Anyoen know what the perfect rpm to shift at in a 94 civic dx with 5 speed d15b7 motor is?

 

it depends on what your trying to do
....if your trying to race, then redline or a little past, trying to get good gas mileage then about 3000 rpms

 

that might be in the owner's manual; do you have such ??

 

For really light footed driving (like cold engine or absolutely top fuel economy) upshift by 3000 RPM. For decent acceleration or "taking it easy", upshift at 4500 RPM, for max acceleration, wind out and upshift at 6000 RPM. The whole powerband is between 4000 and 6000 RPM, and peak torque arrives at 5000 RPM. The redline is at 6500 and a rev limiter is at 7000. Power drops off fast after 6000 RPM, so there is no point in stretching the gear like the Auto tranny likes to do.

 

Did you install an aftermarket tach? When I drove a 5MT 95 DXI had to go by sound and seat dyno to gague RPM.

Hard to explain with words, but the car's powerband goes through several pitch changes at key RPMs in the D15B7. Allow me to try and illustrate.

First the car is like bbbb at 2000 and below, then it is more like rrrrrr at 3000, then it does a little rrowwrr at 4000, another rrowwrr at 4500, and a rawwrr at 5000, then it hits that powerband and does this more beefy like bwwweeerrrr, then when it passes 5500 it goes from rrr to eeeee, and when it is really going EEEEEE then you have past 6000 RPM, and the EEEE will go back to eeeee (but higher pitch) at 6500 RPM. It keeps hitting higher sopranos all the way to the rev limiter, but TBH you don't need to pass 6000 RPM.

 

I swear I couldn't stop laughing! I feel like I understand my car now lol I have a 94 Civic CX and I have no tach. I never knew that sounds to listen for lol I want to thank you for that, greatly appreciated

 

You can swap in a LX or EX instrument cluster with factory tach. Its plug and play, no rewiring at all.