Does anyone use 5th gear on the highway in an eta?????

[bmw_e30]

Just asking because I never use 5th. The car is geared really high so at 75 mph the car is at 3000 rpm. Pretty much a nice sweet spot for power to pass people and use its immense trq.

If I go over 80-85, then I use 5th.

Anyone else here a 4th gear eta jockey or is it just me????

I think my M3 has got me used to having a lot of power at all times..... :roll:

[RedBaron86325]

I use 5th gear above 55mph with a 3.73 in my eta.

[ColdAccord]

i use it. my eta is beat, so i don't really push it. so i take all the fuel economy i can get. that's witha 2.73 i believe

4.10 and 2.7i will be a different story though

[DaN]

Hell yea, I use it. There's no reason not to. Anytime you want to pass, just downshift.
I use 5th while cruising at anything over 45.
I have a pic of my speedo pegged at 120mph chillin at 3800 rpms. , I just can't post it without a scanner.

[KenC]

There's no reason not to. Anytime you want to pass, just downshift.

Not to mention that you'll get way better gas milage if you use it for cruising.

[Ryan Stewart]

i have to, but like William I have a lower diff. Not quite as low as his though.

[LikeCDoos]

my buddy with a eta mentioned to me that he never uses 5th gear. I thought he was crazy, so since he's been using 5th he gets like 40 miles more per tank. If your got a 5th whynot use it??

[slammed_e30]

my buddy with a eta mentioned to me that he never uses 5th gear. I thought he was crazy, so since he's been using 5th he gets like 40 miles more per tank. If your got a 5th whynot use it??

Well said.

[Super Eta]

I use it all the time to get better gas like LikeCDoos said.

[bmw_e30]

I think I'm too used to my M3's power that 5th doesn't cut it for me unless I'm going very fast. 4th the car still feels pretty sluggish due to the stock ECU's tuning, but 4th is much better than that O/D 5th gear.

Oh well. The car still gets insane gas mileage vs. my M3 that gets less than 15 MPG most of the time.

[KeithV]

I use 5th on the street sometimes.




4.10

[Sean]

I like to cruise in 4th most of the time.

DAN, how'd you get to 120? My car didn't move past 110, no room left in 4th, so flooring it in 5th wouldn't get me goin any faster. I think I have a 2.73 too. I want to get a 3.45, that would be nice. :)

For me, it seems 5th doesn't keep me up to speed, I slow down eventually, and I have to shift into 4th to get back to speed. And, yes, 5th doesn't move as well at 4th. :P 8)

[Super Eta]

Sean, He is at the 110 mark not 120 and you have a 2.93 not a 2.73 and yours is most likly open.

[EtaSport]

I use 5th gear a good bit. I hate buying gas so I try to save as much as possible on the highway. The only reason ill drop it is if someone cuts me off, or I have to make some evasive manuver at the on-ramp. My car pulls decently in 5th gear. Won't snap your neck back.. but it wont do that in any gear. I obviously have the 2.93 lsd and I tach about 2500 at 75.. So yea fourth at 1.0 and 5th at .87? is almost pointless, but ill take those extra 500 rpms for a tad better fuel economy and helping the longevity of my motor (370k miles). Ive had mine at 103 in 5th on the floor going slightly uphill and I think the fastest ive had it has only been 105. Havent had it flat out though.. dont want to risk getting a ticket. I rarely drive it very fast.

Supposedly they max out at 118, my dad seems to think he had mine at 125 going downhill. And since the chips take off the limiters, someone on bmwe30-network said he hit around 135mph in his eta.

[darien28]

how can u tell if a car feels sluggish at a constant speed? >.>

just downshift if u need to pass. aside form the noise level... all cars feel the same at 70mph be it a ferrari enzo or geo metro (I'd be scared in both cars var differrent reasons of course... metro might fall apart, enzo is just intimidating)