BTW I'm at the Greenville Marriott in Greenville SC to pick up my new car tomorrow and I thought I'd check my favorite site while my wife puts our son to bed A question re the 6th gear: how often do you anticipate using it? During my test drive (which admittedly wasnt long) I felt that the 6th gear was just so that BMW could claim the better mileage it has for the e90 but in practical terms it doesnt mean much since you would have to be going fairly fast (more than 80-90mph) to be able to use it and I try to stay just under 80 to avoid getting a ticket. That might be wimpy but I prefer to avoid getting tickets. Anyway I'd like to get your opinion of how often you're using the 6th gear  Tomorrow I'll be on the race-track at the Performance Center before picking up my new 325! They are going to spend 2 hours going over my vehicle with me, 2 hours on the race-track (I hope - it sounds too good to be true) and a tour of the factory. Very excited. |
| Reply » Using the 6th gear? |
Woohoo! Congrats! I will be doing the same thing thursday picking up my 5 Series!
As for 6th gear, it's just to drop the revs at highway speeds, not much use at all I imagine. Again, congrats and take lots of pics!
Will you be driving your new baby back?
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| Reply » Using the 6th gear? |
Quote: Woohoo! Congrats! I will be doing the same thing thursday picking up my 5 Series!
As for 6th gear, it's just to drop the revs at highway speeds, not much use at all I imagine. Again, congrats and take lots of pics!
Will you be driving your new baby back? | 6th is definitely just a cruising gear, but I use it any time I'm on the expressway at a constant speed, especially at $3/gallon. Acceleration in 6th gear is acceptable, although I drop a gear or three for passing situations if traffic is approaching in the fast lane. To me, downshifting is part of the fun of a manual transmission.
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| Reply » Using the 6th gear? |
I use 6th gear a lot on the highway. But: We drove from KC to Branson MO last week, lot's of hills where 6th would not pull to maintain speed and lot's of downshifting to 5 or 4 to pass...but still got back with 29.4 mpg overall...thats impressive and I was at 80/85 mph all the time. Love the ZHP!
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| Reply » Using the 6th gear? |
Unless it's a long trip on the highway I hardly ever use sixth. In my commute I hardly ever get to use 4th ... if I get to use 5th & 6th, it's usually cause I'm bored, want to vary the rpms, and traffic is light. The energy meter doesn't seem to indicate much difference in economy between 4th and 6th. Traffic usually dictates what gear I'm in. Usually one lower than needed since the focking automatic drivers always seem to keep a pace in between gears. 
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| Reply » Using the 6th gear? |
Sixth gear is strictly for better gas mileage and cruising above 60 mph. Top speed may require 6th as well.
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Using the 6th gear?