2008 Jeep Patriot Owner's Manual - Page 245

STARTING AND OPERATING 243 For most city driving, you will find it easier to use only the lower gears. For steady highway driving with light accelerations, 5th gear is recommended. Never drive with your foot resting on the clutch pedal, and never try to hold the vehicle on a hill with the clutch pedal partially engaged. This will cause abnormal wear on the clutch. Never shift into REVERSE until the vehicle has come to a complete stop. NOTE: During cold weather, until the transaxle lubricant is warm, you may experience slightly higher shift efforts. This is normal and not harmful to the transaxle. Recommended Shift Speeds To use your manual transaxle for optimal fuel economy, it should be upshifted as listed in the following table. Manual Transaxle Recommended Shift Speeds Units in mph (km/h) AccelEngine eration 1 to 2 2 to 3 3 to 4 4 to 5 Size Rate All En- Accel 14 (23) 23 (37) 29 (47) 45 (72) gines Cruise 12 (19) 18 (29) 25 (40) 32 (52) Downshifting Proper downshifting will improve fuel economy and prolong engine life. 5