what are the differences between 5-speed and 6 speed cars. in terms of speed/accel/etc...

 

6 speed cars are more fun to drive when going faster. You get up to highway speed, the engine gets a little louder and then you realize, "Oh yeah! I've still got another gear!!" :D

 

Shorter gear ratios... meaning engine has more gears to rip through.... meaning quicker acceleration with more ease than a 5 gear. Of course that all depends on the gearing ratio of the cars in question.

I think RX-8 wouldve done better if it had shorter gear ratios....

 

6 is more than 5. :D

(Nice TarePanda by the way.)

 

You kidding me? 4K+ RPM at 80 MPH in 6th is high enough...any higher and we probably woudn't even get 10 mpg.

 

6 gears is typically heavier than 5 gears. However, more gears typically allows more optimal gearing for the fastest acceleration plus it

As for our gear ratios being shorter, I think it's good enough as is, It's nice being able to get to 60 w/o having to shift gears. However, I think the 6th gear can be a bit taller though, it's actually a 6th gear instead of an overdrive it seems.

 

The real difference isn't really acceleration. Better gear ratios in fewer gears is optimal, since you lose a lot of time changing gears. So the fewer gears the better, technically. The best benefit to 6 rather than 5 gears is that you're far less likely to be stuck in between 2 "wrong" gears, since you have 4 good driving gears rather than just 3 (since 1st is rarely used after you leave the line, and top gear is generally geared for top speed and doesn't pull hard) -- so you really get a 33% increase in really usable gearing as far as fun racing/spirited driving goes.

 

Excuse me, but it's not so much the transmission as it is the rear axle ratio that determines the RPM per mile. As to the RX-8, I think the Renesis is geared correctly for it's size and power characteristics. Pulling a taller gear doesn't always equate to lower gas mileage.

1.3L

 

You gotta be kidding me...

This is some sort of joke right?

 

I don't see anything in there particularly objectionable.

 

Then I suggest you don't bother ever shifting out of first gear.

 

anyone know what our rear axle is geared at? 4/10? i have no clue, just wondering.....

and the rear axle gear has a LOT to do with the fuel consumption, believe me.

 

Why 5 or 6 gears? I want a billion gears without losing time when switching gears.
Instead of a manual or automatic transmission I want a lever that I can either set to maximum torque at the rear wheels (maximum power) or maximum efficiency at the rear wheels or anything inbetween.