Friday night topic - Optimal number of gears for a PH car?
Discussion
For me I think a six speeed manual is ideal for a sports car; with 1-4 stacked fairly close (third maxing out at no more than 85mph); 5th set up for top speed and 6th as a cruising overdrive. I can live without either of the top two gears though.
For a GTish car with an automatic 'box, I don't have enough experience to draw particularly informed conclusions but anything from about six to eight seems to work OK; I've never used a nine or ten speed 'box.
For a GTish car with an automatic 'box, I don't have enough experience to draw particularly informed conclusions but anything from about six to eight seems to work OK; I've never used a nine or ten speed 'box.
Petrol should be max 7 gears.
Diesel should be max 6 and very long gearing.
Drove an 8 speed auto that was forever up and down the gears, same with the 7 speed DSG but not as bad. Can imagine what a 10 speed box would be like! Must be insanely irritating unless the car was exceptionally refined and isolating from the box and it could block shift down.
Anything 'involving' to drive really needs a sweet 6 speed manual box though. Short throw with a solid, mechanical feel.
Diesel should be max 6 and very long gearing.
Drove an 8 speed auto that was forever up and down the gears, same with the 7 speed DSG but not as bad. Can imagine what a 10 speed box would be like! Must be insanely irritating unless the car was exceptionally refined and isolating from the box and it could block shift down.
Anything 'involving' to drive really needs a sweet 6 speed manual box though. Short throw with a solid, mechanical feel.
bobbo89 said:
V8RX7 said:
Manual - why would you need more than 5 if you have a reasonable amount of power ?
Auto - who cares - if you're driving one, you've given up on fun anyway.
Its not just about power, torque and power delivery matter so much more with gearing.Auto - who cares - if you're driving one, you've given up on fun anyway.
and I think you forgot about weight.
V8RX7 said:
Manual - why would you need more than 5 if you have a reasonable amount of power ?
I'd have thought you'd have understood that different engines develop power in different ways. A relatively low revving, torquey engine can get away with fewer gears than an engine with more peaky power delivery where more and closer gears are needed to extract the best performance.Mr2Mike said:
V8RX7 said:
Manual - why would you need more than 5 if you have a reasonable amount of power ?
I'd have thought you'd have understood that different engines develop power in different ways. A relatively low revving, torquey engine can get away with fewer gears than an engine with more peaky power delivery where more and closer gears are needed to extract the best performance.Mastodon2 said:
V8RX7 said:
I do - I've owned cars, bikes and bike engined cars and 5 is more than enough
Why do 1000cc supersports bikes have 6 gears then, I wonder? You think they'd just stick with 5, if that were "enough"?BTW when did you last see anyone use all 6 gears to the max on a superbike on the road ?
The answer of course is NEVER
Mastodon2 said:
V8RX7 said:
I didn't say Mr Honda thought it was enough, I said I thought it was enough.
BTW when did you last see anyone use all 6 gears to the max on a superbike on the road ?
The answer of course is NEVER
Never? If you say so mate.BTW when did you last see anyone use all 6 gears to the max on a superbike on the road ?
The answer of course is NEVER
The number of riders who can nail a superbike off the line on the road and then carry on to 180mph +
There are hundreds of them around here
The average rider would still be the weak link with 4 gears !
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