5speed vs 6speed

[got v-tec?]

dont really understand the differance between the two besides the 6speed has shorter gear ratio but lets say for example the nissan 350z had a 5speed and 6speed w/ same hp tq. and they both downshifted a t 80mph who would win? i would think the 5speed would be better in the 1/4 and the six speed would be better 1/2 or downshifted at high speeds. but would love to know the truth.

[SenseiAccord]

i got some idiots at my school thinking a 6 speed car can go faster but they got it all wrong. They think that after the 5th gear (overdrive) has an even smaller ratio so they think that the 6th gear is like an overoverdrive. Some cars have a very poor design in a 6 speed tranny. The ratios arent that close together an they just usually make the 6th gear worthless in races. Some cars have 5 speed trannys that are pretty wide too. My friend was hitting 130 in 4th gear, not even hitting redline, so i wonder how fast u could have gone in 5th gear. He had a b20 with ITR vtech head. You just gotta find the right design. I HEARD tiburons had a close 6 speed tranny and the TSX too. But anyway i think for the quarter mile a 5spd tranny would be better since there is less shifting unless u shift like lightning. Maybe if you are doing a miles race like how they do it in the Need for speed underground game then a 6 spd tranny would be good. That is just my opinion tho and i aint an expert. hope it gave u an idea!

[rubix777]

yeah, the 5-spd and 6-spd trans for the same car usually have the same final ratios. the ratio in 5th gear in a 5-spd would be equal to 6th gear in a 6-spd. Take RSX and RSX-S for example and look at their final drive ratios.

having an extra gear might give you better acceleration. Same reasoning has having multiple gears for a car rather than one single gear to accelerate the car from 0.

I'd think the 5-spd would win in the end because he would downshift to 4th. He'll be able to leave it in 4th longer than how long the other 350z can leave his in 5th before he has to shift to 6th.

Though having an extra gear to spread out the ratio, the time required to shift might be more of a con. If it was tiptronic, I think the 6-spd would win. Is it tiptronic?

Conclusion: read about the reviews or try it out yourself to find out.

[Ace$nyper]

well i've always thought more gears better look at cars progression first cars 2 gears 60s-70s 4 gears 80-90s 5 gears now we got MB with a 7spd. It gives you more options for the car i think it doesn't mean ones faster then the other though its all bout the ratios.

[Miataracer]

well for the most part 5th and 6th arent meant for racing... they are overdrive gears (highway) most cars don't even pull that hard up in 5th or 6th

and as an example of what has already been said... in second gen Miatas there are both 5 and 6 speed transmissions available. both had the same final drive in them BUT the 5 speed has a 4:10 rear end and the 6 speed had a 3:90 rear end. so basically if both 5 and 6 speeds had the 4:10 rear end you would get up to the top gear and cruise around75 mph at about 4,000 rpm (because even though there is an extra gear the transmissions come out the same) but since the 6 speed has a 3:90 it runs a lower cruise rpm at highway speeds

[ArideII]

More gears are better, but then you work your way to infinity and you have the CVT which has no gears because it has an infinant amount??? Crazy stuff. I know in my six speed Accord the 6th gear is used purely as an overdrive by me. When I am running 85 mph in 6th my Rpm's are like 2650, I'll double check on the way home tonight though

[SenseiAccord]

have u guys seen the corvettes trannys? The 5th gear is like .7:1 and the 6th gear is like .5:1 with a final of like 3.4. If you calculate that ur car would go like 350 MPH or something. U could be going like 100MPH and ur RPMs would be cruising at like 3000rpm. To me i think corvettes are useless. all show no go cars.

[jweller]

I think sometimes they add 6th gear as a marketing ploy, really. You hear 6 speed transmission and you think you are getting something sepecial or extra. my spec-V has a 6 speed and sometimes it makes me wish I'd gotten the lower model se-r with the 5speed. Sometimes it's just really shitty to drive. 1st gear is waaay to low, and then there is this giant step to 2nd. It's kind of a waste since that motor makes so much torque down low you don't need deeper gears. I'm always skipping gears in that car. I dunno, I guess it's just personal preference....

[mreff]

tecnically more is better. but it all depends on what you're using it for, and how it's geared.
Drag cars used 2 gears, trucks 10 or more. Which is better?
Please don't be dumb enough to answer that question
They each have their own uses.

[rubix777]

Originally Posted by jweller

I think sometimes they add 6th gear as a marketing ploy, really. You hear 6 speed transmission and you think you are getting something sepecial or extra. my spec-V has a 6 speed and sometimes it makes me wish I'd gotten the lower model se-r with the 5speed. Sometimes it's just really shitty to drive. 1st gear is waaay to low, and then there is this giant step to 2nd. It's kind of a waste since that motor makes so much torque down low you don't need deeper gears. I'm always skipping gears in that car. I dunno, I guess it's just personal preference....

how about the extra 5 hp you get from the spec-v?

[jweller]

Originally Posted by rubix777

how about the extra 5 hp you get from the spec-v?

5 hp?? who cares? seriously, as sketchy as nissan is about their hp ratings, I trust a rated 5hp diff about as much as a trust a used car salesman.

now the LSD they throw in the 6-spd.....welll.....thats another story

[aric3320]

Lets try to expand our minds away from the quater mile track for a moment and leave our ricer instink aside (temorally of corse). The reason for vehicles to have and more than a 5spd tranny is to utilize the engine's peek point of power. Cars like Labos or Ferraries deserive more gears because the powerfull engine and fine tunned handling allow for the use of 6 or 7 speed trannys. Putting any more than 5 gears to shift through in your Honda is quite frankly a wast of time. It may be accelerate faster at higher speeds but if your like me, I'm not sure i would trust a ghetto rigged honda or even a the new 7th gen Accords (which are almost as sexy as the 6th generation) going more than 130mph. So putting my self back into ricer mode all you really need for the 1/4 mile is a 5spd transmision, as lond as the motor isn't stock and mabt a turbo or two.

[CivicSpoon]

First off learn to spell if you want people to take your comments seriously. Second, this is an 8 month old thread; have some common sense.

[Kven]

more gears doesnt always mean its gonna be faster. 6 speed is good for autocross and road racing, because you can cross them which keeps them in power band. 5 spd is good for tight tracks and drag racing. more shifting=slower time, unless its an electric type. the number of gears you need really depends on your max torque output. any high revving small displacement motor will benefit from a 6-spd and 7-spd tranny, why? it makes up for torque that the engine lacks. gearing can multiply torque. if you look at f1 cars, they lack torque but have high horsepower, and use like 7 gears. on the other hand, muscle cars have a shit load of torque, but have maybe only 3 gears and can finish in the same or faster then the f1 car in 1/4(givin same hp, traction, and weight). looking at top fuel cars, they dont even have transmissions because their torque output is so high; all they have is a centrifugal clutch.