A taller gear ratio in the rear differential, combined with the transmission's two extra gears, allows for better fuel economy.
Speaking of more torque from the new engines, it allowed Porsche to select
taller gear ratios from third - gear on, improving fuel consumption but still providing quicker acceleration than the outgoing Carreras.
The VW transmission engages slowly as you get rolling after a stop, shifts slowly, and cycles clumsily to
a tall gear ratio whenever it registers any lightness on the throttle pedal.
Revs are somewhat higher in the automatic S mode, whereas D mode prioritizes
taller gear ratios.
Not exact matches
It's just a pity the
gear ratios are too
tall for general sporty road driving — third extends to over 110mph.
A
tall final - drive
ratio of 3.31:1 enables the car to reach 60 mph without grabbing for second
gear and brings a very high top speed within reach, but it makes the car difficult to launch from a stop.
The
ratios of the 5 - speed manual transmission's lower
gears are relatively
tall, making for a leisurely launch.
-- Porsche fiddled with the
gear ratios, but the 911 R still appears cursed with
gearing that's far too
tall, a problem that seems to dilute a bit of the fun in all modern Porsche models equipped with a manual gearbox.
Even though this Miata's six - speed manual transmission has a fairly
tall ratio in sixth
gear for highway cruising, the rear axle's final - drive
ratio is fairly short to enhance acceleration, so the Miata's 2.0 - liter inline - 4 engine spins above 3000 rpm at ordinary cruising speed and close to 4000 rpm if you're brave with speed limits.
With the six - speed manual (actually, it's a little bit like a four - speed as far as performance is concerned, since the top two
gears are
tall overdrive
ratios), as well as a short - throw shift linkage and a reinforced clutch, a Golf R gets to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds.
The gearshift is much more crisp too, with a shorter, more pleasing throw, although the
ratios feel
taller than the Twingo's, despite an extra (sixth)
gear.
The
gearing feels well - matched to both engines though; second is a good B - road
gear in the 1 - litre, second and third for the 1.5, while
tall upper
ratios benefit refinement and economy at higher speeds.
Both provide a
tall cruising
gear for good highway mileage (there are three axle
ratios from which to choose).
For comparison, the GM 8L90 has a 0.65:1
ratio for the
tallest gear, and the second generation ZF 8HP has a 0.64:1
ratio for the
tallest gear.
The Malibu also gains a bit from a
taller rear - end
gear ratio that lets the engine spin slower at highway speeds.
Perhaps more importantly, more speeds in the transmission allow automakers to
gear the top
ratio «
taller» — tech talk for the engine turning more slowly — and, again, rpm reduced is fuel conserved.
The
ratios are sorted for both city and highway driving styles and sixth
gear is
tall allowing the Skoda Octavia to stretch its legs on the highway.
With the automatic, crawl
ratio is 31.25:1 and the overdrive
gear is not as
tall, meaning there is a tad more driveline noise and vibration at higher speeds.
The wider spread of
ratios allows the engine to run at lower speeds, often in the «
tallest»
gear, 8th.
The new nine - speed has a wider 7.6:1 overall
ratio — the difference between the first
gear ratio and the top
gear ratio — compared to the eight - speed transmission, with a «deep» 4.69 first
gear that supports excellent off - the - line acceleration and a «
tall» 0.62 top
gear for low - rpm highway cruising.
The manual does have
tall gearing in its first two
ratios (second is good for 81 mph), but the GT3 spends so little time in those
gears that it's less of a criticism and more of a warning.
It has six close -
ratio gears for good acceleration and a
tall overdrive 7th
gear for relaxed and economical cruising.
Part of the problem is because Honda has used
taller fourth and fifth
gear ratios in the interests of fuel economy, which on the petrol - manual is improved by around 10 percent to 19.5 kpl.
A «steep» first
gear and a «
tall» overdrive top
gear to achieve a wide
ratio spread of 6.14:1.
The
gear ratio is 3.42, which seems
tall until you consider that the powerband of the Duramax diesel is considerably lower than a gas engine.
The transmission offers smooth shifts and a wide spread of
ratios that ideally suit both engine's characteristics including a
tall - overdrive sixth
gear for quiet, efficient highway cruising.
The new eight - speed has a wider spread of
ratios and is better able to use the high torque
gears for quicker launches, as well as
taller gears for greater fuel efficiency on the highway.
The new nine - speed automatic has a wide 7.6:1 overall
ratio, with a «deep» 4.69 first
gear that supports excellent off - the - line acceleration and a «
tall» 0.62 top
gear for low - rpm highway cruising.
lighter, has a 68 percent wider overall
ratio range with a 43 percent lower first
gear, and a 17 percent
taller top
gear compared to the current Accord's six - speed automatic.
It's now even better thanks to
taller second and top
gear ratios in the LC70's sole five - speed manual transmission, which extracts more of the significant torque available at low speeds and reduces engine speed to less than 2000rpm in top at 100km / h.
The new Sixth
gear ratio is
taller (lower numerically) than the top
gear in Acura's 5 - speed V - 6 automatic transmissions.
First
gear is a little
tall for super-slow car park crawling, but there's enough low - down torque to make stalling a rarity, and the upside is a top (sixth)
ratio that's
tall enough to spin the engine at only around 1000rpm at 100km / h.
BMW has pulled a swiftie here, giving the 520d precisely the same
gearing as the 518d, but a far
taller (3.077 to 3.231) final drive
ratio and then relying on the more expensive model's extra torque to cancel out the inherent acceleration shortfall.
The Corvette's biggest issue is its transmission — its gearbox doesn't like to be rushed, and its
gear ratios are ultimately too
tall and too widely spaced for performance driving.
The
gear ratios are poorly chosen for UK roads, with an extremely
tall top
gear.
Other major improvements to the LandCruiser 70 Series include
taller second - and fifth -
gear ratios, a DPF filter and piezo - electric injectors.
The odd thing about the top speed figure is that the GT C Roadster gets its higher top speed even as the transaxle running shorter seventh
gear and final - drive
ratios for harder acceleration, though it runs a
taller first
gear than the stock unit.
The only difference in each case is the selection of
gear ratios, with the SOHC - associated transmissions being
geared taller for more efficiency, and the DOHC - associated transmissions having shorter, more closely spaced
ratios for performance.
That said, with the tractable motor you don't really need to use the gearbox that often and I found myself even skipping
ratios while shifting up, using the driveability of the engine to drive a
taller gear.
The first three
gear ratios are similar but the last three are
taller to compensate such that 100 km / h reads just 3100 rpm in 6th which is pretty close to what it is in the Integra.
Transmission
ratios through the first seven
gears are the same also as the 3.0 T, with the exception being a
taller final drive for marginally better fuel economy.
In this application, as in the Camry, the engine is rated at 268 horsepower and is paired with a relatively «
tall» final - drive
ratio, which ensures low engine speeds while cruising in the overdrive fifth and sixth
gears.
In this application, the transmission's final
gear ratio is 4.69 - percent
taller than the Accord CVT on which it's based, to allow for lower engine rpm while cruising.