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as far as gearing goes, would a turbocharged engine with different gearbox that favors lower rpm shifts provide better fuel economy? the reason I ask is the Saturn SOHC transmissions all have taller, wider spaced gear ratios than the transmissions mated to the DOHC engines (which had a closer set of gears to make it feel sportier). I own a SOHC saturn with the wide-spaced, taller set of gear ratios. If I were to swap the SOHC engine (which was matched with the taller gearbox) with a DOHC engine (designed for the shorter, closer gear set), the DOHC engine would probably have poor fuel economy compared to the SOHC engine because I would constantly have to stab the throttle to accelerate. The point I'm trying to get to is this: would a turbocharged DOHC accelerate well with the longer gears and wider ratios? The engine wouldn't need to rev as high to make power to accelerate, and could shift sooner. The longer gears would keep the RPM lower while accelerating and (maybe?) allow for better fuel economy. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Can I upgrade the engine with a better-breathing DOHC and still get the SOHC fuel economy? I would HATE to say goodbye to the 46MPG I get with my pokey SOHC.
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