Just a few different general questions.

I just bought a use 1999 Ford Mustang GT. This is my first car with a standard transmission, and I've gotten that down pretty well at the moment, with a few things here and there I don't quite understand too well.

1. With a v8, when would be the best time to shift to get, at least, some decent gas mileage?

2. What would be a good rpm range while in gear to keep it to also minimize gas usage. I generally try to keep in a gear that will have me running between 1200-1800 RPMs, but I don't know if there is a better way or more suitable RPM range to stay in.

3. When I head towards a stop sign, I usually throw my car in neutral from 3rd or 2nd so I don't have to hold down the clutch when I go to stop, I wasn't sure if this was bad for the car or if I should be down-shifting rather then throwing it in to neutral when coming to a stop.

4. Also, when I start to hit high speeds on the highway, roughly 80mph or so, my car starts to shake quite a bit, any idea what could cause this?

5. When I'm driving down a slightly bumpy road, or hit a pothole my car bounces a bit more then it should, and it's like an irregular bounce that moves the car too much or something similar to that. It's very strange, any clue what could be causing that?

And my last question.

6. Seeing as I just got the car, I'm not too sure what regular maintenance I should start on first. Any suggestions on what I should check to see if it needs replacing, fluids and others?



Sorry for the multitude of questions, I'm just new to car maintenance and what not so I'm trying to learn. Also, any suggestions on how I should best use the clutch and drive with a standard would be greatly appreciated to. Thanks!

 

1. Just shift like normal, mpg shouldn't be bad unless your letting the rpm's get up there, when its not really need.
2. depends how fast your going.
3. I do the same thing. seem ok
4. maybe your tires need to be balanced
5. might be time for new shocks and struts
6. oil, spark plugs, coolant, fuel filter is a good start

oh and welcome to the forum

 

That helps a lot, thanks .
Also, one thing I probably forgot to mention about that car that could be causing some of the issues, is that 3 of the 4 tires are new and a different brand than the 4th. I plan on getting that 4th tire replaced with the same brand/type of the other tires, just don't have the money yet. Could that be causing some of the shaking issues?

I'll also jump on some of those parts to check, I'll have to do some research on how to find/replace some of those parts though (if I can even do some of it myself).

Thanks again. I'll be around on the forums quite a bit more, and most likely I'll have plenty more questions.

 

Just to let you know as well, it is common if you go around a corner and hit a pot hole with the backend she will kick out. I pop my car in neutral at lights and stops. I downshift when I can to save the brakes a little but not screaming the car either when I do it. Hope that helps and welcome.

 

I've learned my lesson on the pot-holes and corners... haha, as for the downshifting to save the brakes, I just avoid that one in general.

Though I do need my brakes looked at, when I go to brake my car will either want to veer to the left, or veer to the right. At first, it was just to the left so I figured the right brake wasn't catching, but then when it started doing it to the right it just confused the hell out of me. Possible that both brakes could be bad?

 

Shift around 2000rpm and you can cruise in the highest gear you can without having the engine bog down. Probably stay out of 5th unless you're over 45mph.

As for throwing it in neutral to coast to a stop, you technically want to leave it in gear as long as you can while braking. Only put the clutch in before the engine starts to bog, helps to save brakes and is overall just the correct way to drive a manual.

 

Also, get your alignment checked for any errors. If your car is stock, a high-flow air filter/intake silencer removal and a catback exhaust will help to aid in your fuel mpg savings.

 

If I'm in the gas saving mode. I generally try to coast as much as possible.
With that said, it's also better to be leave the transmission in neutral and have the clutch pedal released.

As for the pot holes and moving the car. Poor shocks can do that.

When I buy a used car. I usually try to change ALL the fluids. Don't neglect the brake, coolant, transmission, power steering and differential fluid either.

 

Thanks for the help guys, gives me a lot to keep in mind.

I'm started to keep my shifting around 2500, give or take, and I'm getting a lot better at rev-matching. Now I just have to work on getting my car into a shop to get it properly inspected and get some of the issues fixed. I'll start working on some of the fluids and things I can do myself tomorrow.

 

Another question, I know when down shifting you want to match the RPM's so as not to cause trouble for the engine, and to get a smoother ride. But what about shifting up? Do you just want to shift without throwing any gas till after it's in gear, or do you want to pump up the RPM's a bit? I wasn't quite sure about this because if you wait for the RPMs to drop you're holding in the clutch a few seconds longer and it generally seems like a bad idea to hold the clutch in for too long.