Miata Mailing List: March 2000, Message #2128

sponsored by

     |-----Original Message-----
     |From: miata@realbig.com [mailto:miata@realbig.com]On Behalf Of Bhaskar
     |Sarkar
     |Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2000 5:45 PM
     |To: Multiple recipients of list
     |Subject: Healthy RPM
     |
     |
     |I drive a lot during weekends. Most long drives involve
     |extensive periods of
     |cruising at about 80mph. The engine revs at those speeds on
     |my M2 at about
     |4500rpm. Actually, it touches 4000rpm at 75mph. I am a new
     |driver & donno
     |much about cars/engines, but this rpm seems a little high.

There are many drivers on this list who rarely get as *low* as 4500 rpm.

     |It
     |also makes a
     |lot of sound

Yep.  All part of the fun.

     | - doesn't matter when I'm having too much fun
     |driving top-down,
     |but with the top-up the drone becomes annoying... hence the
     |6th gear on my
     |wishlist.

OK, but check out the gear ratios.  The 6-speed tightens up the intermediate
gears a bit, but 6th gives you about what 5th is giving you now.

     | Like all of you in the list I love my miata very
     |much. Infact I
     |grade my love in the "hyper" range. So I can't help feeling
     |paranoid about
     |this high rpm thing. Is it causing any damage?

Nope.  Stop worrying -- drive you crazy.

     |Should I slow
     |down a little
     |to say 3500rpm? What is a healthy rpm for the M2's engine? Is
     |it healthy to
     |cruise at all?

No; the higher the better; yes (in that order).


Tom Frank
Upstate New York

tomfrank@dreamscape.com