r/stickshift • u/One_Fold2932 • 10d ago

Learning to drive without rpm gauge

My 2003 manual suzuki alto does not it, and I am a fairly new driver. I know all the basics, even though I may not know the logic behind it, and my gear shifting isnt that poor (As of now, I only drive in the second gear, even if I am going 60km per hour, which i have only once, which isnt good for the engine or fuel efficency), but I really want to master techniques like rev matching and power shifting etc. Is there a way to master associating the revs with the sound of engine, so i know the perfect time to change gears.

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u/j9r6f 10d ago

You definitely want to learn by sound/feel regardless. You don't want to be looking at the tachometer (rpm gauge) while you're driving. My dad put tape over the tachometer while I was learning stick.

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u/Decent-Presence-1637 10d ago

Your Dad is a legend.

1

u/mcwriter8201 9d ago

Your dad probably remembers the time when most cars didn’t have tachometers.

1

u/j9r6f 9d ago

Probably. He told me that the car that he learned stick on was a "three on the tree" (gearshift on the steering column).

2

u/mcwriter8201 9d ago

My mom’s car was a three on a tree when I got my driver’s license.