True newbie question

[Kauket]

If you're doing 70 on a two-lane highway and want an extra boost to pass somebody, does it strain your transmission or engine to drop it into 3rd gear for extra acceleration?

I didn't even know this was possible until recently... Right now I'm driving a 5-spd '93 626, so I don't really drive it aggressively. I probably baby it, actually... And it gets awfully loud when I downshift to 3rd going 70, but it sure as heck does boost my speed.

[HilfigerCelica]

As long as you don't go over redline, you should be okay.

[oldster]

If you do that in a GT-S it will definitely get louder and you'll have about 10MPH more to go before redline.

[Kauket]

Ok, thanks.

I kinda thought as long as I didn't hit redline I was fine, but since this car's been around the block more than a few times (125,000 miles) and has never been driven aggressively at all, I thought maybe it would be more sensitive to that sort of thing.

[Blue Bomber]

As long as the shift is pretty smooth, there shouldn't be any problems. Also, hitting redline or the rev limiter won't cause any engine damage. The limiter is there to prevent it. There are some people on this board that autocross, and they bounce off the limiter all the time without problems.