Dodge 2008 PM Caliber - Manual (Page 245)

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 lubri-
cant 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)
Engine
Size
Accel-
eration
Rate
1 to 2 2 to 3 3 to 4 4 to 5
All En-
gines
Accel 14 (23) 23 (37) 29 (47) 45 (72)
Cruise 12 (19) 18 (29) 25 (40) 32 (52)
Downshifting
Proper downshifting will improve fuel economy and
prolong engine life.
CAUTION!
If you skip more than one gear while downshifting
or downshift at too high a vehicle speed, you could
damage the engine, transmission, or clutch.
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