So I'm back in the Subaru fold after buying my mother's 2005 Legacy Outback this summer (nice car, but a little underpowered with the AT). I'm very close to buying a friend's 2009 Forester X, 5-speed. I know from riding with her that she shifts all the way into 4th gear by 35 mph. In other words, she's lugging the engine. Is this a safe car to buy given that it has 19,000 miles?
My god, what is it with people who do this, shift into 4th gear before barely moving?
I drove my first (1988) Subaru 246,000 km before giving it to a daughter. She and her husband put about another 100,000 km on it before giving it to my other daughter, who, with her husband, got it up to
409,000 km before giving it to a friend before they went to Eritrea for two years. (The friend crashed it into a tree so I don't know how much longer it would have lasted.)My second (1997) Subaru I got up to 307,000 km before giving it to my second daughter. She and her husband have it up in the high 300s by now.
My third (2007) Subaru only has about 70,000 km on it and is just getting broken in.
All of these cars, at least while I had them, got shifted to fourth gear a little below 50 km/h provided the terrain was flat and I wasn't in a hurry. I don't think speed at which one shifts is the only thing; load conditions are important too. When life is easy for the Subaru, shifting into fourth gear just below 30 mi/h isn't going to hurt it and will definitely save some gasoline. Now doing it with the pedal floored, or going uphill, is another story.
David
In my 98 legacy I am usually in fifth by 40 unless I am accelerating briskly. Fourth gear I think is good for 19 mph per thousand RPM in my car, and I'd think it would be comparable in the 09 forester. Newer cars might have taller gearing, but also likely have a 6 speed, so fourth is probablya bout the same. But since the boxer makes enough torque down low I don't think it is lugging the engine to have it spinning at 2k RPM or so. I actually think that is normal.
I had a 95 legacy that I drove this way for years. In fact I'd usually have it floored while accelerating keepign the revs between 2k and 3k, which led to normal amounts of acceleration. I sold it at 249k miles and it wasn't burning oil or showing any signs of engine wear.
So I'd say don't worry about it. The risks are accelerated bearing wear and melting a piston. The knock sensor in a modern car will prevent the second, and the first never showed up in my 249k mile car, and probably wouldn't have had enough time to have any significant damage in a car that is only two years old at the maximum.
Hmmm...I've shifted ALL my cars into 4th around 35 MPH. I never considered it 'lugging', I've never had a major engine or trans problem, and I've had two cars over 240,000 miles on the original clutches...
You're supposed to take your foot OFF the gas?!?!? ;)
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