2005.5 Jetta manual shift points?

Question

I recently took a plunge and bought a 2005.5 New Jetta with the

5-speed manual transmission. For my old car, the documentation manual listed recommended shift speeds, but I can't find that information anywhere. A friend of mine told me that, at least on her '99 Jetta V6, it was recommended to her by multiple independent source to keep the RPMs in the 3000+ range in order to keep carbon build-up down. Does that piece of advice remain true for the engine?

I can't really tell much of a difference in fuel economy with the instantaneous readout on the in-dash computer....

-alan

Rob Guenther · Accepted Answer

How do you like the new Jetta? I want to test drive a manual one, but my dealer doesn't have one yet.I shift at the appropriate speed for traffic conditions - not going to rev to 4000-5000 in average traffic... maybe 3000-3500, less in slow traffic.Open roads I tend to shift around 4000ish, and cruise at around 2000rpm.Running at 3000+ rpms all the time gets irritating (noisy) at lower speeds I find. I've never seen "shift points" listed for my VW's - what car did you have before?

kaboom · Answer

**I have 1.8T 5-speed and I shift at or near 3K for normal city/rural driving. I shift at a higher rpm if I'm getting onto the highway. Occasionally, when I'm feeling puckish, I might open her up ;) Honestly, I think it'll be something you feel out for yourself as you continue to drive it. As for carbon build-up problems, I don't know. Right now, I only have 18K on my Jetta.

kaboomie

Joseph Meehan · Answer

Frankly I don't think that piece of advice remains true for any engine.

Matt B. · Answer

Max torque is at 3750 rpm so I wouldn't rev much beyond that because it'd be a waste.

Keeping revs up IMHO I think really only works if you're doing an "Italian Tune Up" in which case you're running at redline and this is something you don't do normally nor would you do it to a new car. I wouldn't worry much about carbon buildup in a modern car.

jimbehning · Answer

I shift my Jetta at 1800-2000 rpms normally. Rarely does it see 3,000rpms as a shift point.Alan Hoyle  wrote:Jim B.

Rob Guenther · Answer

.... This has got to be a diesel Jetta you drive, my fathers 2,0L Golf would nearly stall out if you shifted at 1800rpm.

Alan Hoyle · Answer

I like it pretty well, but I'm not an connoisseur. It's been fun to drive and it's done everything I've asked of it so far. The only issue I've had so far is that I've had some difficulty getting the armrest/trunk portal to latch. It seems to take more force than I'd expect.

I had a '95 Geo Prizm. I bought it new and it served me well over the last 10 years. The manual listed shift points for "optimal fuel consumption."

-alan

2005.5 Jetta manual shift points?

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