Quote:
Originally Posted by NOHOME
I use third maybe once out of 20 times as I go up the gears. Normal pattern for me is 1-2-4-6 shift points around 5500
If you like to accelerate briskly during normal driving, and the speed-limit is like 45-50 mph, then a hard pull through 1st and 2nd up to 5500 or so drops you around 3000 rpm when you are in 4th. About where I cruise surface streets.
Truth be told, I would be just as happy if the box were 5 gears.
To those that stand-up for the 6, why not go further and have 12 if you believe that pulling the lever is some kind of a good thing?
|
Something like a GTI would be just fine with 5 gears since it has near full torque all the way down at 2200rpm and keep it almost up to redline - we don't even get into the powerband until we are over 4000rpm. We don't have a lot of area under our torque curve so we need a transmission that is capable of keeping the car in the pretty narrow powerband. If you wanted a grocery getter that was easy, why did you buy an FR-S? The reason we have a 6 speed is so you can keep the car in the powerband and still have a decent overdrive.
The transmission should be matched to the engine - the transmission should make the car as quick and economical as possible given the powerband with as few gears as possible. In our FR-S, that number is 6.