I've wondered about the "don't go above 2000 or 2500 when you accelerate" mantra. While I generally find it to be a fine prospect when you're at a stoplight on a relatively level road, I'm not sure it's the best when you're starting from a stop on an incline.

My main example (well, only example really - highly scientific here) is on my commute home I go through a toll when I'm exiting the highway. I have a Smarttag, but it's always late to register so I generally come to nearly a stop most of the time. Immediately after the toll is a rather steep grade I have to climb with no turning (since it's a split exit and my exit is much further down than the closer ones). Now, if I keep my RPMs below 2000 or 2500 I'm pretty much stuck at 35mph max speed for the duration of the climb, and on top of that the mpg meter stays stuck well below 50mpg, probably in the 20s or 30s, for the whole climb - frequently dropping my computer-measured average down by nearly .4 or .5mpg or more over the course of this hill.

However, if I gun the accelerator and get maximum assist, I can get up to about 45mph very quickly and essentially do a pulse and then glide the way up the rest of the hill without getting too far below 45mph for comfort (traffic does pile behind you on those toll exits). I don't lose nearly as much off my computer-measured average, and the glid obviously keeps the impg meter much higher for most of the climb.

Perhaps this is a special circumstance given the grade, as I've never compared the two methods from a stoplight on a flat road - mainly because I have always had the 2000 and 2500 rule pounded into my head. The only reason I tried it on the grade after the toll was because of the serious lack of speed or acceleration doing that method on a climb.