Never shift into REVERSE until the vehicle has come to a
complete stop.
NOTE:
During cold weather, until the transmission lubri-
cant is warm, you may experience slightly higher shift
efforts. This is normal and not harmful to the transmission.
Recommended Shift Speeds
To use your manual transmission for optimal fuel economy,
it should be upshifted as listed in the following table.
Manual Transmission Recommended Shift Speeds
Units in mph (km/h)
Engine
Size
Accel-
eration
Rate
1to2 2to3 3to4 4to5
All
Engines
Accel 14 (23) 23 (37) 29 (47) 45 (72)
Cruise 12 (19) 18 (29) 25 (40) 32 (52)
Downshifting
Proper downshifting will improve fuel economy and pro-
long engine life.
CAUTION!
If you skip a gear while downshifting or downshift
at too high of a vehicle speed, these conditions may
cause the engine to overspeed if too low of a gear is
selected and the clutch pedal is released. Damage to
the clutch and the transmission can result from
skipping a gear while downshifting or downshifting
at too high of a vehicle speed even if the clutch pedal
is held pressed (i.e., not released).
To maintain a safe speed and prolong brake life, shift down
to second or first gear when descending a steep grade.
When turning a corner or driving up a steep grade, down-
shift early so that the engine will not be overburdened.
322 STARTING AND OPERATING