There are a couple of posts on this already, doing a search will yeild you some quick results...

I find (for me) the following works pretty good:

When accellerating, I generally shift at around 5000 rpms, generally a bit over more often than not.
If I'm accellerating "hard" I'll wind it up to about 7500 - 8000 rpms in each gear. For maximum fun, the shift point is when the beeper comes on, just before you hit the rev limiter.

When coasting around, I am generally in a gear which has the engine running around 4k rpms. If the rpm's fall below 3000, I will generally downshift, if they go above 5500 I'll upshift.

For accelleration, I'll downshift to a gear that get's the engine running up around 5500 or so rpms (eg: that's 55mph in 3rd gear) and run it up to whatever speed I'm trying to get to.

When slowing down, I'll sometimes downshift, but not all the time. The downshifting you mentioned sounds about right, and you don't generally have to downshift all the way back to first. If I'm slowing down I may downshift to 3rd as I'm slowing but then when it's getting too slow for 3rd, I'll push the clutch in and then it's brakes etc. to stop.

The car has plenty of revs and you should use them, the recommended shift points in the manual are far to conservative IMO.

 

if you pick up one of the main car mags with an 8 review you can find the gear ratios mph limits to them and redlines.

 

And people wonder why they get 8 mpg.

I'm weary about shifting any higher than 4500 rpm..... but that's probably because my previous cars capped at 4000. :D

 

In time, in time =) Still breaking her in.

 

it's hard to stay before 4000 rpms or else you're like barely moving. I like to shift from 1st at about 4,500rpms, 2nd at about 5,000 and then 3rd 4,000 and 4th about 3,500. Sometimes i just like to rev it to 9,000 rpms just to see everyone look at you it's so funny (to me at least).

 

I get around 19mpg normally. If I do a lot of cruising it will be 21 or so, if I drive extremely hard I'll get 15mpg..

And yes - the car loves to rev, so take advantage of it! The engine will thank you in the long run. Even during break in I think you should be showing it the upper rpm ranges from time to time.

Simon.

 

5000 rpms in first is somewhere around 17-20 mph I think
5000 rpms in second is around 35
5000 rpms in third is 50 mph

I don't shift based on my speed, I shift based on engine load/rpms - the vehicle speed is a side effect.

 

Pretty much, although usually I have one eye on the tach - especially if the stereo is on. Car feel, engine sound, conditions, upcoming road characteristics (corners etc.) and all that stuff - basically I don't think too hard about it, it's a learned thing and is just natural reaction after a while.

 

My exact answer