If you drive a manual car, you may be familiar with engine lugging. Engine lugging is common for beginner drivers because they don’t yet know the sound of their engine, and when exactly they should be shifting gears. So what exactly is it, and why is it bad for your engine?

What is engine lugging?

This is the term used to describe when you’re driving in a higher gear than you need to be in and the engine is turning low RPMs. When you’re cruising along in 6th but you should’ve downshifted into 4th a few meters back, you are lugging your engine.

Why is it bad for your engine?

When the engine is struggling – when it’s trying to move the car, but can’t get up to an engine speed where it can turn easily – it will begin to overheat. It’s not a catastrophic kind of overheating, like when you see steam coming out from under the hood. But when you lug the engine, you’re making the cylinders and pistons run hotter than they normally would. And over time, that damages the engine.

This can be especially dangerous when you’re unaware that you’re even lugging the engine. This is why we always recommend new drivers to take their time and learn the engine before they downshift into a lower gear.

How can you prevent it from happening?

The only way you can prevent engine lugging is by getting more familiar with your car engine. Practice listening to the engine, feel the way it picks up when you change gears. If you notice that your engine is lugging, you just need to down-shift your gear until your revs increase. This will make sure that the optimum amount of fuel and air mixture is reaching in the cylinder and now as the revs are also more which ensures that the combustion is happening at the correct rate.

In conclusion, if you want a safe and healthy engine for your car, don’t lug it. If you’re new to driving manual, spend time trying to understand the sounds of your engine. This will help you know exactly when to upshift and downshift.