because 5th is unnecessary. anytime i can be coasting it in 5th, i can easily just be in 6th instead.

 

most six speeds i've seen have two overdrives.

 

03 cobra, T56 transmission.

 

Show me. Other than the T56 (and its replacement, the TR6060).

 

TSX, TL, RSX, Celica, VW's, etc. Its harder to find 6 speeds w/o two overdrives.

 

I looked up and confirmed the TSX, but I'm taking your word for it on the rest.

Still, the TSX's 6th gear is 0.659:1, while the T56's is .500:1. My original point was that the number of gears (and the number of overdrives) is irrelevant. The only thing that's going to have a bearing on fuel economy is how low the lowest ratio is. I've never seen any other transmission come close to 0.5:1, except for a couple of CVTs.

 

My C2's fifth gear is under. 1.08.

 

i agree that the most important gear for fuel economy would be 6th. but with most cars geared for 125-140 + in 4th, 5th gear is never needed. It would be stupid to be accelerating in 5th at any time other than a closed course. I can see in an underpowered car (less than 200 hp), MAYBE you would need it for freeway passing/merging.

 

It improves the overall driving experience if the gears are somewhat evenly spaced. It's also nice to have options. I use 5th for freeway passing all the time. Just because I'm accelerating in 5th doesn't mean I'm going faster than 4th gear would allow. If I'm in a big hurry, I sometimes use 4th, and if I'm just feeling ridiculous, I can use 3rd.

None of this is a matter of need. Cars work fine with two (automatic) or three (manual) gear ratios. Anything more than that is just to improve economy, performance, and/or ratio selection.

Long story short: the Camaro will be driven on the road -- not just at the drag strip, where you go WOT to redline, shift, and repeat.

 

The T56 comes in different versions, so there are different ODs depending upon the version. The T56 in the F-body (and Viper) had a .50 6th gear. However, the T56 in the 03/04 Cobra had a .62 6th gear, as did the Z06. The GTO had a .57 6th gear.

Interestingly, the 3650 5-speed that comes in the Mustang has a .67 5th gear, while the 03/04 Mach 1 version had a .62 5th gear.

Point: Gears vary.

 

Ya, I was going to bring that up last post too. could be the 6th being .62 makes it more versitile than the .5 in the fbody to where 5th is needed less.

 

Agreed.

Are you seriously advocating for fewer gear ratios in the 5th gen than we had in the 4th gen?

Transmission gear ratios should provide a wide spread of options, with the highest ratios providing good acceleration from a stop without bogging the engine or feathering the clutch, and the lowest ratios providing good fuel economy at highway speeds. The gear ratios should be spaced so that the engine's powerband can be utilized at any speed the, with a consistent spacing between each gear.

To suggest that a 0.62:1 ratio is somehow more versatile than a 0.5:1 ratio (or any other ratio, for that matter) is absurd. A single ratio, by itself, has no versatility. The breadth of ratios in a transmission is what provides versatility.

It's not that I don't see your point. It's that your point is ridiculous. Can you imagine how much flack Camaro would take if it had the same ratios the 4th gen T56 had, except without 5th gear?

 

The Supra comes to mind. I believe the 350Zs as well. I know there are others out there.

 

the car would perform fine, without a hitch. it doesnt need a 5th and niether does my car. ITS TWO OVERDRIVES. whats so fun about cruising in overdrive that you really need 2? people just like to see that its "a six speed" more than anything. it gains very little with it. im just happy with the T56 because it can handle a good amount of abuse/power.

and this arguement is about the v6. a base v6 does not need a 6 speed or the hype/cost that goes along with it.

 

i know there are others, the svt focus comes to mind. but 6 speeds with 2 overdrives outnumber those that only have 1. for the most part, 6 speeds arent for performance, they are for fuel efficiency.