[Qualin]

Hello everyone.

I'm not sure if this post belongs here so I apologize if I've posted to the wrong forum. I don't think this post belongs in "High Performance Driving"

I'm just curious what is the most optimal driving speed for which gear I should be in for a BMW 135i, giving me the best balance of fuel economy while not being so high that it could be dangerous if I need a lot of power quickly.

With my old Supra, I found that the engine was most happy when you had the revs between 2000 and 2500 RPM, anything less and it would start getting grumpy and not provide any power at all. Anything more and I'd just appear to be a ricer with a mental problem. I've noticed that my 135i is considerably more punchy, driving more like a V8 than a turbo 6, so I can keep the revs lower.

What I've observed so far keeps the revs about 2000 RPM in that gear, but I've found that this car seems to be happy even when the revs are as low as 1500 RPM, except for when I'm above fourth gear:

1st gear : Around 10 km/h, good for parking lots, but leave this gear asap.
2nd gear : 30 km/h, good for school zones
3rd gear : 50 km/h, typical city cruising
4th gear : 65 km/h, Normal low speed artery driving
5th gear : 80 km/h, For medium speed artery driving
6th gear : 90 km/h and higher, highway driving

Opinions? I've only been driving stick on an off for about two years and I'm used to an automatic doing all the shifting for me.

I just don't want to put myself into an awkward spot by being in a gear which is too high for the speed that I'm driving at.

Thanks!