Transmision and Torque Converter Tuning discussion

[Jackpine]

Originally Posted by cleatus12r

Here's a question for everyone...feel free to throw anything into the pot.

Do you feel that lugging the engine constantly (as such in a fuel economy-minded program) is the best way to gain increases in mileage?


I'll start. No.

But, Cody, isn't the effect different for diesels vs gas engines? (And I'm sorry I didn't qualify my original post with that caveat - I know next to nothing about diesels). My post probably seemed kind of stupid. And, I was trying to open the discussion up to diesel AND gas - but maybe that was too ambitious.

Now, I'm really NOT suggesting lugging any engine constantly, because it seems to me that you're not getting a clean, efficient burn and you're going to see maybe fouled plugs at a minimum in gas engines and possibly valve damage? But, my experience "lugging" my old stick shifters, was for a pretty minimal amount of time, maybe about 5 seconds before the engine speed would increase enough to stop the lugging.

It always seemed to me that I had to be using less fuel that way than with a downshift, followed by an upshift a short time later.

Am I out to lunch on this one? (Wouldn't be the first time)!

- Jack