In my 98SE 5speed my RPMs are between 3000-3500 when Im driving on the highway around 80mph. Is this normal?

 

Stock? Is'nt 3k-3.5k quite a difference? I think my stock 96 SE runs 3k RPM's@70 from what I remember

 

yea thats normal, both my Max's did that

 

yep, that is where it should be

 

and people wonder why we get 20-25 mpg.

 

It just blows my mind whenever this question comes up. What would a "proper" RPM be for 80mph? How much would be not quite enough. Especially on 5-speed cars. There is NO way the rpms could be any different at any speed. The gear ratios are what they are.

On an auto, a torque converter problem could MAYBE make the RPMs change a little from what they "should be" but that's unlikely.

Sorry, it just baffles me how often this question gets asked....

 

I think that most people are a bit shocked because most cars have higher gear ratios (especially in 5th gear) to bring the rpms down for mileage on the highway. They think that there must be something wrong with their cars. When my max is doing 3000 rpm, even my Sh*tty S10 Blazer is doing 2200 rpms. The max has the power for a higher ratio, unlike some 4 cylinders(although I have seen some that have lower rpms at the same speed than a max). Some of the newer GM's are doing 14-1500 rpms at 60 mph and are making some real strides in fuel economy.
The question comes up often because people think that the numbers are high. The numbers are high! But they are high because that is the way that nissan likes them. 5th gear should be a highway gear, not an acceleration gear. I love the cars, but they can be better!

 

I still think 5th is kind of long, cause it warps us up to 260 kp/h @ 6500 rpm if you have the engine power to take it up there... at least, the E-spec maxima does it, I have a 5 speed VLSD