My mustang has a very high 5th gear overdrive. (same with the corvette and Camaro). I drive it at 1500rpm to cruise at 60 mph. The vette, with better aero, sits just above idle on the highway. It would be nice to see gearing like this in smaller cars!
Quote:
Originally Posted by MetroMPG
... I'd bet that most North Americans who drive stick don't know enough to downshift to pass or get up a steep enough highway (top gear) grade without lugging.
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I agree, sadly. One of my friends was driving my mustang on a road trip (she had a 5-spd accord) and she didn't know what to do when the car started lugging while hill climbing at 50 mph in 5th.
However, this problem would be solved within the first few times a person drove the car, as they learn about torque/hp at different rpms through experience.