i have a manual 1987 740 gle and my engine screams at around 3-4000 rpms and it kinda scares me when i punch it and bring it to around 5-6000 because my engine revs so high. i was just wondering what what rpms are best for my engine.i dont want to over or underwork my engine.


thanks alot,
oliver

well, i don't drive a manual, but in general, the sooner you can shift up (without straining the engine) the better. the lower revs, the less wear on your engine.

but obviously there are those times where you just have to punch it.

the power band in a volvo is above the 2800rpm i believe range, so if you're power shifting, you want to shift so that when the rpms drop in the next gear, it remains above 3000. so that does indeed require that you shift at 5-5500 to stay within the power band.

here's a torque/hp curve for you to see: the red one is you.

oh, and for a nice normal every day drive with decent acceleration, i think shifting around 3 is about right.
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Kenric Tam
1990 Volvo 740 base sedan (B230F)
My Volvo 'Project'