Quote:
Originally Posted by redpoint5
The only complaint I have against my wonderful 6-speed manual TSX is the utter uselessness of the 6th gear. The close-ratio gearbox has me cruising in 6th gear by 30 MPH. At 60 MPH, I'm at 3,000 RPM. The problem is that the top gear isn't useful on a racetrack either, as you would need a 2 mile long straight to run out 5th gear and reach for 6th.
So, I'm stuck with a 6th gear that isn't useful at maximizing acceleration, or maximizing fuel economy.
Maybe I need a 7th gear?
|
The mention of the Corvette 7-speed and now this reminds me of the Viper, which did it right (until they altered 5th and 6th ratios in 2010): 5 speeds for acceleration/performance (with 5th gear tall enough to exceed the car's 192mph top speed), and one absurdly high gear for the highway. Here it is on I-90 in Wyoming, summer of 2009:
1900rpm at 80mph. That 2100-mile trip returned 21.9mpg, not bad for an 8.0L engine.