Driving a Spider

[LEN_LEEB@domain.elided]

     Steve asks:
     
     At what RPM range should 86 Spiders be driven?
     On city streets?
     On highways?
     What are the downsides of flooring it?
     
     My answers are:
     The red line is there for a reason; that is to keep you from exceeding 
     it for too long!  ;*)
     Alfas are well built engines, and as you have seen, love to be revved.
     I try to shift below 4000 when the engine is cold and use as much as 
     the engine will give me when fully warmed up. The main thing is to 
     enjoy your car. If you drive the car to redline, you'll accelerate 
     faster, make more noise, and have more fun.
     The downside to flooring it is that you will have a slightly higher 
     gas bill. the other downside is that your car will make more noise, 
     possibly attracting the local police to investigate your speed.
     
     So, to answer your questions, on city streets, I use whatever shift 
     point seems appropriate; low in school zones, higher on expressways, 
     and highways. Depending on the situation, I would downshift to pass,
     and use as many revs as necessary to get safely back into my lane.
     If you never rev over 4000, the engine will not stay clean, and you'll 
     spend MORE money keeping it tuned.
     
     Enjoy your car, it is made to be driven. It is not a Japanese 
     econobox-appliance that is designed to just get you from point "a" to 
     point "b" in a dull unexciting manner.
     Alfas are FUN to drive, that's why we have them!
     Enjoy!
     Len  82 Spider

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