Does anyone else think the 6-speed is not necessary?

[Perfectlap]

Necessary? Well to reduce the engine wear and promote longevity I think you'll find the lower RPMs you run the longer the engine will last.
Whenver I upchange to 6th gear on the highway the revs come down. May or not be the best for the fuel consumption but its easier on the engine life me thinks.
When I commuting in city traffic I keep the at 3rd and 4th to strike a good balance.

I also try to short shift in the winter as much as possible before the oil temp is in the safe zone.

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

Whenver I upchange to 6th gear on the highway the revs come down. May or not be the best for the fuel consumption but its easier on the engine life me thinks.
When I commuting in city traffic I keep the at 3rd and 4th to strike a good balance.

That's the same thing all the other posts have noted if you read them.

[porsche986spyder]

Originally Posted by blue2000s

That's the same thing all the other posts have noted if you read them.

Ditto! What those last to guys just said.

[FrayAdjacent]

My previous car was a 6 speed manual. I had wanted the 5 speed, but took what they had on the lot. I liked it, but yes, the gears were pretty closely spaced. First gear went by VERY quick, and people that supercharged that type of car lamented that first gear became all but useless, as all it would do is spin the tires.

6th gear was also probably not the greatest ratio, as when travelling at freeway speeds (75mph or so), the engine was at or higher than 4000rpm!

Anyway, I like the gearing of my 5 speed Boxster. It works out well. For my commute, I almost never get to 5th gear since the highest speed limit between here and there is 45mph. And I've already found that she does great on the highway! (trip to Dallas and back rated 30.2mpg!)

[Perfectlap]

well I don't care about marketing, if I had the option of a 5 or 6 speed gear box I would take the 6 speed for the highway/touring which is where most of my miles accrued. When the momentum has me at 75-80, I try to keep the revs as low as possible.

For track or AutoX as someone noted, the revs stay in the powerband with only 3rd, beyond 2nd for Autox well then its not really an Autox anymore.

[eslai]

Probably not a necessary thing, I agree.

However, to the original poster, I'd have to say that I don't see how having a sixth gear is any way related to having a torsen diff. It's not like you can only have one or the other--the six speed transmission has a differential as well, just not a torque-biasing or otherwise slip-limiting one.

Am I missing something?

[John Y]

I think his point was that the LSD would have been a more valuable standard feature for the car than an extra gear, in his opinion.

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by John Y

I think his point was that the LSD would have been a more valuable standard feature for the car than an extra gear, in his opinion.

Yes, that's what I meant.