The sixth gear makes it possible for Porsche to claim higher mpg on the highway. If you put it in 6th gear at 55 and lug around you'll get the claimed mpg.

Yes, that's what I meant.

The ratio of 6th is fine, it's the existence of 5th that I'm questioning.

I want 1-5 to be closely geared, and 6th to be some MAJOR economy gear that is hardly good for anything.


That's how it is in the corvette.


I think the 5 speed is geared to keep 5th gear a "usable" gear, when in reality it's not.


For example...100mph in 5th gear will put me around 4k rpm. That's too much. I don't wanna be past 3500-3700 @ 100mph.

if you dropped 5th gear the "dropp off" from 4th to 6th would be weird and I think would alter the shifting experience.
It would also result in more gear changes which is fun(but not with this gear box!)
but would reduce the life of the gear box. Anything that reduces the life lifespan of anything Porsche is not something I'm lining up to pay for.
EDIT.

I don't even like going into 5th gear. It feels like such an unnatural motion, lol.

Is this just me?

I have a sixth gear??? Funny, I rarely get out of 3rd on my way home from work. I use sixth about 1 a month maybe...

I definatley like first and second. My buddys 911 C4s has a shorter first, or so it seems. Maybe the rev limiter kicks in earlier on a 911. Any thoughts?

What year is the Carrera?

I like my 6-speed. I use all of the gears.

My 1 cent's:

* I agree that 4-5-6 are too closely spaced. I often skip 5th.

* I think 1-2 are too far apart, especially in stop-and-go traffic.

* I use 6th a LOT. If I had a 7th taller top gear, I would use it, too.

* The top gear in a 5-speed vs a 6-speed is about the same.

* Note that the "lugging" is all relative. A 2.5L with 200HP has to keep the revs up a LOT more than a 3.4L with 295HP.

I haven't had a problem with the ratios of 4-5-6. I don't think you're saying you go right from 4th to 6th. If you are your highway driving conditions are very different than mine. 5th seems very well suited for the routing traffic on the highways where I drive. Plenty of torque and room for swings from 65 - 100 without shifting. The only usefulness I get out of 6th is racing along at ridiculously high speeds or taking a break and just cruising along just like all the other drivers. I get plenty of use out of 5th on the highway. Driving off highway to and from work on windy roads I rarely get into 4th.

In the end as someone else said I think it all comes down to your traffic and road conditions.

The top gear on the 5-speed and the 6-speed are EXACTLY the same gear ratio. Check your owner's manuals, that's where I found this.

I like having 6 gears, but honestly, I rarely use 5th. 1-3 for city driving, 4th on the on-ramp, and pop up to 6th when I'm on the freeway. I sometimes will downshift to 5th so I can accelerate quickly to pass someone. That's when the gear gets used the most.

the idea of a fuel economy gear in a Porsche is offensive :)

LOL I have the same perspective. It's not my area but as far as I know Porsches are subject to the CAFE standards in the US and pay a penalty for each tenth of a mile they miss the average by for their fleet. That's how I think it works anyway. I know an "overdrive" gear in some cars like the TransAms in the '90s was specifically put in to increase the mileage even though it was totally useless. I think Porsche also can claim a higher top speed with the 6th gear?

As I've said I really prefer the 5th gear in the Boxster S. I'm only in 6th when I've lost all common sense until I slow down again.

Interestingly if you look at the "hybrid" cars like the Prius that were specifically designed to get a claimed higher mpg by taking advantage of the deficiencies in the EPA test protocols their mpg will dropping by as much as a third under the new test. The entire area of mpg averages for their fleets has a significant enough impact on the bottom line of the car companies that they'll do some pretty useless things from a real world perspective to their cars.

All of that being said I love my 6 speed and can think of no other gear than 6th that I'd rather be in when the road is open, straight, empty and I'm going way too fast.

Negative, Ghost Rider. The top speed of the S is higher than the base because the engine size. 5th gear in a base and 6th gear in an S are the exact same gear ratios. Like I said in my previous post, check your owner's manual. ;)

Usually my commute goes around 90 mph, I cannot imagine dowshifting in highway without 5th gear. That's a lot of fun.
As bmussatti said, I use 5th a lot.

You can do 90 in 4th. I'd have to check, but you can probably almost do 90 in 3rd.

If you're passing slower cars on the highway at 60-70, you shift into the powerband, which would be 3rd. You could go into 4th if you're going faster. Again, making 5th redundant.

If the 6-speed would give me what equates to a gear between 2 and 3 on the 5-speed then I would say it's useful. On my favorite road I find myself bumping between 2 and 3 all the time, which while fun, is tricky when I run out of revs in 2nd exiting a corner and don't want shift just yet and upset the chassis. Once I get a little better at driving the box it won't be such a big deal I'm sure, but for the moment maybe a 6 would be easier.

Sure you can downshift from 6th to 4th at higher speed. (other gears for that matter) The question is how effectively it can be done consistent basis and the degree of stress your car has to suffer. Maybe it's not required on paper(still I wouldn't say it redundant), but it's the reality, day to day driving experience, which tells the truth. Like everything else, to each own, but I definately use my 5th a lot in highway driving.

Blue,
The Carrera is a 2002.