting in his threads?

i did. he told me



im pretty sure i gave a real, correct answer.

[themyst]

Originally Posted by express705

so did you guys get PM's from the OP telling you to stop posting in his threads?

i did. he told me



im pretty sure i gave a real, correct answer.

That's as real as it got, to be honest with you.

[Express]

i thought so... i just wanted to make sure i wasn't out of place. carry on!

[Mr. 5]

Man, if 3500 to 4k rom is high then I rev the crap out of my car every single day. I cruise around town in 3rd gear all the time. lol

[Express]

Originally Posted by Mr. 5

Man, if 3500 to 4k rom is high then I rev the crap out of my car every single day. I cruise around town in 3rd gear all the time. lol

have you ever had oil tests done through blackstone? you drive your car for what it is made for and i respect that.

[chesterfan1230]

DAMN!

No btw.

[dday]

The longer answer is it's not good to run the car at high RPMs for a while (say 6K+) but the OP isn't running at high RPMs so his questions is irrelevant.

[Pathy01]

I'm curious as to how running in a lower gear at higher rpm was better in the snow. Generally you want to keep rpm, and consequently torque to the wheels lower when traction is limited by snow. I know I always try to keep in the highest gear possible with my manual when I drive in the snow, and also never had issue with previous automatic cars by leaving them in the highest gear at low rpm in the snow.

What exact difference did you notice by putting it in lower gear? Only thing I can think of is when slowing down, letting the compression of the engine at higher rpm slow you down instead of having to use the brakes. But of course with appropriate modulation, the brakes work just fine as well.

but to answer your question, no it's not bad for the car.

[Ghines1279]

Originally Posted by Pathy01

I'm curious as to how running in a lower gear at higher rpm was better in the snow. Generally you want to keep rpm, and consequently torque to the wheels lower when traction is limited by snow. I know I always try to keep in the highest gear possible with my manual when I drive in the snow, and also never had issue with previous automatic cars by leaving them in the highest gear at low rpm in the snow.

Engine braking, especially in old cars, is better for slowing down. also cars that produce alot of Torque, when you are in lets say 5th gear going about 40 in snow, basically overdriving the trans, if you push the gas too much tires will slip and engine will try to get up to match the transmission at like 70mph. then your doing donuts on the free way.

[Mr. 5]

Originally Posted by express705

have you ever had oil tests done through blackstone? you drive your car for what it is made for and i respect that.

I have.
You can search around here for the reports.
With Meth injection and the way I run my car, a 6k to 6500 mile oil change interval is ideal.

[BobS]

I would think lower rpm is better as well. I start in second gear when in the snow.

[bulldog x6]

Originally Posted by Pathy01

I'm curious as to how running in a lower gear at higher rpm was better in the snow. Generally you want to keep rpm, and consequently torque to the wheels lower when traction is limited by snow. I know I always try to keep in the highest gear possible with my manual when I drive in the snow, and also never had issue with previous automatic cars by leaving them in the highest gear at low rpm in the snow.

What exact difference did you notice by putting it in lower gear? Only thing I can think of is when slowing down, letting the compression of the engine at higher rpm slow you down instead of having to use the brakes. But of course with appropriate modulation, the brakes work just fine as well.

but to answer your question, no it's not bad for the car.

exactly - you would be more prone to slide @ low rpms and high TQ

[Forcefed3]

Its fine.

[Pathy01]

Originally Posted by Ghines1279

Engine braking, especially in old cars, is better for slowing down. also cars that produce alot of Torque, when you are in lets say 5th gear going about 40 in snow, basically overdriving the trans, if you push the gas too much tires will slip and engine will try to get up to match the transmission at like 70mph. then your doing donuts on the free way.

Originally Posted by turkish335

exactly - you would be more prone to slide @ low rpms and high TQ

So you guys are saying you think your car delivers more torque to the wheels at 1500 rpm in 6th gear than at 3-4000 RPM in a lower gear at the same speed? I wonder why all those idiots racing their cars do all that shifting and don't just use top gear the whole time...

[michaelthepsycho]

I think OP's under the common misconception that redline is the true limit of a vehicle; it's not. It's just the RPM at which the manufacturer thinks a user can regularly drive at without breaking the car.

Also, just because max torque comes in low doesn't mean you should cruise in the meat of the torque (3,500~4,000) because the WTQ is still higher in a lower gear.

[michaelalex17]

Originally Posted by michaelthepsycho

I think OP's under the common misconception that redline is the true limit of a vehicle; it's not. It's just the RPM at which the manufacturer thinks a user can regularly drive at without breaking the car.

Also, just because max torque comes in low doesn't mean you should cruise in the meat of the torque (3,500~4,000) because the WTQ is still higher in a lower gear.

i know that redline isnt the true limit of the car, when you floor it the car shifts at redline so clearly thats not an issue, i was more talking about holding at a high rpm for an extended period of time.

"Engine braking passively reduces wear on brakes and helps a driver maintain control of the vehicle. Active use of engine braking (shifting into a lower gear) is advantageous when it is necessary to control speed while driving down very steep and long slopes." thats why i was in a lower gear. if you slam on your brakes in the snow you will slide but if you use the cars engine speed to slow you down it wont slide like your brakes will.