Should You Look at the Tachometer or Speedometer When Shifting Gears?

[DelEverly]

This generally comes down to driving experience. You can look at the tachometer, the speedometer, or even rely on your own intuition. The goal is to drive the car under more economical conditions. The engine of a car usually has a recommended economical RPM range, where fuel consumption is low and power is strong. For example: if the recommended RPM is 2500, when in 1st gear at 2500 RPM, the steady speed is 15 km/h. If you want to go faster, you need to shift to 2nd gear. When in 2nd gear at 2500 RPM, the steady speed is 30 km/h, and to go even faster, you need to shift to a higher gear. And so on.

[DeZane]

I've been driving for many years and mainly rely on the tachometer for gear shifting because it directly shows the engine's current RPM status, making gear changes smoother and reducing jerky movements. Generally, shifting up between 2000 to 3000 RPM is most appropriate to avoid excessive fuel consumption at high RPM or insufficient power at low RPM. The speedometer is just an auxiliary tool for monitoring speed, especially needed in speed-limited zones, but the core focus is the tachometer. Long-term neglect of the tachometer can lead to premature clutch wear, so I've developed a habit of prioritizing RPM monitoring.