2007 Dodge Ram 1500 Pickup Owner's Manual - Page 315

STARTING AND OPERATING 315 You should use first gear when starting from a standing position. Damage to the clutch can result from starting in 2nd or 3rd gear. Use each gear in numerical order - do not skip a gear. To shift into Reverse, come to a complete stop. Depress the clutch and pause briefly to allow the gear train to stop. Reverse has a "crash-through" lockout feature. Move the shift lever from the Neutral position straight across, in one swift motion, and down into Reverse. Recommended Shift Speeds To use your manual transmission for fuel economy it should be upshifted as listed below. Shift at the vehicle speeds listed for acceleration. Earlier upshifts during cruise conditions (relatively steady speeds) will result in increased fuel economy, and may be used as indicated. Higher upshift speeds may be used to obtain a desired acceleration rate. 6 Speed Manual Transmission Shift Speed in mph (km/h) AccelEn- Model Axle eration 1 to 2 to 3 to 4 to 5 to gine 2 3 4 5 6 Rate 3.7L 1500 15 ACALL CEL & (24) CRUISE 10 (16) ACALL CEL & 15 CRUISE (24) 24 (39) 19 (31) 25 (40) 34 (55) 27 (44) 40 (65) 47 (76) 37 (60) 45 (72) 56 (90) 41 (66) 50 (81) 4.7L 1500 5 Downshifting - All Manual Transmissions Moving from a high gear down to a lower gear is recommended to preserve brakes when driving down steep hills. In addition, downshifting at the right time provides better acceleration when you desire to resume speed. For acceleration at speeds less than 20 mph (30 km/h), 2nd gear is recommended.