6th gear fellas

**silverWS6** · 09-06-2010, 11:47 AM

Is it just my car or does everyones car do this. Let's say I'm getting on the highway at 75% throttle and I go from 3rd to 4th, car keeps pulling hard. I go from 4th to 5th, car keeps pulling hard. I go from 5th to 6th and the car doesn't pull anymore and it the rpm seem to not climb anymore. Is it because 6th gear is a cruise gear or something? Or do I have to retune my car cause my previous tuner did a crappy job?

**c5z28** · 09-06-2010, 11:59 AM

6th gear is .50. I wouldn't be so surprised.

**2001camaroSS** · 09-06-2010, 02:20 PM

6th is supposed to be the economy gear. its just for better gas mileage on the highway. from what i've read people have said to not use 6th gear when trying to go fast as u get into the much higher MPHs

**Too Fast** · 09-06-2010, 02:30 PM

6th is a .5 OD ratio, you won't get much acceleration with an OD gear like that, unless your rear gear ratio is like 5.75 or so. Yes, 6th is for gas mileage. It should still pull and accelerate tho, you are saying it won't do that at all?

**silverWS6** · 09-06-2010, 02:44 PM

Originally Posted by Too Fast

6th is a .5 OD ratio, you won't get much acceleration with an OD gear like that, unless your rear gear ratio is like 5.75 or so. Yes, 6th is for gas mileage. It should still pull and accelerate tho, you are saying it won't do that at all?

It does but very slowly and the car seems to go from a lion to a kitten. Its like
5th gear=Lion
6th gear=Kitten

**Cutlass** · 09-06-2010, 03:08 PM

normal

**9T8W66** · 09-06-2010, 03:21 PM

Yeah you can't expect much from a 50% overdrive gear.

**Firebirdjones** · 09-06-2010, 03:24 PM

5th gear lion, 6th gear kitten??? 5th gear is .74 or .76 (something like that) so you are only dropping to .50 Not that much of a change really.

I use 6th all the time to accelerate. I putt around at 45 mph in it all the time and still find plenty of ooomph to climb slight grades and pick up speed. With stock 3.42's out back even and a mile cam.

Now granted it's not a gear I'd use to jump out and pass someone though. And if you are running a larger cam with alot of overlap I wouldn't look for the car to rotate the earth at those rpms.

**headpecker** · 09-06-2010, 03:48 PM

My SS is the same way,its an economy gear,not for gettin' after it!!

**KMdef9** · 09-06-2010, 05:29 PM

Originally Posted by Firebirdjones

I use 6th all the time to accelerate. I putt around at 45 mph in it all the time and still find plenty of ooomph to climb slight grades and pick up speed. With stock 3.42's out back even and a mile cam.

Now granted it's not a gear I'd use to jump out and pass someone though. And if you are running a larger cam with alot of overlap I wouldn't look for the car to rotate the earth at those rpms.

This is how mine is as well. Accelerates better in 6th than my Jeep does...

**karpetcm** · 09-06-2010, 06:17 PM

Our cars i think 5th and 6th are overdrive gears and its more dramatic ofcourse in 6th when trying to accelerate. I had the same issue and even though im comparing a LS1 to a LS3 my car with 4.10's pulls much better then any of the stock LS3's ive driven. Does it mean my car is faster, lol no. Im giving up top end for better acceleration and its nice not to downshift to 5th or 4th all the time to pass with the 4.10's. As said above 6th gear is just a economy gear and meant to give you good gas mileage.

**Too Fast** · 09-07-2010, 05:13 AM

Originally Posted by silverWS.6

It does but very slowly and the car seems to go from a lion to a kitten. Its like
5th gear=Lion
6th gear=Kitten

So, I'm thinking here.

4th = Tiger
3rd = Gazelle
2nd = Cheetah
1st = Paragrin falcon?

**Spikito** · 10-06-2010, 09:55 AM

Why are you needing acceleration in 6th? i come out of 3rd at 100....never even needed 4th or 5th, dunno many people pulling onto the highway at 155

**Firebirdjones** · 10-06-2010, 11:43 AM

Originally Posted by Spikito

Why are you needing acceleration in 6th? i come out of 3rd at 100....never even needed 4th or 5th, dunno many people pulling onto the highway at 155

I think the idea behind the question was that some people were having an issue of picking up speed when lugging the motor down in 6th gear.

For some of us like myself, I accelerate in 6th alot of the time and don't find a need to grab a lower gear. Others I guess want more rapid acceleration.
I drive around most of the time in 6th as slow as 45 mph with 3.42's. I can pick up all the speed I need most of the time. As long as I'm not on a steep grade or I don't need to pass a car quickly on a 2 lane road,,,I don't have a need to downshift.

**Spikito** · 10-06-2010, 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by Firebirdjones

I think the idea behind the question was that some people were having an issue of picking up speed when lugging the motor down in 6th gear.

For some of us like myself, I accelerate in 6th alot of the time and don't find a need to grab a lower gear. Others I guess want more rapid acceleration.
I drive around most of the time in 6th as slow as 45 mph with 3.42's. I can pick up all the speed I need most of the time. As long as I'm not on a steep grade or I don't need to pass a car quickly on a 2 lane road,,,I don't have a need to downshift.

I think my car only sees 6th gear on interstate....I don't even feel the need to use it under 75 MPH.....i think 70 MPH in 6th is 1k RPMS.

**Mr. Luos** · 10-06-2010, 04:14 PM

What everyone else has said...

And for that matter...you shouldn't be putting the stress of 75% throttle onto those gears. They are not designed for acceleration. They are there for economy and holding speed.
At most in 6th I will go 30-40% throttle.

**Too Fast** · 10-06-2010, 04:36 PM

Originally Posted by Spikito

I think my car only sees 6th gear on interstate....I don't even feel the need to use it under 75 MPH.....i think 70 MPH in 6th is 1k RPMS.

FYI, it's ~1600.

**Hi-Po** · 10-06-2010, 04:52 PM

Normal, completely.

/

**TRANS-DAD** · 10-07-2010, 11:44 AM

When I had stock 3.42 I almost never used 6th gear & def. never tried to accelerate
now I'm runnin 4.10's & I love how my car feels now & I actually use 6th gear!!

Oh & karpetcm I don't feel I lost anything up top! just feel I get there faster!!

**Wesman** · 10-07-2010, 08:50 PM

Originally Posted by karpetcm

Our cars i think 5th and 6th are overdrive gears and its more dramatic ofcourse in 6th when trying to accelerate. I had the same issue and even though im comparing a LS1 to a LS3 my car with 4.10's pulls much better then any of the stock LS3's ive driven. Does it mean my car is faster, lol no. Im giving up top end for better acceleration and its nice not to downshift to 5th or 4th all the time to pass with the 4.10's. As said above 6th gear is just a economy gear and meant to give you good gas mileage.

Wait...you're saying your LS1 with 4.10's pulls harder than any LS3 you've driven?? That makes no sense. Changing rear end gear ratios does not give your car any more horsepower nor does it make it faster. It simply allows you to get into the powerband sooner from a stop. Your car will not accelerate any harder in any gear than it would with 3.42's, thats theoretically impossible. The major advantage of 4.10's is that you can get off the line faster and get the engine into the powerband more quickly, that it all.

I just changed my rear from 4.10's to 3.42's. The 4.10's killed my highway performance and top end (4th gear topped out at 110MPH and I had to go to 5th...useless) and I was constantly shifting while driving around town and on backroads, because each gear was so damn short. My car was not any faster, it just made my gears a hell of a lot shorter and killed my highway performance and fuel economy.