# Chevy Cruze LS 1.8 Liter Automatic Acceleration



## Lambo LVr (Apr 12, 2011)

*Gutless*

I have a 1.8L manual LS model. This six speed thing is just a gimick. The gears are way too short. I have to shift into second right away after taking off. 1st gear is just to push the car into second. Your car is not broken, your not imaging anything it's just the way they're built. FUEL ECONOMY!!!!!


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## avenue (Feb 7, 2011)

Lambo LVr said:


> I have a 1.8L manual LS model. This six speed thing is just a gimick. The gears are way too short. I have to shift into second right away after taking off. 1st gear is just to push the car into second. Your car is not broken, your not imaging anything it's just the way they're built. FUEL ECONOMY!!!!!


If you're accelerating quickly (or are trying to), when do you shift out of 1st gear (at what RPM's)? When I'm in manual mode I do it between 3,000 and 4,000. Then it takes off in second gear. Should I shift into second gear sooner?


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## shawn672 (Oct 31, 2010)

1.8's should shift right before red line for maximum power/torque (assuming without seeing a dyno sheet)


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## avenue (Feb 7, 2011)

shawn672 said:


> 1.8's should shift right before red line for maximum power/torque (assuming without seeing a dyno sheet)


Honestly, I'm scared to push it that far. I've never went about 5,000 RPM's in ANY car before. I don't want to end up damaging the engine or anything like that. From what I've experienced in the Cruze so far, the higher RPM's seem to just rev the car (at least it seems that way in 1st gear).

I guess I'm worrying for nothing? (Like I said earlier, I'm not an expert at this stuff.)


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## 72buickgs (Mar 20, 2011)

shawn672 said:


> 1.8's should shift right before red line for maximum power/torque (assuming without seeing a dyno sheet)


i thought that max torque and hp was in the 3500 +/- rpm range.


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## Skilz10179 (Mar 22, 2011)

avenue said:


> Honestly, I'm scared to push it that far. I've never went about 5,000 RPM's in ANY car before. I don't want to end up damaging the engine or anything like that. From what I've experienced in the Cruze so far, the higher RPM's seem to just rev the car (at least it seems that way in 1st gear).
> 
> I guess I'm worrying for nothing? (Like I said earlier, I'm not an expert at this stuff.)


Rev it to redline, there is no reason to let off the throttle in an automatic. There is rev limiter and shift points controlled by the ecu, all you need to do is put it in drive and floor it. The manual mode on a automatic is a joke...


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

1.8L specs:

138*** hp @ 6300 rpm
125 lb·ft @ 3800 rpm

...you can use this equation to "double-check" GM's number:

*HP = (TQ x RPM)/5252*

...where:
HP = horsepower
TQ = torque, lb·ft
RPM = engine speed, rev-per-min
5252 = conversion constant

...so:

1) HP = (125 x 3800)/5252 = 90.4 hp @ 3800 rpm
2) TQ = (HP x 5252)/RPM = 115 lb·ft @ 6300 rpm

*** = some GM data sheets show 141 hp, not 138 hp, at 6300 rpm.


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## avenue (Feb 7, 2011)

Skilz10179 said:


> Rev it to redline, there is no reason to let off the throttle in an automatic. There is rev limiter and shift points controlled by the ecu, all you need to do is put it in drive and floor it. The manual mode on a automatic is a joke...


Isn't flooring it bad for the engine? I'm looking to keep the car for a long time so I don't want to wear it out.


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## Lambo LVr (Apr 12, 2011)

*Put the pedal to the metal!*



avenue said:


> Isn't flooring it bad for the engine? I'm looking to keep the car for a long time so I don't want to wear it out.


 Modern engines are cut with lazers, so there isn't really any break-in period. I have a manual LS and give it a good beating every 3 or 4 minutes. (LOL) But seriously the engine does sound pretty nice at about 6000 rpm. Do yourself a favour and GUN IT!!


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## Cruzemeister (Mar 22, 2011)

Automatic 1.8 LS - bought end of Feb - (not on the recall list - yay....) 
First couple of hundred miles I wanted my 2.2 Cobalt back, also automatic. Tranny learning curve and all that. Started giving it a "workout" around 500 miles - jack rabbit starts - highway flooring it - redlining and taking it up to 85/90 for short periods... the whole 9. 
Now it behaves like a well fed purrrring kitten. I'm back to mileagemaker driving for now (1200 mi now) and even the lightfoot driving is smooth and predictable. Response from stop is excellent. Did the thrashing around do it good? I don't know. But it seems to have "learned" something since I first got it.


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## avenue (Feb 7, 2011)

Cruzemeister said:


> Automatic 1.8 LS - bought end of Feb - (not on the recall list - yay....)
> First couple of hundred miles I wanted my 2.2 Cobalt back, also automatic. Tranny learning curve and all that. Started giving it a "workout" around 500 miles - jack rabbit starts - highway flooring it - redlining and taking it up to 85/90 for short periods... the whole 9.
> Now it behaves like a well fed purrrring kitten. I'm back to mileagemaker driving for now (1200 mi now) and even the lightfoot driving is smooth and predictable. Response from stop is excellent. Did the thrashing around do it good? I don't know. But it seems to have "learned" something since I first got it.


I'm glad to hear that the car is running good now. Since the car "learns" your driving style, how does it seem to react to something different? For example, if you usually accelerate lightly, for month and month, how does the car react if you floor it all of a sudden? Also, how could it react the other way around, if you're always accelerating heavily, and then all of a sudden drive very lightly. Does that mess up the car at all? I'm guessing not because there are times when people that drive alowly need to accelerate quickly to merge into traffic, etc, so I guess the car is made for that.


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## Cruzemeister (Mar 22, 2011)

avenue said:


> I'm glad to hear that the car is running good now. Since the car "learns" your driving style, how does it seem to react to something different? For example, if you usually accelerate lightly, for month and month, how does the car react if you floor it all of a sudden? Also, how could it react the other way around, if you're always accelerating heavily, and then all of a sudden drive very lightly. Does that mess up the car at all? I'm guessing not because there are times when people that drive alowly need to accelerate quickly to merge into traffic, etc, so I guess the car is made for that.


 It seems to have learned, as someone else said here, the mechanical link between the engine and the trans. That thing about learning a person's individual style I believe is a misconception. It's just that the car has to be driven for the two to get "married". After that, it seems to even out. 
But, I don't think any amount of miles or fast vs slow will ever make an old fashioned 1 to 4 auto seemless up and down without a shift sensation out of these newer generations of tranny's. 
But here's the thing: I've driven manuals of different brands across many years. I've never been able to do anything as smooth manually (shift feeling/lurching) as this auto does even at it's weirdest. The only thing different (manual) is that you get to choose what gear you want when. Being a slacker by nature, that's just too much thinking for me once the novelty of playtime wears off. And personally, I think that "around town driving" - which is mostly what I do - is actually better off without the turbo aspect. No need for jabbs = no lags.


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## avenue (Feb 7, 2011)

Lambo LVr said:


> Modern engines are cut with lazers, so there isn't really any break-in period. I have a manual LS and give it a good beating every 3 or 4 minutes. (LOL) But seriously the engine does sound pretty nice at about 6000 rpm. Do yourself a favour and GUN IT!!


I have talked to some people that are good at cars, and they keep saying that it is not good for the car and that it will wear out the engine. They are also saying it could blow the engine and someone said something about rods? Maybe it was throwing a rod? Anyway, they know a lot about older cars. Maybe things have changed with the newer cars.


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## avenue (Feb 7, 2011)

Cruzemeister said:


> It seems to have learned, as someone else said here, the mechanical link between the engine and the trans. That thing about learning a person's individual style I believe is a misconception. It's just that the car has to be driven for the two to get "married". After that, it seems to even out.
> But, I don't think any amount of miles or fast vs slow will ever make an old fashioned 1 to 4 auto seemless up and down without a shift sensation out of these newer generations of tranny's.
> But here's the thing: I've driven manuals of different brands across many years. I've never been able to do anything as smooth manually (shift feeling/lurching) as this auto does even at it's weirdest. The only thing different (manual) is that you get to choose what gear you want when. Being a slacker by nature, that's just too much thinking for me once the novelty of playtime wears off. And personally, I think that "around town driving" - which is mostly what I do - is actually better off without the turbo aspect. No need for jabbs = no lags.


I like the LS, except for the lack of power compared to the turbo, but I guess I don't ''need'' a turbo. The only thing that worries me is the reliability. It looks like most of the testing was done on the turbo. For example, on the website it talks about driving at different altitudes, etc, and they probably did that with the turbo engine. I just hope the 1.8 liter will last a long time with any major problems. Other than the engine, just about everything else is the same with the LS and the other models, right? So all of the extreme testing that was done should apply to all the models (like traction control, and other safety features).


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## avenue (Feb 7, 2011)

I've been talking to a lot of people about cars, and most people online, say something different than those that I talk to in person.

Those I talk to in person say I shouldn't rev the engine, I shouldn't floor it, etc. They're saying it won't last as long, it's bad for the engine, and that the engine might blow or something. Then, I come online, and people say "Floor it, have some fun." and it confused me. So, I talked to someone I know online today, and I "think" they cleared it up for me. He said that I'm probably just talking to people in person that know a lot about the older cars, and that I'm talking to people online that have kept up with the technology, and know about the newer cars. He said with the newer cars that I really can't hurt it and that there is so much protection in place. Does that make sense to you guys? Can I really floor this car and not need to worry about wearing it out, or blowing out the engine? I've never floored a car before, so I'm a little nervous about it honestly.


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

...in a _real_ *emergency*, you really don't want to be "timid" about using the accelerator!


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## avenue (Feb 7, 2011)

70AARCUDA said:


> ...in a _real_ *emergency*, you really don't want to be "timid" about using the accelerator!


Well, yeah, if I NEED to floor it so I don't get hit, I will, but I'm talking about just doing it for fun..


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## Skilz10179 (Mar 22, 2011)

avenue said:


> I've been talking to a lot of people about cars, and most people online, say something different than those that I talk to in person.
> 
> Those I talk to in person say I shouldn't rev the engine, I shouldn't floor it, etc. They're saying it won't last as long, it's bad for the engine, and that the engine might blow or something. Then, I come online, and people say "Floor it, have some fun." and it confused me. So, I talked to someone I know online today, and I "think" they cleared it up for me. He said that I'm probably just talking to people in person that know a lot about the older cars, and that I'm talking to people online that have kept up with the technology, and know about the newer cars. He said with the newer cars that I really can't hurt it and that there is so much protection in place. Does that make sense to you guys? Can I really floor this car and not need to worry about wearing it out, or blowing out the engine? I've never floored a car before, so I'm a little nervous about it honestly.


The majority of people in the world are idiots, educate yourself and come to a conclusion on your own. Keep in mind your car has a 5 year 100,000 mile warranty on the drivetrain...


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## avenue (Feb 7, 2011)

Skilz10179 said:


> The majority of people in the world are idiots, educate yourself and come to a conclusion on your own. Keep in mind your car has a 5 year 100,000 mile warranty on the drivetrain...


I know it has a warranty, but there are two reasons why I don't want to be rough on it, even though it has that warranty.

1) I'm looking to keep the car a long time. I don't plan on trading it in.

2) I'm worried they'll use the computer and say I was abusing it or something stupid like that. I don't want them to say I voided the warranty because I was too heavy on the accelerator, or drove too fast, or something like that.


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## jakkaroo (Feb 12, 2011)

avenue said:


> I know it has a warranty, but there are two reasons why I don't want to be rough on it, even though it has that warranty.
> 
> 1) I'm looking to keep the car a long time. I don't plan on trading it in.
> 
> 2) I'm worried they'll use the computer and say I was abusing it or something stupid like that. I don't want them to say I voided the warranty because I was too heavy on the accelerator, or drove too fast, or something like that.


they cant void your warranty by judging you on how you drive its there job to make suree there cars are bulletproof for retards like me


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## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

...drive "*prudently*" and you'll be OK

...drive "*idiotically*" and...well, you won't be OK.


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## avenue (Feb 7, 2011)

jakkaroo said:


> they cant void your warranty by judging you on how you drive its there job to make suree there cars are bulletproof for retards like me


Oh, I see. Well, that's good to know.

Is it rare to "throw a rod" on the newer cars? I just read online that it can happen.


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## jakkaroo (Feb 12, 2011)

avenue said:


> Oh, I see. Well, that's good to know.
> 
> Is it rare to "throw a rod" on the newer cars? I just read online that it can happen.


if anything is gonna happen like that it will be in the first few thousand miles when you hit 50k your car should be good to run for a long time


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## avenue (Feb 7, 2011)

jakkaroo said:


> if anything is gonna happen like that it will be in the first few thousand miles when you hit 50k your car should be good to run for a long time


That's good to know.

Thanks!


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