[climkt]

The e90 is the first car that i have driven regularly with 6 manual gears. After 5 months, i notice my new driving style has evolved. I regularly omit the 5th gear. Usually at 70 km/hr and above , i go straight to 6th /top gear from the 4th gear for better fuel efficiency . Is this a common practice with all the manual e90 drivers out there?

[rossmelvin]

i do it

[Lost Rider]

Me too, sometimes.
Roll through stops signs in 2nd, go to 4th too.

[stressdoc]

Yep, even 2-> 5 after revving it out.

[petesamprs]

Yes, I do it all the time. Rarely use 5th. Posted this topic back in december.

Given how fast the RPMs fall in our cars, it's actually smoother to go from 4th to 6th since it gives you a 1000 rpm drop to complete the shift at your given speed instead of 500

[espo]

Do it almost all of the time when I merge onto a highway... Since 4-5-6 are really close in ratios, in the time it takes to move from 4-6 the revs drop by just the right amount to make the shift nice a smooth.

The only time that I actually go from 4-5 on the highway is when I know I'll be in traffic and have to actually do a speed in the range of 50-55 mphs... too low RPM in 6th for me.

[Macfreak7]

I've started doing this more as well. I also downshift (while double declutching) to 4th from 6th if i want to pass someone (duh).

[325er]

Double de-clutching? Describe please.

[gr8sho]

Originally Posted by climkt

The e90 is the first car that i have driven regularly with 6 manual gears. After 5 months, i notice my new driving style has evolved. I regularly omit the 5th gear. Usually at 70 km/hr and above , i go straight to 6th /top gear from the 4th gear for better fuel efficiency . Is this a common practice with all the manual e90 drivers out there?

You are too radical. Be careful, the shifting police are likely after you!

Seriously, what matters most here is to keep the engine at the proper power band you want to operate. Because you have the extra gear, it is much easier to skip. In case you are not aware, GM's "6-speed", and I use this term loosely, will typically run 1st to 4th skipping 2nd and 3rd if you don't rev the car hard enough. This is done to help conserve fuel.

[shimshimhada]

Originally Posted by 325er

Double de-clutching? Describe please.

It's the same thing as double-clutching only for downshifting. You raise the engine speed to match the vehicle speed in neutral before declutching again and putting it into gear.

[hotsand5]

climkt, you put the car in 6th at 70kph? I think that you get better gas milage after 100kph in 6th...at least that is what I see on the mpg needle.

[climkt]

hi guys. thanks for your replies. i almost never use 5th gear nowadays. feels really redundant now- my 5th gear. glad anyway that i have 6 gears instead of 5.

[climkt]

oh yeah, i also down shift from 6th to 4th regularly to overtake on the expressway like u guys.

[shimshimhada]

I use 5th, all my gears get equal use.

[Bimmerista]

Hello guys,

I in fact rarely use 6th. I typically leave it in 5th gear and only go to 6th if I cruise on the HWY for extended periods (which I dont since I live in da city).

When in heavy traffic moving at 80-100km/h I leave it in 3rd - this gives me the optimal power band (3-4,500 rpms) to squirt into the desired lane and then decelerate based on engine speedbrake.

[findtom]

I also rarely use 5th. I use 6th on the highway, and 4th or 3rd when passing.

[visor]

Same here, 4 to 6.
Although, the shift is not as smooth as from 4 to 5, or 5 to 6, maybe due to gear synchronization?

BTW, climkt, where do you get to use 6th gear in Singapore?

[wuufer001]

i will first downshift to 5th but if i see that there is not enough power or enough time i will downshift again to 4th. Otherwise when i drive from a stop sign i will start up with 1st then it into 3rd when the speed is above 20mph or above 3000rpm.

[lux.sh]

I usually redline 1st gear and move straight to the top gear.

[climkt]

hi visor. yes , agreed .our speed limits are miserable. max is 90kmph. i cruise at 6th gear at about 90-100kmph!

[gr8sho]

Originally Posted by climkt

hi guys. thanks for your replies. i almost never use 5th gear nowadays. feels really redundant now- my 5th gear. glad anyway that i have 6 gears instead of 5.

Remember that 5th gear is 1:1 ratio. Like old 4th. There's no reason to not use a gear. Just use the right one at the time you need it.

[FastAttackNick]

I find myself skipping around both up and down. I was exiled to an automatic for the last few years and I'm really enjoying the extra control the 6-speed manual brings. I've always maintained that driving an automatic isn't driving, it's steering.