I apologise if this is a stupid question but I do not know the answer.
This is my first "large" engine car and I never had 6 gears before.

When running 60 - 70mph on busy motorways should I always 6th gear to get good MPG or would 5th be better ?


Accord 2.4 vtec-s

 

Motorway in 6th is OK, that's low-ish RPM for good economy.

Use 5th when traffic is such that you might want power without taking the time to downshift. It depends on the traffic situation & there's no absolute right/wrong answer. You're simply anticipating the need to downshift.

I've always used manual trannies, so I don't find myself forgetting to downshift. Even in traffic, it's very rare that you really REALLY have to accelerate immediately.

 

Thanks for that.
At what point would you think it is bad for MPG ?

If I let the speed drop to 30 (as an example) in 6th gear and then had to floor it for for 2 minutes while I let the speed build back to 60 - 70 then I would assume it was bad for MPG.

 

Letting it drop down to 30MPH in 6th gear is fine but when you get ready to go faster than just down shift to a gear that feels better for your cars power..

Welcome to the forums

 

Yeah I know this is not a problem. What I was trying to get at is ..........

When a car is advertised as doing 50mpg, there is always a constant defined speed given. The designers know the exact rpm for a balance between power and fuel effinicy.

Does this car have such a figure ?

 

I a lab, yes. On the road, the car behaves dynamically, so the ideal speed/rpm/gear changes constantly. Your best bet is to keep it in the highest comfortable gear and accelerate slowly. Starting and stopping has a much greater effect on mileage than cruising.