How far should you push your engine? Is it ok to redline it occasionally or do you stop short of there. so basically is the redline the don’t ever go here point, or is it the don’t ever go past here point?
I think that the owners manual says something along the lines of “do not operate the engine for extended periods in the red zone”, so no harm in entering it if that’s what you like to do.
So it’s OK going up through the gears when the engine is hot.
You’d be pushed to redline it in top gear anyway!
I personally push mine into the Red zone and find that it performs to it’s peak after 5500 rpm, I don’t think they perform too good until you go past the 5500 rpm mark. April would not push hers past 5000rpm and I pushed her to keep her foot down and take it past that point, now she will often take it to 7000 rpm and agrees that the car performs much better and actually prefers the way it drives now.You are very unlikely to damage these virtual bullet proof engines Zodiac, give it a try mate, more revs more smiles .
Brian.
You will find there is a rev limitter that will kick in just beyond the start of the red line.
When instructing people on track I frequently end up holding the gear sticks because people want to change up at 5,000 because that is what they always do because they “don’t want to damage the engine”
5,000 is the point that the engine starts to perform and in racing if you are below 5k at any point you are going to struggle, so unless your engine has a death rattle, going to the red line will not hurt it, in fact it will thank you for it.
Power seems to drop off after 6500 rpm, but that’s 110mph plus in 4th, fast enough in the real world,for me anyway.
Interesting comments, thanks to everyone for the input
Hello Zodiac
My guess is that your car is naturally aspirated, if so I agree with others who have said take it
to the redline, I do in the Mk1 Eunos 1.8 S Special. The Mk2.5 1.8 is supercharged there is
190ftlb at 3k rpm through to 5k rpm so going above 5.5k rpm when the torque starts to drop
away serves little purpose.
So, if you do not want to red line maybe consider supercharging?
All Good Fun!!
Keith
Don’t think that I have ever red lined it.
While 7,000 rpm will give a different set of high frequency cyclic stresses to the engine, all of which were calculated and allowed for in the design, forced induction results in bigger bangs in the cylinders and higher dynamic pressures. The point “not red lining” the engine for fear of damage against getting more power and torque lower down the rev range, which will put more load on con rods, bearings etc. I would suggest might be ultimately flawed logic.
Give it a go, you might like it