> Is there particular RPM, acceleration patterns etc which are better for
the motor than others?

on the 86-91 models and the 85 WLE's with tachometers, vw shows the "green
zone" to be from about 2000 rpm to 4000 rpm. going below 2000 rpm would be
considered "lugging" the engine and puts a lot of stress on the internal
engine parts (better to shift down a gear and get the rpm back up into the
"powerband" of about 3000-3400 rpm).  above 4000 rpm, and basically you're
just wasting gas, especially in 4th gear.

yeah, i know ... lots of you folks run 5000 rpm in 4th gear, zooming down
the highway. but in my test with an 86 and an 88 bus, above 4200 rpm, and
your mpg drops off pretty sharply. better (in my opinion) to cruise along at
3800-4000 rpm and let everyone else pass you, while you get a couple of mpg
better.

for acceleration, i try to run each gear up to about 3600 rpm or so, 4000
rpm if i'm in a hurry, before shift up. sometimes, like when trying to get
onto an interstate via an entry ramp, i've had to run it up to almost 5000
rpm because i was going uphill slightly on the ramp, but  i don't like doing
that as a regular practice.

when slowing down, if the rpm drops below about 2400, i start looking to
shift down a gear.

just my peculiar way of driving. :)  of course, having a tachometer in the
dash helps a lot. i used to have to drive my old 80 bus by "ear", which is a
bit more uncertain ... then i installed a tach in it, and found out i was
kinda deaf. ;)

joel