2012 LE - High RPM At 80 MPH

[Banes28]

I recently purchased a used Toyota Corolla LE 2012 at a Toyota dealership down the street and have been experiencing what appears to me higher than normal RPM. I'm seeing the RPM get as high as 4,500 at 80 MPH, and have seen it hit just about 5,000 at around 85. I'm a little concerned, as this is the typical speed for the fast lane around my parts, and it seems like RPMs this high may be a strain on the engine.

I took it to the dealership and expressed my concern, but I was told this sounds about right as the smaller engine needs to hit these RPMs to compensate for the higher speeds. Does this seem right?

I talked to a buddy of mine who owns a 2007 Corolla LE, and he told me that he rarely sees it get above 3,500 at these speeds. Any help you guys can provide would be great. Thanks!

 

[Scott O'Kashan]

Vehicles can have different gear ratio's, which affects the RPM of the engine. I don't drive at 80-85 mph, (can't afford the speeding tickets and hassle), so I have no idea what the RPM's should be at those speeds.

What are the RPM's at 55 mph?

Why are you pushing the car so hard and driving so fast?

 

[Ted]

I read your post this morning and then my wife and I took a quick trip to Louisiana. On the way I checked my rpm at 80 mph. It was 3200 rpm. Are you sure you're not in 3rd gear?

 

[Banes28]

Thanks Ted and Scott for the replies. After reading your response, Ted, I decided to really look at the user manual to understand the shifter at the center console a bit better. It turns out I was being somewhat silly and had the stick at the "3" instead of the "D". The car is giving me a steady 2,500-3,200 RPMs now (going 60-80 MPH)!

To my credit, the "3-D" is a tad confusing, and it just felt more comfortable resting the stick to the left of the shifter track, so I kinda stuck with that. Now that I realized my mistake though, I can't help but feel a little stupid for not seeing the giant digital display of a "3" on the dash for the last 1,000 miles, but oh well. Live and learn. I just hope I didn't hurt the engine too much for doing this.

Also, thanks for the concern Scott, but 80 is keeping up with the flow of traffic in the fast lane. I probably should cool it, as I've seen a few people on the shoulder with a cop at their rear, but I guess the desire to get to work can sometimes get the best of my speedometer.

I do have one more question about my breaks in the car: I seem the hear a click from time to time when I lift my foot off the break, like the pedal's catching on something. I also had a friend mention to me that he heard it outside the car when I pulled up to the curb outside his place to pick him up. He told me that it could be the pads, or something being lose. I brought this up at the dealership as well, but the mechanic just said it's the break-pad alternator/shifter. Apparently there are multiple break-pads that shift in and out against the wheels or something? Keep in mind, this is the same guy that said 4,500 RPM was not a problem. I'm having some serious doubts about the mechanic that I spoke with at the dealership at this point and am considering seeing a different guy. Let me know if you guys think that might be the right idea.