2006 Dodge Dakota Owner Manual - Page 210

210 STARTING AND OPERATING Never drive with your foot resting on the clutch pedal, or attempt to hold the vehicle on a hill with the clutch pedal partially engaged, as this will cause abnormal wear on the clutch. 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) 1 2 3 4 5 EnAcceleraModel Axle to to to to to gine tion Rate 2 3 4 5 6 15 24 34 47 56 ACCEL 3.21 & (24) (39) (55) (76) (90) 3.7L ALL & 10 19 27 37 41 3.55 CRUISE (16) (31) (44) (60) (66) ACCEL 15 25 40 45 50 3.21 & 4.7L All & 3.55 (24) (40) (65) (72) (81) CRUISE Downshifting 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.