need help explaning why this mechanic is dumb...

[Green4.6GT]

ok so a fellow sn members mechanic is telling him that gears will shorten his engine life because his car will have more stress...

saying that any gear change at all is a bad idea, but going anything more that 3.73s will ruin your engine... now i'm not here to fight about wich gear is better.. so keep those comments down please.. anyways... i need a hand proving him wrong...

his arguement is that the car will rev higher while coasting at a given MPH, so that will shorten engine life, used the example that if you have a higher gear ratio, its like the engine has gone double the distance, due to the rpm..

i think he is just afraid of the gear, and a moron lol..

discuss..

 

[chimchim]

who cares?

If we didn't want to have fun when we drive, we wouldn't own mustangs to begin with. This guy sounds more like a friend with stupid advice. Don't mechanics get paid to do work you ask them to do? If he doesn't want paid, he's either lazy or stupid and you don't want him working on your car anyway. I hope I didn't prove anything.

 

[Green4.6GT]

haha, well what i was thinking, is the car accellerates easier, because the gears multiply TQ, and let the engine rev more freely. so that shouild offset any harm done by the slightly higher crusing rpm (even with my 4.30s it isnt that bad)

 

[chimchim]

Most engineers will tell you that your engine runs most efficiently at peak torque. If that's the case, getting your car to peak torque and staying there is most efficient, but I don't know if efficiency translates into life expectancy. If you're just working hard numbers, friction kills engines and 2,600 RPM at 70 compared to 2,000 RPM at 70 is more friction. Therefore, the mechanic might be right because highers RPM's cause more friction, but back to my original theory: If you want engine life, buy a Toyota Prius and you can recharge it forever.

 

[PULMEOVR]

Well, gears do put more wear and tear on an engine because it revs higher when crusing on a highway. The more your engine turns, the more wear is going on it. But anyways, gears are fun, so who cares.


Matt

 

[Modular2v]

actually it is an equal trade off. YES your car will stay at higher revs ...but it wont have to work as hard to get there with the gears. A higher geared car works harder to get at the desired speed causing equal wear and tear. So in the end it really doesnt matter at all

 

[CanadaStang]

If you don't do a lot of highway driving, gears won't make any difference to engine wear. For example: instead of driving in 3rd at 2000rpm, you would be driving in 4th at 2000rpm at roughly the same given speed
If all you use the car for is highway driving, then yes, higher rpms = more engine wear.

 

[CanadaStang]

Geez you guys posted fast

 

[chimchim]

I'm going to play devil's advocate and side with the mechanic again (but not for the same reasons). All of you are neglecting the fact that with the gears, you're going to stomp about twice as much as without because it is just so much fun. (.)(.)

 

[crew_dawg16]

If you don't do a lot of highway driving, gears won't make any difference to engine wear. For example: instead of driving in 3rd at 2000rpm, you would be driving in 4th at 2000rpm at roughly the same given speed
If all you use the car for is highway driving, then yes, higher rpms = more engine wear.

The only difference is high-speed cruising and I would say your engine/drivetrain experiences less stress on average due to the greater multiplication of torque created by the lower (numerically higher) gear ratio.

 

[TweekedGT]

If you don't do a lot of highway driving, gears won't make any difference to engine wear. For example: instead of driving in 3rd at 2000rpm, you would be driving in 4th at 2000rpm at roughly the same given speed
If all you use the car for is highway driving, then yes, higher rpms = more engine wear.

Exactly! You are only going to be in a higher gear not necesarily higher rpm. You could make the argument the other way too. RPM is like your heart rate. The lower your resting heart rate the better chance for a long life. That is why stress is so bad on us. Anyways who cares. Stab the throttle and hold on to your shorts! Have fun man, you drive a stang!

 

[CanadaStang]

I'm going to play devil's advocate and side with the mechanic again (but not for the same reasons). All of you are neglecting the fact that with the gears, you're going to stomp about twice as much as without because it is just so much fun. (.)(.)

thats what I was thinking

 

[jas142]

It does put more wear and tear on your engine, because the engine is running at a higher RPM.. but the change is not significant enough to do much harm, unless you cruise everywhere at 80 mph for hours on end daily

 

[n0v8or]

It's unfortunate that your mechanic chose to use the term "more stress". If he or she had used the term "more wear", there would be no argument.
Faster engine wear is a price to be paid for better performance. For most who elect a higher numeric gear ratio, the trade off is worth it.

If you drive another 50K miles, then sell the car, it won't make any difference for you. It's the next owner who's engine may wear out a little sooner.

 

[1fast03pony]

there is less stress on the motor-
think of a bicycle, when youre in a taller gear you have to pedal harder to get the bike moving = more stress on your body

when youre in a lower gear you pedal faster to get the bike moving = more wear on your joints.

its wear, not stress. unless you have a superior oil. the effects would be minimal and i wouldnt worry about it until 130k miles.