I wrote:

> re
> I have a question for those of you who drive a 1.9L manual: at what rpm
> do you normally upshift when pulling into traffic, or when climbing up a
> hill? I bet it's higher than 2600 rpm.

On Mon, 2011-05-23 at 15:21 -0700, Scott Daniel - Turbovans wrote:

>
> 'way' above 2,600.
> Probably I'm shifting out of first at 4,200, and out of 2nd at 3,500 or so.
> And out of 3rd at fairly zippy rpm too.
>
> the 1.9 likes to rev nicely.
> I've driven some 84  passenger manual trans vanagons that just rip through
> the gears ..

<snip>

My point exactly. I disagree with the idea that the VW engineers had
some overreaching wisdom when they picked these miserably low 2,600 rpm
shift points. It probably made for a genteel ride, nice for the punters
and laydees, but it does not give a fair representation of what the van
could do if only the buyer had chosen a manual.

Given that Ken at German Transaxle sees no risk to the transmission with
a governor that lets the engine rev to 3,200 before upshifting, and that
he normal driving habits of those who drive manuals of letting the
engines rev much higher than that before shifting, I'm tempted to get
Ken to make me a "super modified" governor.*

I grew up driving manuals, many of my previous cars were Volkswagens,
Fiats, etc., and I learned a lot about the limitations of small boxer
engines driving heavy buses (my previous was a 1971 bay window with a
1600 dp engine and the revered Bob Hoover tutored me, lived about 5
miles from my house in Vista, Calif.) so I know how to get a heavy bus
or van up to speed without stressing the engine, and it does not involve
upshifting at 2,600 rpm. In fact, that would have been stupid given how
much weaker the bottom end is on those earlier engine designs.

(In case anyone wonders, I do yearn for a manual. This Westy fell into
our laps with fewer than 70,000 miles on the clock back in 2006 or so.
So who was I to say no? To whine that it's not a manual?)

============
Wile E. Coyote: Super genius. I like the sound of that.