Celica Forums General Discussion General How to drive well and still engage VVTL-i

Hi, I just got my first car, a 2002 Celica VVTL-i. I am loving it. My question is, how do I drive properly and still reach 6000 revs and engage the lift. I have never reached 6000 revs while driving, urban or non-urban. Especially in 1st and 2nd, by the time Im hitting 4 or 5 k, its time to change up. I dont want to be driving around with my engine screaming while trying to reach the lift. Especially as its my first car, I suppose I dont have a sense of what my engine should be doing, what gear I should be in, etc. I understand that , as more of a performance car, I may need to drive it a bit differently from the ford focus that I learned in!

Any tips or thoughts appreciated.

Bounce the needle off the Rev limiter! Joking aside your '02 has a Rev limiter of 7800. Go to a drag strip and push your car that way you can learn it's upper limits.

appreciate the response. Doesnt really help me though :P

just need some tips really

My tips:

Don't be afraid to push it, you don't know until you try.
Don't be afraid to rev it out to 7k, it is a high revving engine. The rev limiter keeps you from damaging your engine.
The engine screams no matter what, get used to it and embrace it.
JUST HAVE FUN.

Just make sure your A/C is turned off... lol

scottstcgt03, why?

because the AC uses engine power. you'll notice first hand the slight reduction in power when your AC is ON, vs when it is OFF. This is just the nature of a mid-100hp vehicle from the 00s.This is even more evedent if the vehicle has an automatic transmission.

thanks for the info

I am getting much more into it now, regularly revving up past 6k, its a lot of fun

Just floor it. Once the needle hits 6000rpm, it shoots quick to redline like a rocket. Faster than from 1000rpm to 6000rpm, so be prepared to shift gear right before redline. Second gear is good up to 60mph.