What is the speed range for each gear in a manual transmission?
2 Answers
Manual transmission speed ranges for each gear are as follows: 1st gear economic speed is 15-20 km/h; 2nd gear economic speed is 25-40 km/h; 3rd gear economic speed is 40-60 km/h; 4th gear economic speed is 60-75 km/h; 5th gear economic speed is above 75 km/h. A manual transmission (MT), also known as a manual gearbox, requires the driver to manually shift gears by moving the gear stick to change the gear engagement mechanism inside the transmission, thereby altering the gear ratio to achieve speed variation. The manual transmission uses shift forks to change the gear ratio (tooth ratio) of the meshing gears, thereby modifying the driving torque to suit different operating conditions.
Having driven manual transmission cars for twenty years, I've noticed significant differences in gear-speed matching across different vehicles. For small-displacement cars, shifting to second gear at 15-20 km/h feels most comfortable, while shifting to third gear around 30 km/h ensures smooth power delivery. Using fourth gear at around 40 km/h is ideal for city driving, and fifth gear above 55 km/h maximizes fuel efficiency. However, with high-displacement cars, I tend to delay shifting slightly—for instance, waiting until 25 km/h before shifting to second gear. The key is to listen to the engine sound; when the RPM exceeds 2500 and the engine noticeably gets louder, it's time to upshift. On uphill sections, I prefer to downshift decisively before the engine sound becomes too strained.
