5 or 6 Speed?? is the extra gear worth the money??

[x-tream]

I am wanting to put a 6 speed in my camaro only becasue it is just cooler then a 5 speed. iam just wondering if the extra gear is worth the exta money?? and what is the rev difference from the 5th to 6th gear on the highway??

[markss28]

when I had my Z28 5th was at 2000rpm going 60mph and in 6th at 2000rpm 85mph. Now a 5th gear on a 5 speed is geared differently so you'll get a lower rpm then 5th on a 6speed.

I say 6 speed is more fun and cooler plus if you ever wanted to sell the car, a 6 speed would make a great selling point.

[Mkelcy]

You can get a Tremec 5 speed with either a 0.82 fifth or a 0.64/0.68 fifth gear.

An LS1 T56 comes with a 0.74 fifth gear and a 0.50 sixth; the aftermarket T56 and some earlier LT1 T56's come with a 0.80 fifth gear and a 0.62 sixth.

Both the T56 and the TKO 5 speeds come with a 1.0 fourth gear.

So with a TKO using a 0.64/0.62 fifth gear you'll have a bigger drop off from 4th to fifth and a higher numeric (lower overdrive ratio) top gear as compared to an LS1 T56. As compared to the aftermarket T56, you'll simply have an extra gear between 4th and your top gear.

IMHO, the 0.50 sixth gear in the LS1 T56 is useless with a rear lower (numeric) than 3.55, and even that is marginal (roughly 1400-1450 rpm @ 60mph). With a big cam engine that could be pretty unpleasant.

On the other hand, the 0.5 sixth gear can tame 3.90's and 4.11's for cruising. Even with my aftermarket T56 with the 0.62 sixth, I was getting roughly 17.5 mpg on the freeway in my 350 '68 Camaro. I recently swapped in an LS1 T56 and I'm hoping to see 20 mpg.

[ProdigyCustoms]

it really depends on engine combo. if you build a big horse motor with a bunch of camshaft (like most of us do), the last thing you want is being in overlap at highway speeds. RE: turning to few RPMs. Even with a 3.73 a engine can be turning to low for a 6 speed. The .064 is plenty enough, the TKO is smaller to package, lighter, and stronger then a NONE Viperized unit, and the Viperized unit is way more money.

So we use TKOs.

[CAMAROBOY69]

I am more than happy with my 6 speed tranny .50 final gear ration. Like mentioned above it all depends on your engine and rear end combo. I have 4.11 gears so .50 for 6th gear is perfect for me. And IMO a 6 speed does sound a lot cooler than 5 speed.

[x-tream]

Thanks for the input.

If i can get 600hp from my small block with a supercharger it sounds like a 6 speed, with a .50 final gear and 4.11 rear gears should work. right?

[Fastbowtie]

Has anybody been to the drag strip with these combo's? I am too considering a TKO 500 and I am wondering how much this will help or hurt my 60ft. I am new to Pro-Touring but not to drag racing. Are any of your 60 fts low or are you guys doing it all midrange? Last night on Woodward I was talking with a guy with an 88 Mustang and he was complaining that now that his car is lower he couldn’t get traction with a sticky tire. He was running a 418 stroker engine. In my particular set I would be running a 3.73 and the 3.27 1st gear which is the equivalent to a 4.84 and a 2.52 Muncie.