Not Sure I am SHifting Right. Please Help.

[GothDarkman]

I am using a Control Pad to play the game. I hae the settings on Sequential. I am trying to figure it out, when to shift. I usually Shift up gears around 2000 rpm. I am curious what gear am I suppose to be in at 55? Is it the max gear no matter the size of the transmission? Also how do I know what gear I am suppose to be in when downshifting? Or is that something That depends on where I am and I will have to learn as I go? Is there a proper turning speed to aim for? Like I know normal cars (The one I learned on, was like making turns at 20mph.Any help would be appreciated.

[Hypertext Eye]

You are shifting too late. These engines are designed to operate most efficiently between 1100-1500 RPM, so you should be upshifting ~1500 RPM. However if you are going uphill you should let it go higher or you will lose power.

Having said that, waiting longer to upshift doesn't really hurt anything other than your fuel efficiency, and you may actually accelerate more quickly.

[GothDarkman]

Thank you. Would that make the ending gear be lower when I reach the 55mph speed limit? Or is that depending on the transmission?

[Hypertext Eye]

Speed is basically RPM x gear ratio. (actual formula also includes differential ratio, drive tire circumference, speed loss due to outside forces)
So, cruising gear depends on transmission and RPM.
If you are upshifting at lower RPM then you'll be in a higher gear when you reach cruising speed.

[Twelvefield]

As you go along, you'll unlock more powerful engines and different transmissions that you can buy to match your driving style. For example, the six speed transmission is the most like what you would find in a car. The eighteen speed transmission will find you skipping gears frequently under basic driving situations, so out of the eighteen gears you might typically only use nine, or even six.

[~IsR~Dave2]

on most trucks, in the game the tachomerter shows a green area should try to shift up when at the furthest point to the right, or he highest rpm in the range and shift doen at the lowest point in the range. if you keep an eye on the tack it will help

[Hypertext Eye]

Originally posted by (CAL) Dave Bevan:

on most trucks, in the game the tachomerter shows a green area

In ETS2 that is true. Not in ATS. (this is ATS board)

[GothDarkman]

Thanks everyone. So there is no st gear for turning? Like entering an interstate or Turning into Business locarions? I find mysef basically coming to a complete slop in the road and then turning. or havinf to stop because I am in the wrong gear.

[Hypertext Eye]

Just keep practicing and you'll figure it out.
I can't just tell you exactly what to do because it depends on how you control the game, your sensitivity settings, nonlinearity, whether or not you're using a physics mod and how that changes things, etc.

[Twelvefield]

Like in a car, you'll want to find a gear where you can cruise through your turn. In my first Ford Focus, I blew out the clutch plate because I was riding the clutch through turns - it's something you can do, but it's very hard on the clutch (not an issue in the game) and it's not safe since you end up guessing your next gear and could stall.

In ATS, the transmission is forgiving. If you are in the wrong gear and your engine revs are too high, the transmission will float until the revs come in to range. If your gear is too low, you stall, but as long as you catch it quickly you can do a rolling start easily. What you want is a gear where you will accelerate when you apply some gas, or you cruise when you apply just a little accelerator.

Bobtailing (without a trailer), your tractor behaves a lot like a car. With a trailer, though, you carry a lot of weight, which means you have to pay attention to pulling power: torque. As well, on flat roads, the weight isn't as much of a problem as it is on inclines, especially highway exits. So there's no standard gear, you end up adapting to conditions. If you like, you could switch to a fully automatic transmission and drive some quick jobs. Watch where the AI shifts, and listen to the engine sounds. Learn those cues and then go back to a standard transmission and try to copy those moves.

Also, since you are using the keyboard, you are missing out on a lot of fine control. Any game controller, like an XBOX, will give you much more precision. A wheel with pedals is even better.

[Hypertext Eye]

Originally posted by Twelvefield:

If you like, you could switch to a fully automatic transmission and drive some quick jobs. Watch where the AI shifts, and listen to the engine sounds. Learn those cues and then go back to a standard transmission and try to copy those moves.

The automatic shifter is terrible at going up hills though. Otherwise this is good advice.

[GothDarkman]

I do use a controller. No pedls or wheel yet. And I did try switchng to Auto Transmission and ran that for a while. Just felt like I was missing something when I switched back. I just tried a run using All the advice here and did have a better run. Thanks to everyone here.I do understand when hailing a load, it behaves different. And I am guessing when using th engine brake you down shift too to keep it rumbling (If you will) having an effect. Are you guys able to go the full speed linit? Is that even a good idea on the emgine if we can only get efficiency around 15000? Forgive all the questions. i amtrying todo this right. Learn something too lol.

[GothDarkman]

Oh I forgot to mention. I don't haveany mods for physics.Just theone option clicked or cabin physics in the options menu. figured it would be best to learn How to do things without that mod lol

[Leetpandaz]

Originally posted by GothDarkman:

I do use a controller. No pedls or wheel yet. And I did try switchng to Auto Transmission and ran that for a while. Just felt like I was missing something when I switched back. I just tried a run using All the advice here and did have a better run. Thanks to everyone here.I do understand when hailing a load, it behaves different. And I am guessing when using th engine brake you down shift too to keep it rumbling (If you will) having an effect. Are you guys able to go the full speed linit? Is that even a good idea on the emgine if we can only get efficiency around 15000? Forgive all the questions. i amtrying todo this right. Learn something too lol.

Engine brakes work well in the higher rpm range so 1500ish is good for.them to be most effective.

Depending on my.load, engine, and if there are hills i might not ne able to hit the limit in some areas. 55 is easy also 65. Sometimes 70-80 is harder because i dont have enough torque/horsepower to get to that speed.

[Hypertext Eye]

Originally posted by GothDarkman:

And I am guessing when using th engine brake you down shift too to keep it rumbling (If you will) having an effect.

Yes, the engine brake is most effective at high RPM (it functions by slowing the engine and not the wheels), so you want to downshift depending on how much braking effect you want. If you need to drop speed quickly then downshift to keep RPM high (above 1500). Otherwise I wouldn't worry too much.

Are you guys able to go the full speed linit? Is that even a good idea on the emgine if we can only get efficiency around 1500?

I don't understand the question. Why would the efficient RPM range keep you from reaching the speed limit?

[GothDarkman]

It isn't reaching the speed limit I am worried about it is going 75mph and the RPM exceeding max effenciy at 1500. I really do appreciate everyone's timeandanswering my questions. Thank you all very much. This has been most helpful